This beautiful and brightly colored Mexican Conchas recipe is one of the many popular pan dulce recipes, or sweet bread, that you can find during popular celebrations in Mexico like the on the Day of the Dead or for Cinco de Mayo.
So May is right around the corner. How did that happen? And were is spring weather? I definitely need a little Mexican food to lighten my spirits. Good thing this month’s Food N’ Flix film selection is Coco, a fabulous animated series set in Mexico. For this film, I decided to prepare on Cultureatz a Mexican Conchas Recipe which is a Mexican sweet bread recipe that is part of the pan dulce bread family.
You are probably wondering what is a concha? The concha Mexican bread recipe is a sweet chewy bread often decorated with a gorgeous seashell-like pattern made with a concha topping. These are sold year round but they are especially popular during holiday festivities such as Cinco de Mayo.
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Coco, the movie
Coco is a 2017 animated movie by Pixar. It features an impressive all-Latino voice cast and it was a massive success. Some people say it beats Toy Story. Twelve-year-old Miguel Rivera has had enough of family traditions and obligations. The only person he likes is his great-grandmother, Coco. All he wants to do is play music (a big no-no in his family) and be his own person.
He has no interest in spending the day with his family for el Dia de Los Muertos. His rebellious behavior accidentally transports him to the land of the dead and he gets cursed. The only way back is to get a blessing from a dead family relative before sunrise. In a series of events, Miguel makes ancestral discoveries and saves a dead family member from completely vanishing. But does he make it back to the land of the living? Watch the movie Coco to find out click here to see the movie!
So I really loved the movie. It is really well made, entertaining, I think respectful of the Mexican culture, and it has a good message. I totally recommend it.
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Famous Mexican Holidays
The movie is centered around El Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, a huge holiday celebrated in Mexico which begins in October 31st and ends on November 2nd. It is a day when families gather to remember their ancestors that have passed away. Families will go to cemeteries to clean the grave and create altars containing filled with flowers, pictures, and memorabilia of the diseased, as well as their favorite foods and beverages. Of course, there is a touch of sadness but it can be a happy event when surrounded by loved ones and the decorations are so colorful.
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held every May 5th and it is the day chosen to commemorate the Mexican Army’s unexpected victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Many countries, like the US, with a large population of Mexican descendants or immigrants host Cinco de Mayo festivities. These events highlight Mexican culture with festivals, parades, dancing, music, and lots of traditional Mexican food!
Food sightings in this movie
So I have a confession: I do not have a listing of food sightings like I normally do. I saw the movie one month before I realized it was the next movie for the group. I did not feel like watching it again so soon. So instead let me tempt you with classic Mexican dishes often served on holidays. One could make pan de muerto, mole negro, tamales, sugar skulls, Mexican hot chocolate, fruits, flan, calabaza en tacha, posole, atole, or anything made to look like a skeleton. And make sure you surround your dishes with marigolds.
How to Make Mexican Conchas Recipe
The conchas pan recipe is one of the many types of Mexican sweet bread recipe. Now even if this is a classic Mexican pastry, did you know that the concha pastry has French influences? France is known for crispy bread rolls, baguettes, and sweet pastries. And the Mexican concha bread rolls was the result of a revamped recipe during Mexico’s French occupation in the 1800s. Think baguette, now think Mexican bread rolls with a crunchy sweet crust. And that is how the Mexican conchas recipe was born.
Year-round people in Mexico line up at their local pan Mexican bread store, called panaderia, in the morning and in the evening for this inexpensive breakfast or late supper treat. I love how elaborate the topping design looks but it is so simple to make this concha bread recipe.
It is a regular bread recipe topped with a sweet topping that is made separately. Just place it on top and score it a few times. Now you will leave the bread to rise one more time before baking. As the bread rises, the topping breaks and gives the Mexican conchas recipe its distinctive seashell pattern. So cool, right?
Mexican Conchas, a Mexican Sweet Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 2/3 cups white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 5 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar in the warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for 6-8 minutes.
- Mix well 3 cups bread flour, salt, sugar, and shortening in a large bowl. Stir in very well the yeast mixture and 2 eggs. Then add the remaining eggs. Add the remaining flour and mix until you get a soft and elastic ball of dough. You want it to be a little sticky but shapable. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- Divide dough into 16 pieces and shape into a ball. Place them 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Press each ball slightly to flatten. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, place the butter, shortening, powdered sugar, flour and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Divide equality into however many colors you will make.
- Mix in any food coloring very well, shape into a log, wrap in wax paper. For a little flavor, to one portion add the cocoa and cinnamon in. Chill the logs until ready to use.
- When the bread has risen a second time, divide your toping balls into a total of 16 pieces, about 2 tablespoons per bread. Flatten each topping ball with palms into a circle. Place the circle on top of the bread, making sure it completely covers the dough. Use a sharp knife, slash just the topping. this is where the topping will crack.
