Mexican Sweet Bread

First of all, let’s make the dough. Dissolve yeast in milk. Set aside.

Mix 7 cups of the flour with the granulated sugar in a mixer. Now add the yeast mixture and combine lightly.

Add salt. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed at the same time. Scrape the sides, increase speed to medium, and continue mixing, until dough is smooth. It should take about 10 minutes, maybe slightly less. The dough should turn out smooth and elastic.

Add butter in small portions. Mix everything on medium speed for 5–10 minutes more, until smooth. If dough turns out too sticky, add a little bit more flour.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave for 1 hour in a warm place to rise.

Now let’s make the topping. In a bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour (or, if making chocolate topping, substitute 3 tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder), baking powder, salt, and confectioners sugar. In another bowl, cream butter and add the flour mixture to it. Combine. Add vanilla extract and mix again.

Now let’s make the buns! Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and roll by cupping your hands and pressing as you roll each bun over the table. Place the dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press every ball with the palm of your hand.

Roll a gumball-sized amount of topping and flatten it with a rolling pin. Use a glass to cut the dough into circles. They should be large enough to cover the dough. Make parallel curved lines with the tip of a knife to make your buns look like seashells. Let them rest, at a room temperature, for about 40 minutes, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 30–40 minutes.