Heart Conchas

Ingredients & Measurements

Yeast Mixture
¼ cup warm water
¾  tbsp. active dry yeast
½ tbsp. sugar 

Dough:
1 ¾ cup (270 g) all-purpose flour, plus ½ (30g) cup for dusting
½ cup (80g)  sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. (3g) salt
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
½ tbsp. vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp. (g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ tbsp. butter for the proofing bowl

Sugar Topping:
¾ cup (114g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (80g)  powdered sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. Salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter room temp.

Instructions:

Step 1: Bloom yeast
Warm the ¼ cup of water to 105-110 degree F.  water, the active dry yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar mix together and let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Make the Dough
Meanwhile, measure out the flour, sugar, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients together, add the eggs and vanilla paste and extract and mix for a few seconds using a spatula. The yeast should be super puffed up.  Add the yeast mixture and butter and mix together with spatula until a rough dough forms. Pour dough onto a floured work surface and knead, incorporating more flour as needed. It should take approx. 10 minutes to get the dough to form into a nice ball that isn’t too sticky.

Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl and rub a small amount of butter on the dough to prevent it from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest from 60 to 90 minutes. Be sure to place in a warm, draft free location I prefer to place in the oven.

Step 3: Sugar Topping:
In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt and mix together. Add the butter and vanilla extract and use your hands to mix until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. At this time you can divide the sugar dough and color it and flavor it however you like.

Step 4: Shape and Top Concha’s
After an hour, the dough should have doubled in size. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and using a rolling pin, roll out into a 12×12  inch rectangle. Using a large heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out conchas. Roll left over dough back into a ball and repeat this process until all dough is used, This recipe should yield 6-8 conchas.

Using a rolling pin, roll out sugar dough to a 9×13 rectangle. Place the same heart shaped cookie cutter used to cut out conchas and use a knife to trace a larger heart. You want the sugar topping to cover the entire cochca, even the sides, so be sure you cut enough sugar. As the conchas rise and bake they will puff up and expand. 

Press with a concha cutter, or cut your own design on the top. Be sure to just cut the sugar topping.  Place the conchas on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, let proof for the 2nd time in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.

Step 5: Bake Conchas
While the conchas proof for a second time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees C.

Once the conchas have proofed, bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the conchas to rest for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. After 10 or so minutes you can enjoy!

These are best the day of, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Be sure to watch the full tutorial below. Have a sweet day!