Bolillos

A bolillo (bo-LEE-yoh) is a soft Mexican bread used to make tortas. These make a great sandwich and I think this is a really good recipe. A little crunchy on the outside with a tender crumb. I used leftovers, buttered and grilled to serve with soup.

Bolillos (adapted from Homesick Texan)
2 1/2 cups of flour, divided use
1 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup of canola oil
Cornmeal

In an stand mixer, place one cup of flour, yeast and warm water. Mix well. Add 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and oil and mix until ingredients are combined. Continue mixing at medium-high speed for 5 minutes.

Place ½ cup flour on kneading mat. Turn dough onto mat and knead by hand (20-25 turns) until dough is no longer sticky, adding additional flour as needed. Dough should be soft.

Place into a greased bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

After dough has risen, divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Take each piece and flatten it into a circle. Take one side, and fold it in half into the center. Take the opposite side and do the same. Roll folded dough with your hands until it’s spindle shaped, wider in the middle and tapered at the ends.

Place shaped rolls on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet that’s sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 425°. Place rolls on bottom rack of oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bolilllos are light brown in color and make a hollow sound when you thump them.