Alternative title for this post is Working Man’s Bolillos. Because the working person ain’t got time to sit around and watch bolillo dough rise.
I’ve fiddled around with traditional bolillo recipes in the past but always found the effort-to-reward ratio a bit skewed, with lengthy rise times leaving you feeling bolilloed after an all-day affair.
But recently I came across a turbo powered hamburger bun recipe on Taste of Home and I’ve adapted it to re-shift the bolillo effort-to-reward ratio back in my favor. In other words, you don’t have to sit around and wait for the dough to rise because you are tripling the yeast amount. Yes, tripling!
Fast and Easy Bolillos
A close relative to the French baguette, the bolillo is the bread of choice for tortas (sandwiches) in Mexico and you’ll find these oblong shaped delights on just about every street corner across the country. The term bolillo may sound exotic, but the ingredient list will look surprisingly familiar to you. It is bread after all, and whereas a traditional bolillo might be made using lard, we are using a basic canola oil with equally good results.
I’ve lowered the sugar and increased the salt to suit my palate, but the core of the Taste of Home recipe remains, including the time-saving yeast bump. Two teaspoons of yeast would be a typical amount for 3 cups of flour, and we are using a full 2 Tablespoons. Sound crazy? Don’t worry, they don’t taste yeasty at all and they just might convert you over to homemade bread for life.
Start by adding 2 Tablespoons of yeast to 1.25 cups of warm water. Add 3 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 cup oil. Let this mixture sit for 5 -10 minutes. (Here’s an interesting tidbit on how proofing yeast became customary.)
Add 3.75 cups of flour, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, and 1 egg. Mix as much as you can with a spoon and then plop the mixture onto a work surface.
Knead until you have a smooth mound of dough. If the dough is sticking to your hands add additional flour.
Don’t let it rise! Divide into 8 pieces and roll the pieces into a ball.
To create the traditional bolillo shape, flatten one of the dough balls into an oval-shaped disk, pull the top quarter towards you, and seal.
Now pull that part towards you, seal, and continue until you end up with a tube of dough.
Give it a quick roll while putting pressure on the outer edges with your hands and you’ll get tapered ends that give bolillos their distinctive shape.
Let these rise for 10-30 minutes, depending on how patient you’re feeling. Letting them rise a bit longer will slightly reduce the density. I lasted about 20 minutes and here’s how they looked:
That’s the tripled yeast in action!
Your bolillos are self-conscious and most comfortable blending in with all the other bolillos. This means a quarter-inch slit lengthwise before baking will produce the traditional bolillo look.
Bake at 425F for 8-12 minutes. This batch was in for about 11 minutes.
And note how they increased their vertical while in the oven.
Tripled yeast!
Let these cool on the counter for a few minutes and then dig in. They are good enough to be eaten on their own with some butter, and of course they are the perfect choice for some lunchtime tortas.
So good!
One other thing I looked into while making these was the cost of yeast. If, like me, you typically buy these 3-packs of yeast then it might be worth looking into a bulk buy.
Each of these individual packs will have a little over two teaspoons of yeast. To get two Tablespoons of yeast you’ll need to use all three of these packs, for about $2-3.
The most popular yeast on Amazon costs $8/pound and you’ll get approximately 30 Tablespoons of yeast! That is a significant savings if you make bread regularly. I don’t claim to buy yeast by the pound and can’t comment on the brands to seek out, but it seems kinda smart 🙂
I hope you enjoy these bolillos, let me know if you have any questions.
Buen Provecho.
Fast and Easy Bolillos
Ingredients
- 3.75 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons yeast
- 1.25 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Add 2 Tablespoons of yeast to 1.25 cups of warm water. Add 3 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 cup oil. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add 3.75 cups flour, 1.5 teaspoons salt, and 1 egg. Mix as much as you can with a spoon and then plop onto a work surface. Knead with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. Add additional flour if it's sticking to your hands.
- Divide into eight equal parts. Roll into balls.
- Flatten into oval shaped disks. Pull 1/4 of the disk towards you and seal. Now pull that part towards you and seal again. Continue until you have a tube of dough. Give a quick roll while putting pressure on the ends to get the traditional bolillo shape.
