Concha Breakfast Sandwiches made from soft and pillowy maple conchas, crispy bacon, perfectly fried eggs, creamy avocado, and salty cotija cheese. You’ll never want to skip breakfast again!
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This post is sponsored by Pete & Gerry’s Eggs. All opinions expressed here are my own.
These Concha Breakfast Sandwiches are one of my favorite creations of all time. Classic Mexican conchas typically come in either vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry flavors, but when I had the idea of using it as a breakfast sandwich bun, I knew it had to be maple-flavored.
These sandwiches are perfect for making on long weekend mornings when you have a little bit of time to sit and enjoy every delicious bite with a cup of hot coffee. The sweet bread can be made up to 3 days in advance and can be assembled to make a sandwich with your favorite breakfast foods. I chose fried eggs, bacon, avocado, and cotija, but you can also do eggs and sausage or a simple egg and cheese combo.
Ingredients You Need
- Eggs: You’ll need some Pete & Gerry’s eggs for the filling in each sandwich, as well as a few to make the conchas. Pete & Gerry’s eggs have been my go-to for years and are some of the highest-quality eggs I’ve ever had, all thanks to their humane farming practices. My entire family loves them and raves about their delicious flavor!
- Dough ingredients: All-purpose flour, sugar, milk, yeast, butter, eggs, and salt make up the ingredients for the enriched concha dough.
- Topping ingredients: Powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, butter, maple extract, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon are used to make the maple topping for the concha.
- Bacon: Crispy bacon adds the perfect crunch to this sandwich. I used 1 slice per sandwich but feel free to add more.
- Avocado: Adds a nice creamy texture and savory touch, which pairs nicely with the sweet pan dulce.
- Cotija: I love the addition of salty cotija cheese. It really helps to transform it into a sweet and savory breakfast.
How to Make Concha Breakfast Sandwiches
Make the concha dough by mixing together flour, sugar, milk, yeast, butter, eggs, and salt. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. Then shape it into 12 balls and let it rise one last time for another 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
Make the concha topping by mixing together flour, powdered sugar, butter, maple and vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Knead it until it forms a smooth paste, then flatten it into a circle to drape on top of the risen conchas. I used a tortilla press to do this, but you can also use a rolling pin.
Use a sharp paring knife to score the conchas into a clamshell pattern. You could also do a simple crisscross pattern or whatever you prefer. Make sure not to accidentally cut into the concha dough, as that can deflate the conchas. Press lightly into the topping only.
Bake the conchas for about 20 minutes until the bottom of each concha is light brown. Let them rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing them in half horizontally to make a bun.
Assemble your breakfast sandwiches by layering each bun with cooked bacon, a fried egg, slices of avocado, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Serve and enjoy every bite!
Tip!
Make sure your yeast is alive before adding it to the dough. If the milk and yeast mixture is bubbly and frothy, that means the yeast is alive and thriving. If it’s not, your yeast is likely dead, and you need to start over with a new yeast packet.
To ensure you’re not accidentally killing the yeast, use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the warm milk. It should read between 110°F-115°F.
Substitutions and Variations
Don’t have exactly all the ingredients you need to make this recipe? Here are a few substitutions you can make:
- While maple extract gives these conchas a sweet flavor and aroma, you can omit it if you don’t have any in your pantry and just use all vanilla extract instead.
- Try using breakfast sausage, Canadian bacon, or ham instead of bacon.
- Feta is a good substitute for cotija cheese. You could also use pepper jack or sharp cheddar if you prefer.
Recommended Tools
- Tortilla press. My preferred tool for easily flattening the concha topping.
- Instant read thermometer. A must-have when working with yeast! Helps to get the temperature just right so you don’t accidentally overheat the yeast.
- Stand mixer. This tool is a workhorse in the kitchen and does all the kneading for you. It’s an investment but so worth it if you love to bake!
Serving Suggestions
These breakfast concha sandwiches are delicious on their own but even better when paired with the following Mexican drinks:
Storing and Freezing
Conchas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze them for up to 1 month.
Concha Breakfast Sandwich
Video
Ingredients
For the concha dough
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 3 ½-3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon oil, for greasing
For the concha topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons maple extract*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the sandwiches
- 12 slices bacon
- 12 large Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ,avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the dough. Heat the milk in the microwave in 15-second increments or on the stove until it’s just warm to the touch. A thermometer should read around 110°F-115°F.
- Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 5 minutes until it gets very foamy. If the mixture doesn’t get foamy, throw it out and start again with a new packet of yeast.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular large bowl), whisk together 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, the remaining sugar, and salt.
- Attach the dough hook to the mixer and add the melted butter, eggs, and yeast mixture. Mix together on medium-low speed for 6-8 minutes (or mix by hand), until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough will be slightly tacky but not completely sticky. If it is still fairly sticky, knead in 1 tablespoon of additional flour at a time until smooth and elastic.
- Coat a large bowl with oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, shaping it into a ball. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place 6 balls on each of the prepared baking sheets and cover them loosely with clean kitchen towels. Let the balls rise again for 1 ½ hours in a warm place, or until doubled in size. While the conchas rise, make the topping.
- Prepare the topping. Beat together the flour, powdered sugar, butter, maple extract, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer until it starts to clump together and resembles wet sand. Transfer the mixture to a clean surface and knead it with your hands until it forms a smooth paste.
- Divide the mixture into 12 equal pieces and shape them into balls.
- Lightly flatten each ball in between two sheets of parchment paper using a tortilla press or rolling pin.
- Assemble the conchas. Drape the topping onto the risen concha dough. Lightly pat it down on the sides to secure the topping.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven is preheating, cut grooves into the topping using a paring knife to resemble a clamshell, a crisscross pattern, or whichever pattern you prefer. Be careful not to cut too deep and accidentally cut the concha dough.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bottom of the conchas is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing in half, horizontally.
- Make the sandwiches. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the slices of bacon and cook until crispy on both sides. Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- In a separate large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and cook until the egg whites are just set, but the yolks are still runny. Gently flip over and cook for about 10-20 seconds. Set aside on a large plate.
- Assemble the sandwiches by layering each concha bun with a slice of bacon, a fried egg, a few slices of avocado, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese.
Notes
- Maple extract: While it gives these conchas a sweet flavor and aroma, you can omit it if you don’t have any in your pantry and just use all vanilla extract instead.
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