Cinco de Mayo Conchas

Recipe adapted from Sprinkle Bakes and Food.com

*3 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

*1/2 cup Warm Water, around 108*F.

*2 teaspoons Sugar

*1/2 cup Milk or Evaporated Milk, warm

*3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons Sugar

*1/3 cup Butter flavored Shortening or 1/3 cup Butter, I like shortening

*1 teaspoon Sea Salt

*3 cups All-purpose Flour, more if needed and more for rolling out dough

*Mini Cinnamon Chips or drops, if cinnamon drops are larger than mini chips, then roughly chop them before adding to the dough, optional, but they add great flavor to the Conchas

Colorful Sugar Paste Topping:

*1/3 cup Sugar

*1/4 cup Butter, room temperature or could use butter flavored shortening

*1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

*1/2 cup All-purpose Flour, more for if needed for rolling out

*1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Cinnamon

*Assorted Colors: Neon Green, Neon Pink, Neon Purple, and Neon Orange

In a 2 cup glass measuring cup add the warm water and yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside until bubbly.

In a sauce pan add the milk and warm the milk and add the shortening/butter, sugar and salt stir until shortening/butter is almost melted.

Using a stand mixer with dough hook on medium-low-speed, add to the bowl the warm milk mixture and a cup of the flour. Then turn on mixer and add the yeast mixture and slowly add the remaining flour. Dough will be slightly sticky, add more flour only if needed. Knead in mixer on medium low speed for 8 minutes or until dough starts forming a sticky ball. Then add in the mini cinnamon chips, mix on low just until incorporated.

Remove mixing bowl from the stand mixer and cover bowl with a lint free dish cloth, slightly damp. Allow the dough to rise 1 and 1/2 hours or until double in bulk.

Then on a floured food safe surface, place the dough ball and roll out the dough with rolling-pin or with your hands, lightly press into a rectangular shape (using extra flour as needed) use a pastry cutter and divide the dough into 20 even square pieces. Form each piece of dough into a round ball, by tucking in corners on the underside of each dough ball and push them up slightly forming a smooth top on each roll. Place on Silpat covered half baking sheet or use parchment paper. Allow to rise another 30 minutes or longer because adding the sugar paste toppings takes a little time.

Colorful Sugar Dough Paste

Divide the sugar dough paste into 4 even sections/pieces. Color each of the sugar dough paste pieces in desired colors. Make an impression with your finger in the dough paste and drop in 1 to 2 drops of the food coloring. Knead paste until color is incorporated. Repeat for each color.

Refrigerate sugar dough paste for 20 minutes and remove one color at a time.

Then with EACH color of sugar dough paste, divide into 5 paste dough balls of the same color and using a fondant roller or press into a round cookie cutter, roll out each into a circle and use round cookie cutter to help keep it shape, you will have no scraps, use all of the dough ball, repeat for each color dough paste.

After you have your round shape use the cookie cutter to score the lines onto your sugar dough paste.

Note: l like to use 2 (4”X4”)square pieces of Saran Wrap or cut open a fold sandwich bag and add sugar dough paste to the center of the bag, so that plastic is on top and the bottom dough paste ball, press or roll the sugar dough paste (in a circle shape using cookie cutter) this will keep a smooth surface on both sides and for easy removal and transfer to the roll. Score a design onto the circle as desired. After scoring sugar dough paste topper on the Saran Wrap, I turn/flip it onto my hand then place it onto the risen roll dough. Add a little water to the top of the roll if it seems like the paste isn’t it sticking well, mine went on easily.

After adding all sugar dough paste tops to rolls Bake in a 375*F. For 18 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden on the bottom of roll.

Optional Flavorings for Paste:

Add to the above paste recipe: *1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract omit cinnamon or 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Orange Zest still add cinnamon and vanilla or Make below Chocolate Sugar Dough Paste. Omit Cinnamon Chips from the dough recipe with these toppings or as desired.

Optional Topping:

Chocolate Sugar Dough Paste

*6 tablespoons Butter, room temperature

*3/4 cup Powdered Sugar

*2/3 cup All-purpose Flour

*2 teaspoon Cocoa Powder, like Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and slowly add to the creams mixture stirring until combined. Roll out the dough paste the same as above colorful sugar dough paste.

Also see Cinco de Mayo Food Ideas

 

See Cinco de Mayo Ideas

Enjoy!

Lindy