Vegan-Friendly Pan Dulce: What You Need To Know

Pan dulce, or sweet bread, is a term for traditional Mexican pastries that are usually not vegan, as they typically contain eggs, milk, and butter. However, vegan versions of pan dulce are becoming more popular, and it is possible to make vegan pan dulce by substituting plant-based alternatives for animal products. One popular type of pan dulce is conchas, which are round sweet breads with a shell-shaped sugar topping. Vegan conchas can be made by substituting aquafaba for eggs and using vegan butter.

Conchas, a type of pan dulce, can be made vegan

One challenge in making vegan conchas is finding a suitable substitute for eggs. Simply omitting the eggs results in dry conchas. Various egg substitutes such as aquafaba, flax, and chia can be used, but they may not yield the desired texture. One innovative solution is to use sweet potato, which provides the right amount of binding and moisture.

Another challenge lies in creating the sugar topping. Using vegan butter like Earth Balance may not produce the desired crumbly texture. A better alternative is vegetable shortening, which helps create a perfect crumbly coating that melts in your mouth.

To make vegan conchas, start by preparing the dough. Combine the dry ingredients, including flour, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, such as plant-based milk, vegan butter or shortening, and sweet potato. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and knead until a soft and supple dough forms. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for a few hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the sugar topping. Mix softened vegan butter or shortening with sugar, flour, and vanilla extract. If desired, add cocoa powder or turmeric for chocolate or yellow topping, respectively. You can also experiment with different colors and flavors.

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into equal-sized balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about 30 minutes.

To add the sugar topping, place a ball of topping between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten it with your hands or a rolling pin. Place the flattened topping on top of each concha and use a sharp knife to cut slits, creating a shell-like design. Let the conchas rise for another 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake the conchas for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy these vegan conchas as a sweet treat or serve them for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

Vegan conchas can be made with sweet potato

Pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, is traditionally made with eggs, dairy milk, and lard, and is therefore not vegan. However, it is possible to make vegan conchas, a type of pan dulce, by substituting sweet potato for eggs.

Vegan conchas are a variety of pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, that can be made without eggs. Conchas are so called because "concha" means "shell" in Spanish, and the sugar topping on the bread is designed to resemble a shell.

Making vegan conchas can be challenging because the eggs need to be substituted without making the bread dry. One successful substitute is sweet potato, which provides the right amount of binding and moisture to the dough.

To make vegan conchas with sweet potato, you will need the following ingredients:

• Active dry yeast
• Soy milk
• Bread flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Cooked, mashed sweet potato
• Vegan butter
• All-purpose flour
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon (optional)

The process of making vegan conchas with sweet potato is as follows:

• Dissolve the yeast in soy milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• In a mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
• Add the mashed sweet potato to the yeast-milk mixture and whisk to combine.
• Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough starts to incorporate.
• Gradually add the softened vegan butter and mix on medium speed for about 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight.
• The next day, take the dough out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until it comes to room temperature.
• Divide the dough into 10 pieces, roll them into tight rounds, and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray.
• Press down on the rounds to form a dome shape.
• Make the topping by creaming together the vegan butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon (if using).
• Knead the topping lightly until it has a soft play-dough consistency.
• Divide the topping into 10 balls.
• Place each ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and press down with your hand to flatten it into a circle large enough to cover the top of a concha.
• Peel off one sheet of plastic wrap and place the topping on a concha. Slowly peel off the other sheet of plastic wrap. Repeat this process for all 10 conchas.
• Use a concha cutter or a knife to press down on the topping and create the shell design.
• Let the conchas rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Bake the conchas on the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sides and bottoms are golden brown.
• Let the conchas cool completely before serving.

You can make this recipe even if you don't have a standing mixer, but be prepared for a good arm workout! Bread flour is recommended for the best results, but if you use a different type of flour, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid. You can also add a few drops of food coloring to the topping to make it any color you like. While soy milk is recommended, you can use any unsweetened plant-based milk of your choice.

Vegan conchas can be made with vegetable shortening

Pan dulce, or "sweet bread" in Spanish, is a classic Mexican treat. Conchas, which means "shells" in Spanish, are a variety of pan dulce. They are called this because of their shell-like shape, created by the sugar topping.

