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From cinnamon-covered churros to buttery polvorones, pan dulce, also known as sweet bread, are staples in Mexican culture.
Concha, a traditional sweet bread covered with a sugary, crunchy topping, is one of the most popular Mexican pastries. It’s often eaten for breakfast or dessert accompanied by coffee, hot chocolate or champurrado.
Marquez Bakery, located on East Division Street, offers a variety of pan dulce. Owner Sally Marquez said conchas are their most popular item, making about 200 to 250 of the pastries daily.
The history
In the early 16th century, wheat was introduced to México by Spanish conquistadors. However, pan dulce rose in popularity in the mid 1800s during the French occupation.
Though influenced by the French, México created its own unique style of textures and shapes. Today, there may be as many as 200 types of pan dulce in the country, according to Nuestro Stories.
By the end of the 20th century, classic conchas were introduced in Mexican restaurants. The topping was left intact, blanketing the pastry instead of being scored into the shell design we see today.
The famous pan dulce gets its name from its sweet, characteristic covering that resembles a seashell, or in Spanish, concha.
The variety
Marquez said her bakery prepares the conchas traditionally, mixing the ingredients, allowing them to rise, then creating the sugary paste to top the pastry and cutting their design on top before baking.
The sweet topping is traditionally white, pink or yellow and may be flavored with vanilla or cinnamon. Brown conchas are often made with cocoa powder. For special occasions, bakeries can create custom designs, colors and sizes to fit their customers’ needs.
Marquez said her bakery has made tri-colored conchas for UTA, the Texas Rangers and tequila company launch parties, matching their sweets to the company’s label.
She said mini conchas have become popular at the bakery in the last few years, typically making 75 to 100 a day.
The impact
With various concha recipes and a variety of pastry creations going viral online, new, creative renditions of the bread now include uniconchas, concha tortas and concha cupcakes, according to thrillist, a traveling publication.
Conchas were commonly found in small, Mexican-owned businesses or small grocery stores, Marquez said. But today, the treat can be found in a number of mainstream locations, such as Walmart and Kroger.
“It’s such a traditional staple,” she said. “Now you can find them everywhere, which it’s nice, because everybody likes to see representation of their culture.”
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