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Bolillo on top of kitchen towel held in hand
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Mexican Dinner Rolls (Bolillos)

Step by step instructions on how to make Bolillos including a video tutorial. These Mexican rolls are the number 1 sold bread in Mexico City.
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword bolillos, mexican dinner rolls
Prep Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 8 bolillos
Calories 236kcal

Ingredients

  • 500 g unbleached all-purpose white flour about 4 imperial cups
  • 8 g dry active yeast about 2 teaspoons
  • 8 g Salt about 1.5 teaspoons
  • 8 g sugar about 1 3/4 teaspoons
  • 350 ml 110℉ hot water (43℃) 1.5 cups

Instructions

  • Add dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on low until well combined.
  • Add 110℉ hot water. The temperature is crucial! Add colder water and your dough won't rise, add hotter water and you will kill the yeast. Use a meat thermometor to be certain of the temperature.
  • Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and knead the dough for at least 20 minutes on low. Longer is even better. You want a very elastic dough (see video).
  • Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise to double its size. Depending on the room temperature this will take anywhere between 25-50 minutes.
  • Once the dough doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place on a clean floured working surface, sprinkle flour on top as well and then fold from the bottom up and over and from the top up and over, then let rest for 10 minutes, fold again, and let rest another 10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (See video).
  • In the meantime, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Now cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into "bolillo form". (See video). Then place on the lined baking sheet.
  • Once all bolillos are formed,make about a 1/2" deep incision in the middle with a sharp knife and spray or brush all bolillos with water.
  • Cover the bolillos with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise a second time until doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 450 F (230C) at least 20 minutes before the rolls have to go in the oven. Leave a baking sheet in the oven under the middle rack to fill with water later to create steam.
  • Remove the kitchen towel, spray the bolillos again with a little bit of water, add 1 cup of water to your baking sheet already in the oven, and put the bolillos on the rack on top in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.
  • Let cool for at least 10 minutes and enjoy warm.

Notes

*A digital kitchen scale will always give better results than volume measurements. If you absolutely do not want to invest in one (they can be as cheap as $10), make sure you are using imperial cups of 236ml volume, not metric cups of 250ml volume.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 3mg