Bolillo Rolls

5 from 1 vote

Crusty Mexican bread rolls with a thin crisp crust and a soft, light inside, from flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar. Steam in the oven gives them their shine.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Rising Time2

Total Time2 50

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Halal, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: rolls

Calories: 348kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

4 cups strong white bread flour (500 grams / 17½ oz; weigh it if you can)
2 ¼ teaspoon fast action dry yeast (7 grams; or 14 grams / ½ oz fresh yeast)
1 ½ teaspoon salt (9 grams / ⅓ oz)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ cups tepid water (300 ml / 10 fl oz)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Dough

In a small bowl, combine the dry yeast and sugar.
Add about 100 ml (scant ½ cup) of tepid water (warm, but not too hot) to the yeast mixture.
Stir gently and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it froths. Fast-action yeast doesn't need this step, but it shows you the yeast is alive.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the strong white bread flour, olive oil, and salt.
Pour in the yeast mixture and the remaining tepid water (200 ml / ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon).
Mix the ingredients in the bowl until they come together into a rough dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. You can add a bit more flour if needed to prevent sticking.

Let the Dough Rise and Shape

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Punch down the risen dough to deflate it.
Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, approximately 135 grams (4¾ oz) each. Use an electronic kitchen scale if you want your bread rolls to be the same size.
Let them rest for another 15-20 minutes, as it will make the shaping much easier.
To shape your bolillos, roll out a dough ball into a small circle, approximately 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter, on a lightly floured surface.
Fold it into a half-moon, then roll it up into a log, pressing the ends as you go so the roll is pointed at both ends. Pinch the seam closed underneath.
Place the shaped Bolillos on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake the Bolillo Rolls

Preheat the oven to 230° C (450° F) with an empty metal tray on the bottom shelf.
Cover the shaped bolillos with a damp cloth and let them rise for about 45 minutes, until puffy.
Just before baking, make one slash down the length of each bolillo with a very sharp knife or a razor, about 1 cm (½ inch) deep, and mist or brush the tops with water.
Put the baking sheet in the oven, pour a cup of hot water into the tray on the bottom shelf and shut the door straight away.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom (96° C / 205° F inside).
Cool the bolillos on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.

Video

Notes

Weigh the flour and the water. 500 g of flour is about 4 cups plus 3 tablespoons, so cups over- or under-deliver.
The water should be comfortably warm, not hot. Hot water kills the yeast.
Fast-action yeast can go straight into the flour; the blooming step only checks it's alive. Fresh yeast: use double the weight of the dried, about 14 g (½ oz).
Olive oil: Mexican home recipes usually add a spoon of lard or vegetable shortening. I use olive oil instead, as it keeps the crumb soft for a day longer, and sunflower oil works the same way.
Knead until smooth and springy, about 10 minutes by hand or 8 in a stand mixer.
Give the shaped rolls their full 45 minutes. Under-proofed rolls bake dense.
One slash down the middle, about 1 cm (½ inch) deep. Several cuts flatten the roll.
Steam makes the crust: mist the rolls and pour hot water into a tray on the bottom shelf as you shut the door.
Cool on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting; the crust firms up as it cools.
Keep the leftovers in a paper bag for 2 days, not plastic. Refresh with a mist of water and 5 to 7 minutes at 180° C (350° F). Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition