08/30/2026
What are conchas? One of the most iconic of the Mexican pan dulce (sweet bread), conchas are named for their distinctive crackly cookie-like, shell-shaped coating 🐚
They're a yeasted bun that has sibling pastries in Japanese melonpan and Hong Kong pineapple buns. I love learning about food because two countries on opposite sides of the world with completely different cultures can have food in common... how cool is that?
Like many pastries, conchas can be found mass-produced in grocery stores (kind of like our Little Debbie cakes) or have a trendy, upscale spin with all sorts of different flavors (and everything in between!) We personally love visiting panaderías when we travel and trying all sorts of pan dulce, including conchas!
The conchas I've made for NewBo City Market this weekend are based on caffè mocha, with a vanilla and espresso swirl topping and a chocolate espresso dough. I personally love them heated up with a cup of coffee but they're great cold too 😁 I'll have them today until 3:00 or sellout!
