Vegan concha recipe
Vegan Conchas
Makes 16
For the base dough
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup plant milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup softened vegan butter (I use earthbalance or country crock almond)
1/4 cup chickpea aquafaba (liquid from the can of chickpeas)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Concha topping
3/4-1 cup all-purpose flour depending on your desired texture and a little extra for dusting.
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine or vegetable shortening (I use crisco baking sticks)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring of choice (optional)
Directions-
Start by combining hot water and plant milk in a measuring cup. (you will want this mixture to be about 110* F give or take ten degrees for best yeast activation.)
In the bowl of your stand mixer you will add your yeast and about a teaspoon of sugar with the water/milk. Allow this to sit for about 5 minutes to bloom the yeast while you assemble your other ingredients.
To the bowl of your mixer add 2 cups of flour, the sugar, butter, aquafaba, and lastly the salt. mix with a spatula just to get the dough started, then you can add the remaining two cups of flour and mix on medium with a dough hook attachment. (you can also try to make this recipe in a mixing bowl and kneed by hand).
Kneed in machine or by hand until a smooth ball forms, you will know it is finished when you poke the dough it bounces back.
Set in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel, set in a warm area to rise for two hours or doubled in size. If your kitchen is cold, you can turn the light on in your oven and set it inside.
While your dough is rising in a separate bowl we will make the concha topping, combine all ingredients (except the food coloring) mash the margarine in with a fork or use your hands to form into a dough ball. Adding flour as needed to get a texture that stays together but does not stick to your hands. When your dough is complete you can separate it into 16 balls and color them however you wish, cover and set aside until ready to use.
After two hours your dough will be ready to portion into balls, I usually weigh my dough ball and divide that weight by 16 to get the most uniform end product, but if you like a little chaos baking I totally support that as well. This recipe will make 16 full size conchas.
Roll your balls into happy little lumps and set them on a parchment lined sheet, I like to keep them covered with plastic wrap while I work to avoid them drying out.
Assemble your conchas by flattening the topping in your hands until it is big enough to cover the surface of your dough ball. Use your finger to apply a bit of water to the surface of your dough ball and then place your topping, apply a bit of pressure to make sure they adhere. At this point you can use a pizza cutter or knife to make your design. (you can also find concha stamps that will place some fun elaborate designs in your conchas if you are interested.)
Leave your assembled conchas covered to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
While they have their final rise, preheat your oven to 350*F
Bake uncovered for about 13 minutes depending on your oven. You will know they are done when the bottoms are a beautiful golden brown.
Now here is the part we learned serving these as a fan favorite in our home bakery. These babies freeze so well! They will thaw from the deep freeze and seem freshly baked as long as you seal them up properly. I recommend that conchas covered on the counter be eaten within a few days, in the fridge within a week, but if you seal them up well and place them in the freezer you should be fine for a month, maybe longer! (they have never lasted longer than that in our house. :) )
These are best served with a warm beverage and make the perfect gift for any occasion!