- Cover and let rise for 10-30 minutes. (I waited 20 minutes). You can optionally add a lengthwise 1/4 inch deep slit on the bolillos just before baking.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes at 425F. (This batch baked for 11 minutes).
- Let cool on counter and serve immediately.
Notes
these B’s sound delicious! Think Ill try them!
Thanks Rita! Hope they treat you well 🙂
I made these today – love them! Those I shared with asked for the recipe :). So easy, quick, and delicious to make.
Thanks Emily for the feedback!! Quick being the operative word eh?
Patrick
I am elated with your bolillo recipe!! EZ and quick cleanup. I will use it for hamburgers and, as in tonight’s case, meatball sandwiches
Thanks Kari! I’m always amazed how easy that recipe is too, glad it’s working out for you!
Sorry but these tasted Very yeasty. Will not make again.
Thanks for your feedback Jean.
Thanks Patrick-These were Tasty and FAST to make. I’m tweaking the ingredients a little to suit my taste but your recipe was GREAT!
Many thanks,
scot
Awesome, thanks much Scott. Been awhile since I’ve had these and now officially craving them doh!
Forgot the stars,
scot
I just wanted to let you know these were a lifesaver! Exactly what I was looking for! Sadly, I do buy my yeast by the pound. I purchase a 2 lb. Pack at Sam’s club for under $4. It stores well in the freezer and is quite economical if you bake lots of breads.
Great thanks much for your note Michelle, so glad they worked out for you!
And thanks for mentioning storing the yeast in the freezer — I have a 1 lb. vacuum sealed pack that I’ve been hesitating to open cuz wasn’t sure about best way to store it after opening. Cheers.
Patrick, I’ve tried your recipe and was happy, as I also am an impatient baker, was impressed until the following day. Yeast is also one of the main ingredients in making beer. This recipe, I don’t drink, but after enjoying a batch of these bolilo, and words from folk I was in contact with, the triple action has an effect not anticipated. Something that bears consideration from this recipe.
Omg so good and sooo easy to make!!
Awesome, thanks much for the feedback Temarisch!
I have made two batches and both end up with too browned bottoms…any ideas? I am using parchment paper.
Hi Nancy thanks much for getting in touch! Wow tough one, I’ve never had that trouble before with this recipe, especially with such a short baking time. Here are the first things that pop in my head:
If you’re baking it towards the bottom of the oven (next to a heating element) then adjust the racks and try to raise the bolillos farther away from the element.
It might be worth trying a different sheetpan or baking sheet — I’ve used cheapo ones in the past and sometimes they heat up more than they should.
I would probably try those out before fiddling with the oven temp. Kinda strange though, I hope one of those options takes care of it. Let me know how it goes!
Hi,
Could this recipe be adapted for just one packet/2 tsp of yeast, if I had some time to spare?
Thank you!
Hi Sandy yes that should work. Since this recipe uses 2 tablespoons of yeast, which equals 6 teaspoons, you could make a batch using 1/3 of the listed ingredients.
What altitude do you live at? I’m at 6000 ft high up. What adjustments (if any) would you make to this recipe at this altitude? Thanks!
Hey Manny! I live at sea level so we are at least a mile apart altitude wise.
At your altitude I think I would use less yeast (approx. 4-5 teaspoons), only let it rise to double-size before baking, and then eyeball it in the oven to determine when it’s done. I think that will probably get you there, but here are some other tips to consider:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/cooking-tips/breads—rolls/baking-yeast-breads-at-high-altitudes
Is it possible to use lard instead of oil and what would be the conversion
Hey Dano! I’ve never tried these bolillos with lard but it does sound kind of tempting. I would probably use a little less than the 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) that I used in the original recipe, with 2-3 tablespoons of lard being a good starting point for an experimental batch and going from there. Hope that helps a bit. Cheers!
All I can say is wow! Whipped these babies up after work tonight so we could have BBQ beef sandwiches, and they turned out amazing! Thank you for such a great recipe. I let them rise for 30 min, and they are enormous! Also, I baked them on a silpat and had no problem with over browning. I find that in addition to preventing sticking, the silpat tends to insulate a little and make things nice and even – hope that helps.
Awesome Sherry thanks for your notes! And thanks for mentioning the silpat, good to know!