conchas: twice-baked

a little weekend project to delay the existential blues.

twice-baked conchas deserve a spot in your weekend pastry round-up.

if you’re in austin, texas, maybe you’ve had an opportunity to try comadre panadería's beautiful twice-baked conchas, featuring flavors like pistachio frangipane and peach jam.

maybe you’re in SoCal and not too far from long beach’s gusto bread, who serves up their doñas, conchas soaked in syrup, filled with house made almond cream and house made jam, finished with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

twice-baked conchas are out there in the wild, but maybe are not as easy to come across compared to other pan dulce. but like all pastries, anything found in a pastry case can also be found in the home kitchen.

the process is pretty simple: conchas are sliced and allowed to rest overnight, open-faced, allowing the bread to dry out. if you’re using stale, week old conchas -even better. when it’s time to bake, the conchas are brushed with simple syrup, allowing the dried out sponge to soak up all the moisture, becoming “refreshed”.

a generous layer of fluffy almond cream (butter, salt, sugar, an egg and almond flour) is spread after the simple syrup, along with a layer of your favorite jam, if desired.

the concha is then baked again until dark, dark golden brown. when you bite into it, the outside is caramelized and almost flakey, and the center is soft and cake-like, brimming with flavor from the syrup and jam.

you can use conchas made at home (my recipe) or conchas purchased from your local panadería or panadero (support local if you can).

i am sharing recipes for 3 almond cream fillings that i have tested. you can add fruit powders such as raspberry or strawberry, citrus zests, other ground nuts such as pistachios, powdered teas such as hojicha for a malty-roasty flavor, and those are only a few examples.

kassie mendieta of bake chats recommends toasting almond flour before using it for frangipane, taking the flavors to a deeper, toastier and nuttier place.

her twice-baked croissant guide, the absolute best way to eat a croissant, influenced me to even try twice-baked conchas in the first place and is absolutely worth a read.

*to toast almond flour, spread the flour evenly over a parchment lined sheet tray, and bake at 350 F for 5 minutes at a time until golden brown and aromatic.

the simple syrup can be played with as well. any flavors you have access to, such as tea (love earl grey, oolong and black tea syrups), citrus peels and juices, whole spices, extracts and so much more, can be used to flavor simple syrup. syrup can shine as the bolder flavor choice paired with a classic almond cream, or it can work as a supportive flavor to compliment whatever flavor of almond cream and jams you’re pairing together.

take your time exploring the flavor playground.

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PAN DULCE: TWICE-BAKED CONCHAS

makes: 6 twice-baked conchas | prep time: 30 minutes | bake time: 20-25 minutes