This delicious Mexican bread is called telera rolls, and they are often used to make amazing sandwiches called tortas. Forget about buying these simple yeast rolls from your local bakery--you can easily make them at home! You'll enjoy every bite of these soft telera rolls.
Craving other Mexican breads? You'll love our recipes for bolillos and manteconchas.
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Ingredients
Fortunately, telera rolls take basic pantry ingredients you'll probably already have at home. Let's talk about each ingredient!
- Flour: Always make sure to use bread flour for this recipe. It has a higher protein content, which creates more gluten, causing a higher rise, chewier texture, and thinner crust.
- Yeast: I prefer to use fast-action or instant yeast. If you prefer to use active dry, you'll need to dissolve it in the water and sugar in the recipe and let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. This is called blooming the yeast and proves that it's still active.
- Salt: Always use fine table salt for baking, unless the recipe specifically directs otherwise. Coarse salts, such as kosher salt, don't incorporate as evenly.
- Sugar: A touch of granulated white sugar encourages the yeast to grow and softens the texture of the telera rolls.
- Lard: Melted lard softens the rolls, makes them more fluffy, and adds flavor.
- Water: This is the ingredient that brings the ingredients together and reacts with the flour to create gluten. Use water that has been warmed to 115°F (46°C) to encourage the yeast to grow.
Questions
Telera slider roll is simply another name for teleras, which are a soft, fluffy Mexican bread with two signature indentations that give each roll three longitudinal humps. They should have a thin, crispy crust and a soft interior. Many bakeries call them flat bread rolls or torta buns, and they are often used for Mexican sandwiches called tortas.
Telera doesn't have an equivalent English meaning, but the name simply refers to these soft white rolls.
A telera roll is roughly 5 inches long, but the actual size will vary depending upon how big you make them.
Telera rolls are typically used only for sandwiches, and are flatter and less crispy than bolillos. Bolillos are a staple Mexican bread that's usually sliced and served with butter as an appetizer at dinner. Bolillos have a much crispier crust, and are shaped like an American football with a long cut down the center.
Seal them inside of a zip-top bag and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours after baking.
To retain maximum freshness, it's best to freeze them as soon as they have cooled. Seal them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month, then defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
This recipe contains 35.6g of carbs per roll.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients. You'll need bread flour, fast-action yeast, salt, sugar, lard, and water.
Pour the flour into a mixing bowl, add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, and stir in each one. It's important to keep the salt from touching the yeast directly, as it can kill the yeast.
Add the sugar and melted lard, then pour in half of the water and mix to form a dry dough.
Gradually add more water and mix until the mixture is slightly sticky. Make sure to pick up all the flour from the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough until it's smooth and stretchy, about 10 minutes. It should also pass the windowpane test, which means that a lump of dough can stretch until it's translucent without tearing badly. See the photo below for a visual demonstration.
Place in a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature until at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and divide into 10 pieces.
Shape each piece into a flat oval and dust with flour to prevent sticking. Use a wooden spoon handle to make two deep impressions on each telera roll, pressing almost all the way through.
Cover the telera rolls and let them rise until they are springy to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, until the rolls are well browned. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Make the telera rolls into a torta sandwich. Here, we used mashed avocado, black bean spread, a tomato slice, pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, and pickled jalapeños.
How to Serve
Telera rolls are almost always used for sandwiches, but you can also eat them warm with butter, or toasted and topped with refried beans and queso fresco. Here is a variety of fillings that you can put on your Mexican sandwich, called a torta.
- Mashed avocado
- Black bean spread
- Sliced tomatoes
- Pickled onions
- Pickled jalapeños
- Romaine lettuce
- Pico de gallo
- Refried beans
- Queso fresco
Variations
- Vegan: substitute vegetable shortening for the lard.
- Gluten Free: you can substitute the bread flour with GF measure-for-measure flour, but I haven't tested any gluten free yeast breads before, so I'm not sure that this would work.
Pro Tips
- Use bread flour, not all-purpose. Its higher protein content is necessary for the highest rise and chewiest texture.
- Knead thoroughly. Be sure that the dough passes the windowpane test as described in the recipe card before you proceed to the next step.
- Shape each roll into a flat oval and dust them with flour. This will help prevent them from being too tall when they rise.
- Press the spoon handle deeply into each roll, cutting almost all the way through the dough, to make the distinct longitudinal marks.
- Have leftover telera rolls? Seal them inside of a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
Mexican Bakery Items You'll Love
Other Mexican Recipes to Try
- Cactus Salad (Ensalada de Nopales)
- Corn in a Cup (Esquites)
- Chipotle Fresh Tomato Salsa
- Chipotle Black Beans
- Chipotle Cauliflower Lime Rice
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Recipe
Mexican Telera Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lard, melted
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Pour the flour into a mixing bowl. Pour the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl and mix each one into the flour. Keeping the salt separate from the yeast is the goal.
- Add the melted lard and the sugar and mix until combined. Add half of the water and mix to form a dough, then gradually trickle in the rest and mix to form a slightly sticky dough.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes, until the dough passes the windowpane test. Do this by breaking off a piece and gently stretching it as thin as you can. It should be translucent without tearing. If it isn't, knead a little longer and check again.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a buttered bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it prove at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough all over to release gas bubbles and divide into 10 pieces, using a kitchen scale and bench scraper for accuracy.
- Shape each piece into a flat oval and dust with flour. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make two deep marks on each roll, visually dividing it into three long sections. The handle should press almost all the way through the dough, but not cut it.
- Place the rolls on parchment-lined cookie sheets and cover them with plastic wrap. Let them prove until springy to the touch, about 30 minutes.
- Bake the rolls at 400 F for 20 minutes, until the telera rolls are golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack completely before slicing in half and using to make a sandwich, such as the Mexican torta.
Notes
- Be sure to use bread flour. Its higher protein content will give your bread a wonderfully chewy texture and higher rise.
- Knead well. This is one of the most important steps in bread making. The dough must pass the windowpane test before you proceed to the next step.
- Flatten the teleras as you shape them to prevent them from getting too tall and puffy. They should be on the flatter side.
- Press the spoon handle deeply into each telera. The handle should not cut all the through the dough, but should leave a deep indentation.
- Have leftovers? Seal them inside of a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
Carol Weber
I didn't flatten mine nearly enough so they puffed up round again in the oven. Next time. And will re-press wooden spoon handle after 30-min. rest.
Emma
Don't worry, Carol--even mine puffed up more than I thought they would. Thanks for making our recipe!
Alex
This bread is chewy, airy, and fluffy, and the outside is crisp. This wins 5 stars!
Emma
Awww, thank you, Alex!
Beth
These teleras are soft and yummy. They have a chewy texture and soft crust. This bread is also good for sandwiches.
Emma
I agree--teleras are definitely a great bread for sandwiches.