Conchas are typically made with eggs and dairy milk, and sometimes lard, which are not vegan. However, there are ways to make vegan conchas. One of the challenges in making vegan conchas is substituting the eggs. One option is to simply omit the eggs, but this can result in dry conchas. Various egg substitutes can be used, such as aquafaba, flax, or chia, but these may not produce the desired texture.

Another challenge in making vegan conchas is creating a sugar topping that doesn't fall off during baking. Some recipes use vegan butter in the topping, but this can affect the texture. Vegetable shortening, on the other hand, helps create a perfect crumbly, sugar coating that crumbles right into your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
• ½ Cup Soy Milk, lukewarm
• 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• ⅓ Cup Vegan Butter like Earth Balance, room temperature
• 3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
• ¼ Cup Vegetable shortening
• ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract, preferably Mexican Vanilla

Instructions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and yeast. Let proof for 5 minutes.
• In a measuring cup, pour in the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes as well.
• Once the yeast has proofed, add the soy milk mixture, vegan butter, sugar, 2 cups of the flour and salt. Mix everything together.
• Gradually add in the remaining 1½ cups flour. Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
• Place the dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
• After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and divide it into 12 equal-sized balls. Knead each ball for a minute or two.
• Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sugar topping. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the vegetable shortening, flour, and vanilla. Mix with your hands until a thick dough forms.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Divide the topping into 12 equal balls. Place each ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and press down with your hands until it is large enough to cover the top of a concha.
• Remove one sheet of plastic wrap and place the topping on top of a concha. Repeat this process until all 12 conchas are done.
• Use a sharp knife to cut slits into the sugar topping to create the shell look. Be careful not to cut through the dough.
• Let the conchas rise, covered, for another 20 minutes.
• Place the conchas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.

Enjoy these vegan conchas anytime, but they are especially perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee. You can also dip them into your coffee for an extra treat!

Vegan conchas can be made with aquafaba

Pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, is traditionally made with eggs, milk, and butter, and sometimes lard. However, it is possible to make vegan conchas, a type of pan dulce, by substituting vegan-friendly ingredients for the animal products.

The topping for vegan conchas can be made with vegan butter or vegetable shortening, sugar, and flour. Some recipes also include cocoa powder, turmeric, or food coloring to create different colors and flavors for the topping. The topping is divided into balls, rolled out, and placed on top of the dough before being cut with a knife or concha mold to create the shell-like design that gives conchas their name.

The process of making vegan conchas is time-consuming, as the dough needs to rise for several hours, but the end result is a sweet, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth bread that is perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee or tea.

Vegan conchas can be made with coconut oil

Pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, is traditionally made with eggs and dairy milk, and sometimes lard, so it is not vegan. However, it is possible to make vegan conchas, a type of pan dulce, using coconut oil.

Conchas get their name from the shell-like shape of their sugar topping. They are fluffy, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth, and are often enjoyed with coffee or hot chocolate.

To make vegan conchas, you will need the following ingredients:

• High-protein flour (bread flour with 4 grams of protein or more per 1/4 cup)
• Warm water
• Dry baker's yeast
• Powdered sugar
• Cocoa powder, peanut butter, or desired flavouring
• Coconut oil
• Salt

First, mix 2 cups of high-protein flour and 1/4 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Then, add 1 1/4 cups of warm water and mix until a uniform dough is formed. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, add 1/2 teaspoon of dry baker's yeast and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough and mix by hand. Wet your hand with warm water to prevent the dough from sticking. Mix until the dough is elastic and cohesive, then let it rest until it has doubled in size.

In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup each of high-protein flour and powdered sugar. Add your desired flavouring, such as cocoa powder for a chocolate concha. Melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil and add it to the bowl, mixing well. Form the paste into a ball and cut it into 6 equal pieces.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 6 or more pieces and shape them into little balls. Cover the dough balls with a little melted coconut oil and let them rest while you work on the paste.

Place each ball of paste between a plastic bag that has been cut in half and press it with a flat object, such as a cutting board, to form a tortilla-like shape. Place the paste on top of the dough balls and use a knife or concha mold to cut grooves into the topping to create a shell pattern.

Bake the conchas at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Enjoy them with your friends and family, or gift them to your loved ones!

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