Bolillo Bread for Lonches (Bread Tacos)

 In the small town of Nuevo Progreso, 15 minutes from where I grew up, you can buy tacos "y lonches". Lonches (think "bread tacos")  are made with a smaller version of the traditional Mexican bolillo bread, lightly fried and then stuffed with seasoned chopped up steak or ground meat and topped with shredded cabbage, tomato, queso fresco, your choice of hot sauce and avocado slices...even grilled onions if that's your preference

Here's a link to a Texas Monthly article if you want to read up on the "lonche". Click here.

The whole tasty creation needs the smaller bolillo bread, but they are not available in North Texas, unfortunately. My family really loves them but can only have them when we visit South Texas. We want them more than few times a year!  

After years of experimenting, testing and retesting. I finally have a recipe I can post. I hope you have success making them for your family. (You absolutely don't have to make lonches...enjoy them anyway you want!)

Ingredients:

580g all purpose flour
10g instant yeast 
20g sugar
9g table salt
1 egg
13g oil
340 g water
Extra oil place in a small prep bowl. (about 1/4 cup)
Butter (optional) for  brushing bread after baking.

Directions:

Place the 560 g of all purpose flour in a large bowl (I use my stand mixer bowl).

Add the 10g of yeast, the 20g of sugar, 10g of salt and the 10g of yeast and stir.

Put the 340g of water in a microwaveable bowl and heat water to 110 = 115 degrees.

Beat one egg

Add the water, oil (I weight the oil by putting it in the same bowl as the water) and the egg to the Dry ingredients. 

Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula and then use your dough hook and set mixer to speed 3 and 10 minutes. (I use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl for quicker mixing.)

Warm your oven to 200 degrees for 2 minutes and then turn it off. (This is going to be for dough to rise).

Prepare a large bowl by pouring a small amount of oil into it. (It doesn't have to be any exact amount but it's about a spoonful.)

Once your dough is ready (should pull from dough hook easily), place in large bowl.

It will be a little stickly but not stay on hand when pulled off.

Remove the dough and place in the bowl and roll the down in the oil to coat it and rub the coated oil along the sides of the bowl. (This will help keep the dough from sticking.)

Cover the bowl with plastic or a lid and place it in the oven and set timer to 40 minutes. (Turn on oven light.)

Now you wait...

While you wait, prepare a large baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper.

Once the dough doubles in size, take the bowl out and punch the dough down.

Divide the dough into 20 balls (I weigh the dough and divide by 20 to get them all the same size.) Form the dough into balls by pinching them, placing them on counter and rolling with the palm of your hand.

Place the balls seam down on the parchment paper about an 1 inches apart. 

Place your fingers into the prep bowl with oil and rub onto both hands them touch all the dough balls covering them with a thin coat of oil. (This will keep the dough balls from drying out.

Cover the dough balls with plastic or clean baking cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, follow the video instructions to form the bolillo shape. Placing them back on the baking sheet keeping them covered as you go.

Note: These came out just fine, but I realized I didn't get the whole technique just right. Here is the complete technique

After all are formed leave covered for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a cake pan or glass casserole with water filled no more than half way to create a steam for a crispier crust.

After 30 minutes, uncover and take a sharp knife and score (lightly cut) the dough.

Spray the dough  with clean water and once oven is ready, place in oven for 8-11 minutes. Should be light brown.

Optional: Brush with melted butter.

For lonches, heat oil in saucepan, getting it very hot using high heat. Using tongs, grab one bolillo dip it for a few seconds\, then flip and place on a large plate lined with paper towels to grab excess oil then do the next.

Hold the hot bread with tongs and cut a slit at the top along the score and gently pull apart. 

Fill with goodies and enjoy!

Tacos y Lonches: