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)
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 1/4 cups hot water, divided
Instructions
- In a small bowl or cup, mix together 1/4 cup hot water and active dry yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, add 3 1/2 cups flour, yeast mixture, salt, honey, melted butter and remaining 1 cup of hot water.
- Knead dough using dough attachment for 4 minutes on low in a stand mixer. If the dough is too sticky, add in the remaining flour in 1 tablespoon increments until dough is dry enough that it doesn’t stick to your fingers.
- Knead for 11 more minutes on low until dough is smooth, soft and elastic. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 10-20 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. The dough will rise faster when the temperature outside is warmer. If you’re making this recipe in the wintertime, a good place to let the dough rest is on top of the fridge.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll dough into football shapes and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Cover the 8 bolillo bread rolls and let rise for a second time for 45 minutes.
- Cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of each roll using a very sharp knife. Bake in the oven at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
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I live at an elevation of 7500 Ft. What adjustments do I need to make for the recipe to come out correctly
Hi Al! From what I’ve researched, you really would only need to watch the rising time. So instead of 45 minutes, I would suggest checking it at 30 minutes. The rest of the recipe should be okay though!
Do you think I could use gluten free flour and get the same results?
I’ve been gluten free for about 10 years and miss having milanesa tortas. Love your recipes! Thank you.
Hi Maritza! Yes you definitely can!
I made the bolillo rolls today. They are so good! My husband & I love them. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
hot water with yeast? My yeast is dead. No rise.
Hi Steve. Do you mind elaborating on what happened? We may be able to help!
I was wondering if I could use my bread machine for the dough cycle😊
Thank you
Hi Marilou. Yes, you can!
If you wanted to put in a jalapeño cream cheese filling, when would you do that?
Hello Caitlyn! We have not tried that filling with this recipe yet, so I’m not exactly sure. However, there are lots of other great food blogs that may have exactly what you’re looking for!
I get like I got bakery quality out of this recipe. I was super proud of these babies haha. Served with guacamole, and ancho chicken with a lime crema sauce **chefs kiss**
Love this recipe!!! How can you get the slit to open up wide like the bolillos in your picture?
Thanks again for this awesome recipe!
LOVED these rolls! Taste great and they were so easy to pull together! I have been working from home and got the dough pulled together and rising while on my lunch break. I will definitely be making these again, thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
I made these a few days ago and they turned out great! They were delicious with butter and also made a good torta. Thank you so much for the recipe!
I noticed the photo showed that the finished rolls appeared to have had their tops slit prior to baking though it was not mentioned in the recipe.
Should I slit the tops?
Hi! Sorry about that confusion. I just updated the recipe to make it more clear. You can cut a slit in the rolls right before baking. Make sure to use a very sharp knife and don’t cut the slit too deep. Just keep it slit on the surface.
soft crust
I’ve made twice. Yesterday a disaster. Today beautiful. One question… they are pretty flavorless … any ideas?
Hi Anne! Next time you may consider adding a little bit more salt next time. I hope this helps!
We love to bake bread so I’ll have to add this recipe to our list. Looks delicious.
Hi, how can you get so beautiful knifemarks on your bread
When you cut the slits, make sure to not cut too deep into the dough! This will help your knife marks look better.
Hi. Can I use a bread machine for this recipe?
Hi! We haven’t tried it this way but I think it’s probably possible!
Can you use bread flour instead of all purpose flour in this recipe?
Hi Janki, I’ve never tested this recipe with bread flour so I can’t say for sure. After doing a quick Google search, it seems like it should work in this recipe! Let me know if you try it.
I just used baked this now, this is by far the best recipe i found on bollilos. I tried 3 others. I used bread flour and it was wonderful. Im a novice baker and still learning. But this recipie turned out well.
I forgot to make the cut on the bollilos before putting it in the oven, but it turned out well.
Is there any adjustment for using instant yeast?