In an earlier post, I noted that I have a list of foods to make as research for my current writing project. One of the new foods on my list to learn was Conchas: sweet Mexican rolls with a sugar crusted top, scored in a distinctive curving pattern meant to resemble a conch shell. Classic conchas are flavored with vanilla, maybe chocolate in the sugar disk topping, & that's it. I put a tiny twist on mine to be more spring-ish, & created Lavender Cardamom Chonchas. And YUM!
You will need lavender sugar to make these. Sounds gourmet, right? But it's just plain white granulated sugar that has been pulsed in a food processor with food-grade dried lavender. This results in a superfine sugar powder with a gentle lavender aroma, & delicious lavender flavor. How superfine? The texture will be almost identical to powdered sugar. I recommend a proportion of 1 teaspoon lavender to every 1/4 Cup of sugar. (This is also a good way to use up those sugar cubes you've had sitting in your pantry forever.)
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| Combine in a food processor or clean spice grinder & pulse until soft & powdery. |
YOU WILL NEED: a stand mixer, other baking bowls, a whisk, a wooden spoon, parchment paper, & a digital kitchen scale. Trust me.
Lavender Cardamom Conchas
Ingredients:
1 generous teaspoon active dry yeast (half of an envelope)
1/4 Cup warm whole milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, generous, divided
1 & 1/2 Tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 & 1/2 Cups bread flour, plus more for surface
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (about 20)
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour, generous
1/3 Cup lavender sugar (see above)
1/4 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 Cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the warm milk & yeast, & let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, select a small bowl & place it on your scale. Tare the scale. Crack your eggs into the bowl & whisk thoroughly until they are a uniform liquid, then use the scale the check the weight. Take a second small bowl & pour out 1/4 of your eggs (it's easiest to measure this by weight, hence the scale!).
The small amount of egg will be what you use for your egg wash when you put the sugar topping on the conchas. Cover & set in the fridge until you need it later.
- To the bowl with the remaining egg, measure in a generous 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (set aside the rest for the topping) & all of the plain granulated sugar. Whisk together, then pour into the stand mixture with the yeast. Sprinkle in the milk powder, cardamom, & the bread flour, then stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
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| For some reason I just like the words "shaggy dough." |
- Cover the bowl tightly and allow to rise until doubled in volume. In the refrigerator this will take at least 12 hours, at room temperature only 30-50 minutes. (I compromised & used my garage, which is usually at some temperature in between during the spring, & my dough doubled in about 5 hours. The time isn't really what matters, you want the dough to have doubled in size & smell like the yeasty, buttery concoction that it is!) At this point, remove the cover and use your fingers to gently press & fold the dough to deflate entirely.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the all-purpose flour, lavender sugar, cornstarch, ghee, vanilla, & remaining salt, until you have a homogenous paste. Using your scale, divide this topping into 6 equal pieces. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely, & set aside.
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| Here's your crumbly paste. Press it together... |
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| ...& you get these! And lick your fingers afterwards, because yum! (But then wash them before you continue, because obviously.) |
- Take out your remaining beaten egg, add a generous teaspoon of water, & then beat to combine. Set egg wash aside. Now you have all your pieces, it's time for the final assembly!
- Take a rectangular piece of parchment paper & fold it in half. Unfold, & use a pencil to draw a circle in the center of one half, about 4" in diameter (I traced a saucer). One at a time, take a piece of your sugar topping & place it in the middle of this circle, then fold the parchment paper over & push it out into an even 4" circle.
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| I used a spice jar as a rolling pin to create these sugar disks. |
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| The sugar disks will fully cover the top & sides of your rolls--it's like tucking them under a blanket! |
- Position your rack in the middle of the oven & preheat to 325º F. While the oven is pre-heating, use a small, sharp knife to gently score the top of each roll with the conchas pattern--this is done by making crescent lines from left to right, then top to bottom. You just want to cut into the dough, just score the topping.
- Bake until the visible dough is golden brown & the sugar topping is just every so slightly darkened, 20-28 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Once fully cooled, conchas can be placed in an airtight container & saved for three days--but they are DEFINITELY best the first day.
Because of the long baking time, I made these the day before I wanted to eat them. I started in the morning, ate dinner while they were going through their final rise, & then popped them onto the cooling rack just before bed. The next morning, they were perfection. I partner & I enjoyed them with bacon, herb omelettes & fresh coffee. And when COVID-19 finally takes a hiatus, I plan to make them again for a belated Mother's Day brunch. I highly recommend you do the same!
