Description
Sweet. fluffy, and melt in your mouth good. These vegan conchas are just like the ones I ate growing up, only free of all animal products. These are perfect to enjoy with or gift to your friends and family this holiday season!
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup lukewarm warm water
- 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill organic sugar, divided*
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) Bob’s Red Mill active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery sticks, melted (we used Earth Balance)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Chocolate Topping (see notes)
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery sticks, softened but not melted (we used Earth Balance)
- 2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill organic sugar
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Turmeric Topping (see notes)
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery sticks, softened but not melted (we used Earth Balance)
- 2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill organic sugar
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon of the 1/3 cup organic cane sugar, and active dry yeast Set this mixture aside and allow it to activate for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, whip the aquafaba. Grab a medium bowl and add in the aquafaba along with the cream of tartar. Mix using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, whip it on high for 5-10 minutes or until it is light and fluffy. Set aside.
- Once the yeast has activated, add in the remaining sugar along with the melted vegan butter, and vinegar. Gently mix that all together until uniform. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, mix together 4 cups of all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly begin to pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture, mixing as you go so that it is easier to combine, and stop when there is about 1 cup of dry mixture remaining. Gently fold in the aquafaba, scraping down the bowl as needed to get every last bit. Add in the remaining dry mixture in to form a soft dough. If the mixture is still moist, add in additional flour, 2 tablespoons at a time (we found this unecessary). Once it becomes a soft and supple dough, transfer it to a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth.
- Place the dough into a large greased bowl and flip it once in there to make sure it is coated and moist. Cover with a clean dish towel and set it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
- When there are about 20 minutes left for rising time, prepare the toppings. Keep in mind that the topping ingredients are each for all 12 conchas. If you would like to use both colors, simply half the topping ingredients.In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer. Once creamed, stir in the flour and vanilla extract by hand. Split the dough-like mixture into 2 part and separate them into two smaller bowls. In one bowl, add in all of the ingredients for the chocolate topping, and in the other add everything for the turmeric topping. Using a spoon, mix the dough until everything is well combined. You will need to go in with your hands at the end to make sure they are well coated and the colors are well distributed and uniform throughout (you don’t want spots of white). Set aside.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Punch down rising dough and divide it into 12 pieces. We used a scale to be sure they were all even. Roll each dough into smooth balls by tucking the dough under itself. If you need help, refer to the video in this post. Place 6 dough balls on each baking sheet, spacing them out as they will continue to rise.
- Divide each topping into 6 pieces. Grab a piece of parchment or wax paper and fold it in half. The folded piece should be a little bit larger than the width of the concha dough. Roll one of topping pieces into a small ball and place it in between the two pieces of parchment paper. using a rolling pin or a jar (we preferred the jar as it was easier) roll the ball out into a circle as wide as the concha dough balls. Place the round on top of a dough ball and gently press it in so that it is sticking to the dough. Continue with the rest of the topping dough. We recommend you use two sets of parchment paper to prevent the colors from mixing.
- Using a sharp knife or a concha mold, cut grooves into topping to resemble the grooves on a scallop shell. Refer to the photos and video of this post. It may be a little bit difficult at first but you will get the hang of it!
- Cover the rolls with two clean towels and allow them to rise in a warm place for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F when the rolls are almost done rising. Once risen, bake the conchas for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from sheets and cool completely on wire racks before digging in.
Notes
- These are best enjoyed the day of as that is when they are the fluffiest, but you can keep them for up to 4 days 🙂
- 1 tablespoon of the 1/3 cup cane sugar will be used with the yeast. The remaining of the 1/3 cup will be added later on into the dough.
- If you would like to use food coloring, do the following:
- 1⁄3 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 cup vegan butter
- 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring as needed (start small)
- Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Baked Goods, Desserts, Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
