Atole agrio
A hot, sour maize drink from Tabasco made from maize that is not lime-cooked. The ground grain sours for half a day, then makers strain it and boil it until thick.
Bolillos (King Arthur Baking recipe)
Small, lightly enriched rolls with tapered ends and a scored top; this six-roll formula bakes on a hot stone with steam for a thin, crisp crust.
A crisp roll for tortas
King Arthur Baking describes bolillos as small rolls made and eaten throughout Mexico and Central America. The publisher notes their thin, crisp crust and tender crumb, and their use in tortas. This page follows one formula from The Big Book of Bread; it does not treat that formula as universal or assign a precise birthplace.
The batch makes six rolls from about 150 g of dough each. The shaped rolls are elongated with tapered ends and scored once along the top. Baking on a preheated stone with steam in a hot skillet helps produce the crisp crust described in the recipe. The method specifies two proofing windows and a total time of about three hours, but gives no target dough or room temperature for the rises.
Adding water to a hot cast-iron skillet creates a sudden burst of steam. Dry oven mitts and a clear space around the oven help keep hands and face away from the hot cookware and steam. The crust softens in storage, so the recipe recommends eating the rolls on baking day; it gives no storage duration.
Sources for this section
History
King Arthur Baking says bolillos are made and eaten throughout Mexico and Central America and presents this formula from The Big Book of Bread. The record describes that one contemporary published batch; the source does not identify a city of origin or claim one formula is used everywhere.
Ingredients
Yield 6 rolls, about 6 inches (15 cm) long; about 150 g dough each · Scaling: source batch only
946 mL4 cup as recorded
Plus 3 tablespoons; 500 g total.Lard or unsalted buttersoftened
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Scant; 25 g. Choose one.15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Plus 1/2 teaspoon; 15 g total.9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Scant; 11 g.15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
9 g.355 mL1½ cup as recorded
Plus 1 tablespoon; 350 g total, at 110°F (43°C).237 mL1 cup as recorded
About 227 g; poured into the hot skillet after loading the rolls.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour dough
Uncooked flour can carry harmful germs; eating the raw dough can cause illness.
Hazard sourceHot oven, skillet and steam
The method heats a baking stone and cast-iron skillet to 450°F (232°C), then adds water to the skillet, producing hot steam that can scald.
Hazard sourceDo not taste the raw dough. Bake the rolls as directed, and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour or dough.
Control sourceUse dry oven mitts to handle the hot stone and skillet. Keep your face and hands away from the escaping steam when carefully pouring water into the hot skillet.
Control sourceThe source's crust colour and feel are baking cues, not validated internal-temperature checks.
Only use oven equipment and steam methods that are safe for the oven and cookware being used.
- Measure the flour by weight if possible; otherwise spoon it into the measuring cup and level it without packing.
- Combine the flour, softened lard or butter, sugar, salt, instant yeast and 110°F (43°C) water in a medium bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains and a soft, sticky dough forms. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–8 minutes, until it feels tacky and springy. Scrape it with a bowl scraper or bench knife rather than adding much extra flour. For a mixer, use a dough hook: mix on medium-low until no dry flour remains, then on medium until smooth, elastic and pulling away from the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover it and let it rise until puffy and doubled, about 1 hour.
- Ease the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into six pieces of about 150 g each. Press each piece gently to release bubbles and shape it into a short cylinder. Set the cylinders seam-side down about 2 inches apart, cover and rest 10 minutes.
- For each roll, place a cylinder seam-side up and gently press it into a 5-by-3-inch rectangle. Shape it into a 6-inch roll with tapered ends and place it on parchment. Repeat with the other pieces.
- Cover the shaped rolls and proof at room temperature until very puffy, 30–45 minutes. During this time, heat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a baking stone on the middle rack and an empty cast-iron skillet on a lower rack. If possible, position the skillet beside the stone rather than directly beneath it.
- Use a baker’s lame or razor blade to score one straight line down the centre of each roll. Transfer the rolls on their parchment to the hot stone using a baker’s peel or an unrimmed baking sheet.
- With dry oven mitts and your face away from the rising steam, carefully pour about 1 cup (227 g) warm water into the hot skillet. Bake 25–30 minutes, until the crust is firm, crisp and deep golden and the rolls feel light for their size.
- Move the rolls to a wire rack and cool completely. They are best the day they are baked; the crust softens in storage.
Conditions
Yield6 rolls, about 6 inches (15 cm) long; about 150 g dough each
Active time25 min
Fermentation1.5–1.75 h
Places
Mexico
Documented use · Country evidenceThe source states that bolillos are made and eaten throughout Mexico. It does not identify a city of origin or claim this single formula is universal.
Central America
Documented use · Region evidenceThe source also states that bolillos are made and eaten throughout Central America; this does not identify a particular country.
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Sources
King Arthur BakingMethod · History · Geography
BolillosThe page describes bolillos as made and eaten throughout Mexico and Central America, with a thin crisp crust and tender crumb, commonly used for tortas.
The ingredient amounts and alternatives, 110°F water, six-roll yield, mixing/resting/kneading, two rises, shaping, 450°F stone-and-steam bake, 25–30-minute bake and same-day crust quality.
Cited in: A crisp roll for tortas
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSafety
Raw Flour and DoughCDC warns that uncooked flour may carry germs, advises not to eat raw dough, and recommends washing hands, utensils and surfaces after handling raw flour or dough.
U.S. Fire AdministrationSafety
Burn and Scald PreventionThe USFA advises using dry oven mitts or potholders because hot cookware can heat moisture and cause scald burns.
Cited in: A crisp roll for tortas