Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)

Directions

1. 1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water in the bowl.
2. 2. Next, add in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and only 2 cups of flour. Mix until just combined.
3. 3. Add another 1 cup of flour to the mixture and knead until just combined, then continue kneading for another 5 minutes. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky but easy to handle. If the dough is very sticky, knead in more flour.
4. 4. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and turn the dough over to coat all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. In the meantime, start making your sugar paste topping (directions below).
5. 5. When the dough is ready, place it onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 even pieces. Roll dough pieces into balls.
6. 6. Place the pieces onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet, then add the sugar paste topping onto each ball. Let bread rise on the baking sheet for 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F about 5 minutes before the bread finishes rising.
7. 7. Bake bread for 18-20 minutes, or until the bottom is lightly brown.

Making the sugar paste topping

1. 1. Beat the sugar, margarine, and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
2. 2. Stir in flour and mix until a thick dough forms. Add more flour if needed.
3. 3. Evenly divide dough into 3-4 pieces and knead in different gel food colorings to each piece. If dough becomes too sticky, add more flour.
4. 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough pieces and cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Score lines into the paste to resemble a seashell.