Oval Mexican Sandwich Rolls
Oval Mexican Sandwich Rolls
BolillosThe art of yeast baking was introduced to Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s, and the French brought other baked goods later, during the reign of Emperor Maximilian in the 1860s. The oval rolls called bolillos are by far the best known and most consumed daily yeast breads in Mexico. The rolls are baked twice daily in most panaderías (bakeries) all over the country to ensure freshness.Bolillos are eaten in a variety of ways, any time of the day. At breakfast, they are eaten with butter, jam, and honey, or split, covered with beans and cheese and toasted. They are used for an enormous variety of sandwiches (tortas), and also eaten with soups, stews, and entrées for midday meals (comida), or supper (cena). Mexican Bread Pudding is also made with bolillos.This recipe comes from Evie Lieb, an expert bread baker and instructor in Sacramento, California. Evie adapted her recipes to use a food processor because it makes working the dough easier. (You can also use a standing mixer with a dough blade.) Another efficient step is using quick-rising granulated yeast. If you measure the temperature of the warm liquid with an instant-read food thermometer before adding the yeast to it, you can ensure that the yeast will rise.Although at home you can't precisely duplicate the chewy, crusty bread produced in Mexico's brick-lined steam ovens, you can create a steam effect in the oven by placing a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf of the oven, resulting in a more chewy, textured bread.
Ingrediënten
Makes 12 rolls
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons quick-rising active dry yeast
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ⅓ cups water plus 2 cups
- ¼ cup cornmeal
Instructies
- Grease 2 insulated baking sheets.
- Place flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with the plastic dough blade, and process briefly to combine.
- In a glass measuring cup in the microwave, or in a small saucepan on the stove, heat the ⅓ cup water with the oil to 125° on an instant-read thermometer.
- With the machine running, add the liquid to the dry ingredients, pouring only as fast as it can be absorbed.
- Process 40 seconds, or until a homogeneous dough forms.
- If the dough is too dry, add water a little at a time, or if the dough is too sticky, add flour a little at a time.
- Remove dough to a work surface and knead by hand until it becomes more elastic, about 1 minute.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes.
- Cut dough into 12 pieces and flatten each portion into a 4-inch circle.
- Then fold the top edge toward you, covering 2⁄3 of the circle.
- Press firmly to seal.
- Then fold lower half over, envelope style, and pinch the seam along its length to seal tightly.
- Form into a football shape, tapering the ends.
- For each roll, dip the seam side in the cornmeal and place seam side down on the baking sheets.
- Cover lightly and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until an impression remains in the dough when lightly pressed with your finger.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450° and set oven racks on the two lowest positions.
- Place a shallow heavy baking pan on the lower shelf.
- On the stove, boil the 2 cups of water and keep hot for later use.
- (You may not need all of it.
- )
- When the rolls are ready, cut a 1-inch-deep, lengthwise slash in the top of each roll with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.
- Open the oven and pour about ¼ cup of the hot water into the hot pan in the oven (being careful of the resulting steam).
- Place the pans of rolls on the upper shelf.
- (Bake in batches, if necessary.
- ) Lower heat to 400°.
- After 3 minutes, pour another ¼ cup hot water into the oven pan.
- Bake 13 to 15 more minutes, or until the rolls are pale golden and sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove rolls to a rack to cool.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Rolls are best the day they are baked, or they may be frozen in a sealed plastic freezer bag up to 3 months.
