Bolillos Recipe

5 from 16 votes

This recipe makes perfect bolillos, football-shaped Mexican bread rolls with a crunchy, golden crust and soft, airy crumb. Use them for sandwiches - tortas - and for dipping in soups and stews.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Rising time1 45

Total Time2 25

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: rolls

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Stand mixer or large bowl
Baking sheet

Ingredients

2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
4 ½ cups bread flour (you might not need all of it)
1 teaspoon vegan butter (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make bolillo dough

Mix the sugar, water and yeast and set aside to make sure your yeast is active. It should froth and bubble within five minutes. You can skip activating the yeast if you are using instant yeast.
Add the butter, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast water mixture. Mix by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook at a low setting (two on my KitchenAid).
Add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. It should be smooth, not sticky. I needed nearly 1 ½ cups more (total 4½ cups) on a humid day. You might need more or less. Continue to knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer on a low setting for eight minutes. You should have a really soft, smooth, very supple and beautiful dough at the end of it.

First rise

Turn the dough out on a clean surface and form into a smooth ball. Spray a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning over once to coat the top with oil.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a tight lid and place in a warm spot (I put it in a cold oven with the light turned on) for about an hour or until it has doubled.

Shaping the rolls and second rise

Remove the dough to a flat surface. Knead briefly, and then divide into nine equal pieces. Pull the sides of each piece of dough toward the center, then roll it to form a ball. Cover the balls of dough with a kitchen towel and let them relax for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, shape the rolls. Take a ball of dough, turn it upside down, and press with your fingers to form a four-inch disc. Begin rolling the dough over on itself, pressing the seams in with your fingers as you go.
Seal in the final seam using your fingers or the heel of your hand.
Roll the bolillo dough with your palms on the surface until it's about six inches long. Taper the edges as you roll. Place the roll, seam side down, on an unoiled baking sheet. Repeat with eight remaining balls of dough.
Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and set them in a warm spot to rise, 45 minutes to an hour.

Score and bake

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius and position a rack in the center of the oven. Before you begin preheating, place a baking pan filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven.
Use a sharp knife or bread lame to make a vertical score in each role, going almost all the way from one tapered end to the other. The cut should be about ¼ inch deep.
Place the bolillos on the middle rack and bake the rolls 27 minutes until golden brown. When you tap on the bottom of a roll, it should sound hollow-- that's how you know it's done.
Remove the baking sheet to a rack and let the rolls cool before serving.

Notes

For a deeper-colored crust, brush some oil on the bolillos before placing them in the oven.

How to store and reheat bolillos

Store the bolillos at room temperature in a paper bag for up to two days. You can refrigerate them for up to a week in an airtight bag or container. Freeze the rolls for up to six months. To reheat, thaw the frozen rolls in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Heat in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius preheated oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through.

Nutrition