Mexican Bolillo Bread Rolls

These Authentic Mexican Bolillo Bread Rolls are made with simple ingredients and easy to make. Enjoy them as a side dinner roll or as a Mexican torta!

Real, authentic Mexican Bolillo Bread Rolls are finally here! This recipe has been on my to-do list since I first started Isabel Eats back in 2015. I keep a huge list of all the Mexican foods I ate growing up that I want to recreate and share with all of you, and these bolillo bread rolls were one of the first things I wrote down.

What are Mexican Bolillo Rolls?

A bolillo roll is Mexico’s version of a crusty french bread that’s oblong in shape, kind of like a football, and is often used to make sandwiches called “tortas.”

I vividly remember the smell of fresh warm bread when visiting the local Mexican bakery with my parents every weekend. We used to pick up a half dozen of these bolillo rolls and other assorted sweet breads for lunch every Sunday. The smell of that Mexican bakery will stay with you forever.

I think it’s about damn time I celebrate that memory by making my own Mexican Bolillo Bread Rolls right in my own kitchen. Let’s do this.

How to make Mexican Bolillo Bread

Step 1: Make the dough by combining unbleached all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, honey, butter and water.

Step 2: Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer until it is soft and elastic, not sticky. Let it sit and rise until it has doubled in size.

Step 3: Roll the dough into 8 football-shaped rolls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let sit for 45 minutes.

Step 4: Cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of each roll. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Step 5: Eat all the rolls!

Now that I’ve made and documented this recipe (finally!), I see many torta recipes coming to the blog in the future. But for now, I’ll just enjoy eating a bolillo roll smeared with butter and a hot cup of coffee.

Ways to Use Bolillo Bread

• To make molletes
• In capirotada (Mexican bread pudding)
• To make tortas (or sandwiches)

Recipe

4.37 from 36 votes

Bolillo Bread

Serves: 6 bolillos

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Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Total : 3 hours 5 minutes

These Authentic Mexican Bolillo Bread Rolls are made with simple ingredients and easy to make. Enjoy them as a side dinner roll or as a Mexican torta!

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups water, divided, plus more for steam baking
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fine salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for greasing

Instructions

• Prepare the yeast. In a cup or bowl, heat ¼ cup of water 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 sugar. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 5 minutes until it gets foamy. If the mixture doesn’t get foamy, throw it out and start again with a new packet of yeast.
• Prepare the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular large bowl), whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
• Attach the dough hook to the mixer and add the oil, yeast mixture, and remaining 1 cup of water. Mix 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.
• Rise. 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 until it has doubled in size, about 1-1½ hours, or until it has doubled in size.
• Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Shape and rise again. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into 7-inch long ovals with a tapered end, like a football. Place 3 bolillos on each of the prepared baking sheets and lightly brush the tops with a little oil or spray with cooking spray to keep them moist. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise again for 45 minutes.
• Create steamy oven. 15 minutes before they’re finished resting, fill a 9×13-inch baking dish with 10 cups of water and place it on the lowest rack in the oven to create a moist environment for the bolillos. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• When the dough is ready, make a ¼-inch deep cut lengthwise down the middle of each bolillo using a very sharp knife.
• Bake. Spray tops of the bolillos with a little water, then transfer them to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
• Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Isabel’s Tips:

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 which is great! If it’s not, that means the yeast is likely dead and you need to start over with a new yeast packet.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1roll Calories: 227kcal (11%) Carbohydrates: 43g (14%) Protein: 6g (12%) Fat: 2g (3%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g Monounsaturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 4mg (1%) Sodium: 301mg (13%) Potassium: 3mg Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 50IU (1%) Vitamin C: 0mg Calcium: 0mg Iron: 0mg

Author: Isabel Eats

Course:Side

Cuisine:Mexican

Did you Make my Bolillo Bread?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!

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