Mexican Sweet Bread is a popular option at any Mexican bakery. Learn how to make Mexican pan dulce at home for a fabulous, sweet treat.
We are going to show you easy step by step instructions for Mexican Sweet Breads Pan Dulce. Everyone will be so impressed when you make this popular quick bread recipe at home.
It is delicious for breakfast, dessert or anytime of day. This sweet bread is absolutely wonderful.
The bread is sweet but not overly sweet. It is just perfect! I also like to make Flan Cake Recipe and Tres Leches Cake for more traditional desserts.
Table of contents
What is Mexican Sweet Bread?
Mexican sweet bread is called Conchas. They are very popular in Mexican bakeries and for good reason. This sweet bread is delicious.
Concha means “shell” in English which denotes the bread’s appearance of a shell. It is stunning in appearance and also tastes wonderful.
Sweet Bread Mexican style bread is so tasty and everyone will enjoy it. We also like to make Sopapilla Recipe.
Ingredients
For the Bread
- Dry Yeast. Make sure the active dry yeast has not expired.
- Whole Milk. You can use other types of milk, but this has the richest flavor.
- Unsalted Butter. Melted.
- Granulated Sugar. This will be divided.
- Large Eggs. Room temperature, beaten.
- Vanilla Extract. For the best flavor, use pure vanilla.
- All Purpose Flour. Just plain all purpose flour. Not self rising.
- Oil. For greasing the pan.
For the Topping
- Unsalted Butter. Softened
- All Purpose Flour. Always spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it. This will ensure you don’t pack too much flour.
- Powdered Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar so it’s smooth.
- Cocoa Powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder.
Get the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.
How to Make Mexican Sweet Bread
- Step 1. Heat the milk in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals until the milk is warm to the touch (approximately 110-115 degrees F).
Step 2. Stir in the yeast and half of the granulated sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
Step 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the cups of flour, remaining sugar and salt.
Step 4. Then add in the melted butter, eggs and yeast mixture. Mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until the dough comes together. The dough should be tacky but not sticky.
Step 5. Coat a large bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen town. Then let rise until it has doubled in size. It will take about 2 hours.
Step 6. Then divide the dough into 12 even pieces and roll them into balls. Place them on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Step 7. While the balls are rising, prepare the topping. Use a hand mixer and cream together the flour, butter and powdered sugar. Then separate the mixture into 2 bowls. Mix the vanilla extract into 1 bowl to form the white vanilla topping and mix the cocoa powder into the other bowl to form the cocoa topping. Form each topping into approximately 6 balls. Then flatten them. Place each disk over a dough ball on the baking sheets.
Step 8. Use a sharp knife to cut grooves into the topping in a clam shell pattern. Then cover with kitchen towels. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
Step 9. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Conchas will last up to 5 days if stored inside an airtight container.
How to Freeze?
If you need these to last longer, consider freezing them. Make sure the conchas have cooled completely.
Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Then store the conchas inside a freezer bag or container.
They can be frozen up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
Expert Tips
- Yeast. Make sure that your yeast is not expired as expired yeast will not activate correctly.
- Topping. I make the topping disks by flattening them out with my hands, but you can use a rolling pin or tortilla press if you prefer.
- Food Coloring. You can easily add in food coloring to the topping if you want to make different colors of this delicious Mexican sweet bread.
- Baking time. They need to bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Oven times can vary so keep an eye on them so the bottoms don’t get too brown.
- Allow plenty of time for the dough to rise. Don’t rush this step as the dough needs the suggested time to rise.
- Topping. You can use food coloring to make these in different colors. If you add this, we suggest gel food coloring for a more vibrant color.
- Room temperature. The eggs should be room temperature and the butter softened before using in the recipe.
More Mexican Dessert Recipes
- Churro Bites Recipe
- Tres Leche Cupcakes
- 25 easy Mexican desserts
- Traditional Mexican Cookies
- Dulce De Leche Ice Cream
- Piรฑata Cupcakes
Everyone will love this Mexican Sweet Bread. It is so delicious, and the texture is soft and delicious. Make it today and leave a comment and star rating please.
Mexican Sweet Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 1 package Dry Yeast ¼ oz
- 3/4 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter melted
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar divided
- 3 Large Eggs room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Oil for greasing
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals until the milk is warm to the touch (approximately 110-115 degrees F).
- Stir in the yeast and half of the granulated sugar.ย Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.ย Note: If the mixture is not bubbly, you will need to pour it out and start again with a new package of yeast.
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, stir together the flour, remaining sugar and salt.ย Place the bowl in your stand up mixer and attach the dough hook to the mixer.ย Then add in the melted butter, eggs and yeast mixture.ย Mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until the dough comes together.ย The dough should be tacky but not sticky.ย If the dough is still sticky, gradually add in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and just tacky.
- Coat a large bowl with oil.ย Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl.ย Cover the bowl with a kitchen town and let it rise until it has doubled in size (approximately 2 hours).
- .Then divide the dough into 12 even pieces and roll them into balls.ย Place them on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- While the balls are rising, prepare the topping.ย With a hand held mixer, cream together the flour, butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.ย Then separate the mixture evenly into 2 bowls.ย Mix the vanilla extract into 1 bowl to form the white vanilla topping and mix the cocoa powder into the other bowl to form the cocoa topping.
- Form each topping into approximately 6 balls that are approximately 1 ½ tablespoons big.ย Then flatten them into large disks that are large enough to cover your dough balls.ย Place each disk over a dough ball on the baking sheets.ย Lightly pat it down to secure the topping to the dough.
- Use a sharp knife to cut grooves into the topping in a clam shell pattern.ย Then cover with kitchen towels and allow the dough to rise for 30-60 minutes until they have doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.ย Bake for 18-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Then they are ready to serve and enjoy!
