Pan Telera - Torta Rolls

By MJH

The telera is the bread of choice for tortas, traditional Mexican sandwiches, but not all of us live across the street from a panaderia. Luckily, making these telera rolls at home could not be simpler! Try them with pulled pork, carnitas, or al pastor meat inside—es delicioso.

Ingredients

• 8 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 ounce (two envelopes) active dried yeast
• 2 1/2 cups water

Preparation

Step 1

Activate the yeast by sprinkling it into 1/4 cup lukewarm water and wait for it to begin foaming (about five to ten minutes).

Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

Create a well in the center of these ingredients, pour in the dissolved yeast and the remaining 2 1/4 cups water, and mix the mixture thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined. It will form a sticky dough. If dough is too dry, add more water, up to 1/4 cup a teaspoon at a time. Do not knead the dough.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm, draft free place for about two hours, until it has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and knead it for several minutes on a floured board. Note that the longer you knead it the finer the texture of the final product will be, as the kneading rids the dough of large air bubbles and develops the gluten framework.

Dust your hands and the board with more flour as you work, to keep it from sticking.

You'll know when the dough has been kneaded enough as it takes on a smooth and satiny appearance. About 5 or 10 minutes usually does the trick.

Divide the dough into 20 equal-sized pieces. Brush them with vegetable oil, dust lightly with flour, and flatten each piece evenly with your hand. They should be about 1-inch thick, and a round or slightly oblong shape.

Lightly score the top lengthwise in two evenly spaced places, using the edge of a very dull knife or the edge of your hand.

This will visually form the dough into three sections. Do not score too deeply.

Place the rolls on baking sheets, cover them and set them in a warm place until they are somewhat less than doubled in bulk.

Bake them in a preheated 360ºF oven until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Because oven thermometers vary in their accuracy, start checking the rolls after about 20 minutes so they don't get too brown.

The finished product should have a thin crust on the outside and be soft within.

Once they are cool, they can be frozen and will last for about a month in the freezer.