telera rolls

Not too long ago when we visited my mom-in-law, she introduced us to these sandwich rolls called telera. These rolls and another called bolillo, are Mexican in origin and they are best used for tortas or Mexican meat sandwiches. The telera rolls that my mom-in-law served us were actually Take and Bake rolls by La Brea Bakery that the local grocery sells. They make the best sandwich bread. We tried to search for them here in our town but unfortunately, we had no luck. I was thrilled when my mom-in-law emailed me a link to a telera rolls recipe. I was excited to find out if I'd be able to make them at home.

The rolls were chewy but not exactly like La Brea's telera. My husband said it was similar but without the smooth and shinier crust. At first, I wasn't too happy with the rolls when I saw that they were not rising as much and appeared tough and pale in the oven. However, I have to agree with my husband that they were the best rolls for sandwiches. The leftovers were still good lightly toasted after a few days. I eat them like a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. They can also be stored in the freezer.

TELERA ROLLS (recipe adapted from Rocky Point Tides foodblog)


2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 cups water (add a little more as needed)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until mixture just comes together but don't knead it yet. Let stand for 2 hours covered with a cloth preferably under a warm oven light. After the resting period, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until smooth. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough doubles in size. Transfer the dough to a floured board, flatten carefully then cut into pieces. Flatten then shape into ovals. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes. Using the back of a knife (I used a plastic knife) make two indentations on the dough as shown below. Brush with eggwash or water before baking. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.