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.
Modern adaptation
Telera rolls
Ten soft Mexican-style sandwich rolls with parallel marks and an egg-washed crust.
A roll for tortas
Telera is a Mexican oval wheat roll commonly split for tortas. Larousse describes two lengthwise marks; this King Arthur home recipe makes them with parallel knife slashes after the final rise.
Sources for this section
A named white bread
Mexico's Social Security Institute groups bolillo and telera under fresh white wheat bread in its institutional food catalogue. This provides a separate record of telera as a recognised everyday bread category, rather than identifying it only through a home recipe.
The catalogue is a purchasing and food-service specification, not a history of the roll or a requirement that every bakery use identical ingredients. King Arthur's honey, butter and egg wash remain part of this particular ten-roll formula. No exact birthplace or first appearance follows from the catalogue.
Sources for this section
Shape and sandwich use
The two lengthwise marks divide the telera's top into three sections. Its use for tortas connects the loaf's shape to a practical serving form: a roll can be split and filled. This entry covers the bread, so no particular meat, cheese or sauce is built into the formula.
The chosen home method presses the parallel marks after the final rise and egg wash, then bakes the rolls directly. It does not borrow the shaping or crust treatment of a different bread merely because that bread is also sold for sandwiches.
Sources for this section
History
Telera is documented as a common Mexican roll used for tortas; a first attestation is not established.
Ingredients
Yield 10 rolls · Scaling: source batch only
Instant yeast
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Water
340 g
For the doughHoney
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Butter
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Melted and cooled; source also permits lard or shorteningTable salt
9 g
Plain wheat flour
480 g
Start with 480 g; add up to 60 g more if neededEgg
1 whole
For glazeWater
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
For glazeMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and egg wash
Uncooked flour and raw eggs can contain harmful germs; tasting dough or egg wash can cause foodborne illness.
Hazard sourceHoney for infants
Honey can cause infant botulism in children younger than 12 months.
Hazard sourceDo not eat raw dough or egg wash. Keep raw flour and egg away from ready-to-eat food, and wash hands, bowls, utensils and countertops after handling them. Bake the rolls according to the source directions.
Control sourceDo not serve this honey-sweetened bread to a child younger than 12 months.
Control sourceContains wheat, milk (butter) and egg.
Do not taste raw dough or egg wash; raw flour and eggs can contain harmful germs. Wash hands and surfaces after handling them.
Honey is not safe for children under 12 months.
Use care with the hot oven and tray.
- Mix yeast, dough water, honey, melted cooled butter, salt and 480 g flour to form a soft dough. If sticky, add up to 60 g more flour in two additions, mixing and checking after each.
- Knead for 6–8 minutes in a mixer or about 10 minutes by hand until smooth and springy. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Deflate the dough and divide it into 10 balls. Cover and rest for 5 minutes, then shape each into a tapered oval about 5½ inches long. King Arthur gives a centre measurement of “2 inches around” but does not clarify whether it means width or circumference.
- Set on a greased or parchment-lined tray, cover with greased plastic and let rise until nearly doubled. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400°F (about 205°C).
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush over the tops and sides. With a greased knife, press two parallel slashes into each roll.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes until golden and the centres read 190°F (about 88°C) on a digital thermometer. Cool completely before slicing.
Conditions
Yield10 rolls
Active time34 min
Places
Mexico
Documented preparation · Country evidenceSources document Mexican telera; no precise birthplace is established.
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Sources
King Arthur BakingInspiration · Method · Geography
Telera RollsTen-roll dough and egg-wash method, rising, baking and Mexican sandwich use.
The shaping instruction says rolls are 5½ inches long and 2 inches around at the centre; it does not clarify width versus circumference.
Cited in: A roll for tortas; A named white bread; Shape and sandwich use
Larousse CocinaContext · Geography
TeleraMexican oval roll with two lengthwise marks, commonly used for tortas.
Cited in: A roll for tortas; Shape and sandwich use
Instituto Mexicano del Seguro SocialContext
Cuadro básico de alimentos: Grupo 4, cerealesLists bolillo or telera under fresh white wheat bread; institutional food specification, not a universal artisanal recipe.
Cited in: A named white bread
Wikimedia Commons / AlejandroLinaresGarciaImage reference
Telera 01.JPGOwn-work Mexico City supermarket telera photographed 25 August 2014. Individually checked CC BY-SA 4.0; not PD/CC0 and excluded.