- Leave to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, uncovered. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 12- 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Food ‘n Flix is hosted this month by my friend Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla! In this monthly group, a host picks a movie of their choice that pertains to food. Everyone watches the movie and then makes a recipe which the film inspired. It can be any recipe you want. Join us!
Want more awesome Mexican food ideas? Check out these recipes:
These look amazing! Such great colours, I’d love to try them.
Thanks Caroline they are very beautiful and tasty.
Ha! I commented on this in 2011! Still think it’s a cool bread!!!
LOL I know I noticed, you were the first 😀
What fun!! Love these sweet little rolls and your icing is incredible!
Thank you so much MJ 🙂
Bravo amiga, your conchas look perfect! I’ve only ever made them once a very long time ago but your recipe is making me want to go bake some right now.
Thank you amiga it’s a big compliment from you 🙂 And yes it’s the perfect time to make it again 😀
That bread is gorgeous. I knew that you would have a great recipe. This was right up your alley.
Thank you so much Wendy! That is so kind 🙂
Cant say i have ever tried this bread but i am sure it very good. the popularity of Mexican food in Australia is nothing like it is in Mexico. The recipe looks easy and staright forward to make
Yeah probably not too much authentic Mexican food there. Well if you do not have a chance to buy it in Australia, totally worth making it 🙂
Bread was my friggin’ favorite when I could eat it. And this recipe just makes me sad because sweet bread translates to donut in my mind and if I could, I would SUBSIST on donuts for the rest of my life!
🙁 just imagine the big one is a big ball of SALMON!
Great tasty bread and I will put this recipe on my to do list. We have several Mexican bakeries near us that make the bread. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo! Nice hands! 🙂
Ha ha my pink hands! Thank you Pam ad hope you give the recipe a go even if you can get it easily 🙂
I love how pretty & colorful these are! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo next week. 🙂
They are just perfect indeed for Cinco de Mayo, thank you Carrie!
I’ve had this wonderful bread, but never made it. Now that you’ve given us the recipe, I can! Love the texture of it, particularly the top. Fun post — thanks.
it is so good right and love the colors. Now you can make it for Cinco de Mayo 😀
They are one of my favourite sweet bread. I only baked them once long time ago and they weren’t half as beautiful as yours. Good job, Evelyne.
Thank you so much Angie and I have trouble believe yours were not as beautiful 🙂 They are very yummy!
I was going through your archives and I found this! It looks so beautiful. It’s a little unusual though but looks great!
You are really travelling down the archives, 2011 yikes lol. They are really good, I should make them again.
Hi Evelyne, Your Pan Dulche recipe has been selected to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: Congrats again!! 🙂
Hi Ayshela,
Glad you are looking through my blog and thank you for the comment. And awesome hint! Thank you 🙂
I’m late finding your blog and going through the archives, but this looks lovely! One thing that might help with kneading in food colouring is to put the part you want to colour into a plastic zip top bag and add the colouring, then fold most of the air out and zip it. Then you can knead through the bag without an explosion of colour all over you OR your kitchen. =)
You can’t go wrong with cocoa and cinnamon for breakfast. It’s probably just as well I can’t bake anything with yeast (due to incompetence rather than dietary requirements) otherwise I’d have these every morning!
Bravo. Looks delicious. I love the cinnamon.
Scrumptious! And I love the different colors, so cool!
That looks great. You did a good job.
I’ve seen recipes for these, but they weren’t as colourful as yours! They look yummy!
You can never go wrong with the sweet side of things. 😉 Such fun buns and I adore the purple one. I haven’t made pan dulce in forever.
When I lived in NYC, there was a cute Mexican bakery that Poppa Trix and I used to frequent far to often, and we would always get pan de dulce. This reminds me of that, and I especially love the purple sugar topping you made!
Looks just like a purple pineapple bun if you ask me.
These buns are amazing! I had never heard of them. I love what happened to the topping after it was baked, very interesting! There is a Mexican sweet bun I have been wanting to try for a while, that is somewhat similar to this one (without the special effects). If I’m not wrong it is called Rotioy, you probably know about it.
Thanks for your lovely comment on my chocolate, we missed you there this month!
Maya I knew you would comment on the color, I was thinking of you as I made that topping.
Thanks everyone for the comments
I never knew about this bread! But it does reminds me of a type of Asian bread. Quite similar technique and also with a crunchy top. NICE one!
Wow those look just like a Mexican bakery, great job.
It goes without saying that I love your purple bread topping, it’s so eyecatching! And yes… I did eggs for my breakfast, how boring, for once. LOL.
Well done on this one!
Wow, these are quite unusual….so it’s great fun to see the technique in your post. I have never met a bread I didn’t like, so I’m certain this is a winner 🙂