Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • Cornmeal
  • 8 bolillos
  • 2 cups refried beans
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup salsa

Instruction

  • To make the bolillos, mix together one cup of flour, yeast and warm water. Add one more cup of flour, sugar, salt and oil and stir until ingredients are combined but dough is still wet and shaggy. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
  • Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour on a clean surface and knead dough until it shapes into a ball, about 10 minutes.
  • 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. (Here’s an expert shaping bolillos.)
  • Place shaped rolls on a greased or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet that’s sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
  • Twenty minutes before baking, heat oven to 425° F. Five minutes before baking, place an oven-safe pan filled with water on the bottom of the oven.
  • Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and brush on each roll. Then, with a sharp knife, razor or lame, make a slash lengthwise through each roll.
  • Place rolls on bottom rack of oven (be careful when opening oven as steam might come out) and cook for 15 minutes or until the bolilllos are light brown in color and make a hollow sound when you thump them.
  • These keep for a couple of days, though they if they get too soft. just reheat in the oven to firm them up. They also freeze well.
  • To make the molletes, preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Split the bolillos in half, lengthwise. Top each half with 1/2 tablespoon of salsa, 2 tablespoons refried beans and 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with extra salsa on the side.