Teleras

Servings: 6  rolls
These nicely bronzed ovals–pillowy, ridged and smudged with flour–are the classic rolls for most Mexican tortas. The mass-produced ones that blanket Mexico (and most Mexican-American bakeries and groceries) serve little purpose other than encasing torta deliciousness. But when made from scratch (especially if you leave the dough to rise and develop flavor overnight), teleras can take an amazing torta experience to an even higher level.   Even though the roots of telera’s name reach back to a southern Spanish bread of little prestige, Mexican teleras stand in high regard. Preparing and forming the dough is simple; the payoff for making them is sizable.   Here I’m giving the directions for making the dough with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Of course, you can mix the ingredients by hand and knead by hand on a floured board for 10 minutes or so, until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough.  

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet, 7 grams) instant or active dry yeast
  • 1 1/3 cup (302 grams) lukewarm water
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
  • 3 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) melted fresh-rendered pork lard or vegetable oil, plus more for oiling the bowl
  • 2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dough and let it rise.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the yeast, lukewarm water and sugar. (To ensure that your yeast is lively, you may want to let the mixture stand for a few minutes, until it is clearly bubbly.) Measure the flour, lard or oil and salt into the mixer bowl. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed until the ingredients are mostly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium and knead for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Rub a little oil over the top of the dough and sides of the bowl, scoop the dough up and flip it over, making sure it is lightly oiled all over. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. (For the most flavorful dough, refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow rise; warm to room temperature on the countertop–this will take a couple of hours–before continuing.)

Shape and proof the rolls. Press the dough down to release the gas. Evenly flour your work surface and scoop the dough on top. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, lightly flour and let rest, covered with a towel, for about 15 minutes. Flatten each ball into an oval about 5x3 inches and place them on a parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Use a floured chopstick or skinny wooden spoon handle to make two, equally spaced, deep indentations the length of each oval, pressing almost all the way through the dough. Lightly flour the buns and cover them with a towel.

Heat your oven to 400°F. Let the buns rest until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.