These homemade bolillos are perfectly crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, just like the ones from a Mexican bakery! With simple ingredients and easy steps, you can enjoy fresh, warm bolillo bread at home, perfect for tortas, molletes, or just with butter and coffee.
Place the flour, yeast and sugar on a medium-size bowl. Mix to combine.
Dissolve salt in the water, add to the flour and then add also the oil. Use a fork to combine the ingredients.
Knead the dough just enough to combine well all ingredients and achieve a lumpy and rough dough (about 1 minute).
Cover and leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a slightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until you’ll achieve a smooth dough.
Make a ball, slightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in a warm place away from drafts.
Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour and 30 min).
Remove the dough from the bowl, place it in a lightly floured surface and gently push your fist in to deflate it.
Quickly knead it into a ball again and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball, cover them with cling film and let them to rest for 10 minutes.
Slightly flour a working surface. Take a piece of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hands and fingers, making some sort of pancake.
Now, fold the pice into an half-moon, pressing the borders lightly with your fingers.
Next, roll forth and back while pressing the outer edges with your hands, to form the pointed ends of the bolillo shape.
Place the bolillo on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Repeat with each piece of dough, leaving about 1-inch space between each of them.
Loosely cover with cling film and allow to rest until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Bake
Preheat your oven to 450°C (230°C) placing a baking dish or container with about 4 cups of water in the lower rack.
Right before baking and using a very sharp knife, make a longwise cut to each roll and spray some water on top, to achieve a shiny and crusty texture.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until you’ll see bolillos are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place them in a cooling rack.
Notes
Use bread or pizza flour with at least 11% protein for the best texture.
Lukewarm water helps activate the yeast properly—neither too hot nor too cold.
Let the dough rest if it resists shaping; a short pause makes it easier to work with.
Leftover bolillos will last up to 3-4 days in a plastic container or bag. To restore their crunchy top spray them lightly with water and pop them in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven for about 5 minutes.