Tasty Mexican Conchas
Tasty Mexican Conchas are a staple in Mexican markets and special gatherings, and these are so good.Choosing recipes to include in each book is one of my favorite parts of writing the Bread Shop Mysteries. In Kneaded to Death, I knew I wanted to include a traditional Mexican treat in honor of Olaya Solis and her bread-making heritage. These conchas fit the bill.Excerpt:We spent the next hour measuring and mixing the ingredients for conchas. “Mexican sweet bread is an easy way to start the bread-making process,” Olaya had said. We went through the lesson by mixing the yeast and warm water, adding the milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and flour, finally kneading the mixture until a soft, pliable dough formed. “Much of the bread I make here is to be long-cultured,” she continued. “Forty-eight hours or more, to get the best rise and flavor possible. But the sweet bread, the conchas, can rise much more quickly.”We left the dough in our greased bowls covered with a thin dishcloth and went to the front of the shop where Olaya walked us through the different breads still remaining in the display cases, telling us the history of her experiences making sourdough loaves, French baguettes, boules, brioche, tartine country bread, Challah, festive breads, and so much more. Partway through the bread tour, Jackie’s cell phone rang, sounding like the harsh ring of an old-fashioned phone from twenty years ago. Jackie answered, avoiding Olaya’s disapproving glare. “I can’t,” she whispered into the smartphone. “I’m in the middle of a class.”Whoever was on the other end of the line said something that caused the color to drain from Jackie’s face. She turned a ghostly white and glanced around the kitchen, her spooked gaze skittering over each of us. Turning her back to us again, she cupped her hand over the phone and lowered her voice even more. “No. She’s not. It was my decision. My life, not yours.”Keep Reading Kneaded to Death.