Sharing an incredibly delicious Mexican bolillo bread. Its texture is somewhat similar to a Vietnamese baguette, with a very crispy crust and a soft, elastic interior. The preparation process is simple and involves hand-kneading, achieving a good gluten window without much effort. I really love this savory bread with its distinct grain flavor—it’s wonderfully fragrant to chew. The recipe uses only a small amount of sugar and oil, making it healthy and low in calories. It can be used as a staple bread during weight loss, perfect for making sandwiches or simply reheating and enjoying on its own.

Ingredients:

210g bread flour | 90g cake flour | 210g water | 8.5g butter | 4g salt | 4g sugar | 6g fresh yeast

Important Notes Before Starting:

If you don’t have a baking stone, you can flip a baking tray over and preheat it in the oven. Once the bread is placed in the oven, quickly spray water onto the oven walls to create steam. This is key to achieving a beautiful burst in the bread’s scoring.

Make sure the oven is fully preheated. If the temperature drops too quickly, it will affect the bread’s rise. It’s recommended to preheat the oven while the bread is undergoing its second fermentation.

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix until uniform. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

2. Wearing gloves, knead the dough about 20 times until the surface is smooth. Let it rest for another 20 minutes. At this point, the dough should be able to stretch to about 80% windowpane stage.

3. Turn the dough out and roll it out. Stretch it as much as possible, then fold the sides inward and continue rolling. Repeat this process 3-4 times to strengthen the gluten until the dough becomes difficult to roll further.

4. Shape the dough into a round ball and let it ferment until doubled in size. Divide into 5 portions and let them rest for 20-30 minutes.

5. Take a portion of the rested dough and gently flatten it without fully degassing. Roll it up from top to bottom and shape it into a plump, oval form with a slightly raised middle. Let it undergo a second fermentation at room temperature until it has increased in size by 1.5 times. If the room temperature is too low, use a proofing box set at 28°C.

6. Once fermented, make a cut in the center of the dough. Apply a small amount of olive oil to the cut to help the bread expand better during baking.

7. Preheat the oven to 230°C with a baking stone or flipped baking tray inside. After placing the bread in the oven, spray water into the oven to create steam. Bake at 230°C for 16 minutes.