Mini Bolillos with Spicy Cream Cheese
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on Nov 11, 2015, Updated Aug 26, 2019
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Mmmmmmm, freshly baked bread! My mom was visiting and I think I gained about 10 pounds while she was here. Ok, I don’t think, I know. And now the holidays are right around the corner. Yikes! We had our fair share of carbs while she was here. My mom is an awesome baker and I can never resist her fresh baked goods.
She was talking about bolillos she once made years ago, but no longer had the recipe. I couldn’t run fast enough up to my office. I looked through my piles of magazines and remembered I had a magazine with bolillos that I wanted to try. I gave it to my mom and she looked up at me and said, “Lets make them, the diet can wait another day.”
Bolillos are crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, like mini baguettes, but she made them even minier (is that a word). Do you want to hear the magic ingredient she added inside? She made a mixture of cream cheese with freshly minced serranos.
While these mini bolillos with cream cheese were baking the house smelled extraordinary and we were salivating. We couldn’t wait for them to bake. As you can imagine they tasted beyond fantastic.
Once upon a time there used to be a restaurant in Juarez, Mexico that we loved, called Chihuahua Charlie’s. Rather than a basket of tortilla chips before your meal they served a basket of bread rolls. But they were no ordinary rolls. They were light, fluffy, and contained a hidden treasure. Inside the warm rolls was a pocket of creamy cheese. These mini bollilos my mom made tasted just like them, but with a spicy kick from the serranos. I love how a bite of food can transport you back in time to a special memory, and these rolls did just that.
Mini Bolillos with Spicy Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 package cream cheese, 8 ounces
- 2 serranos or jalapenos, seeded and minced
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water, 120 to 130 degrees F
- cornmeal
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and chile and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine 1-1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt; add the warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the side of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Punch down dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out golf ball size dough balls. Flatten each one with fingers and place a small dollop of cream cheese mixture.
- Fold over the dough and form into an oval 2 to 3 inches long. Pinch ends slightly.
- Lightly grease baking sheets; sprinkle with cornmeal. Transfer rolls to baking sheets.
- In a small bowl combine egg white and milk. Brush some of the egg white mixture over tops and sides of rolls. Cover and let rise until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes).
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Bake about 10 minutes more or until golden brown. Remove rolls from baking sheets. Cool on wire racks.
Notes
- If kids are eating these with you, feel free to use roasted red bell peppers instead of jalapenos.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this often so good and easy great dough recipe
YES!!! I found this recipe when I was searching for the cream cheese filled bread balls from Chihuahua Charlie’s in Juarez! It’s been 18 years since I was there but I have never forgotten about them! I loved that restaurant so much!!! Thank you for this recipe! I will be making these this weekend!!
Wow! I remember the cream cheese bread from Chihuahua Charlie’s! Do you remember the sesame seeds on top of the bread? I remember the tiny rolls having them the last time I visited which was many years ago. I will try your recipe-thanks for sharing!. El Paso Proud!
Can these be made into larger loaves? If so any suggestions on temperature and time for baking?
Thanks in advance for any advice! I love this bread and sadly the Mexican bakery that makes these is pretty far away so would love to make them at home.
How did the recipe turn out using gluten free flour? What flour did you use? Thank you.
I am going to try these with a GF flour mix. Wish me luck
These sound so good! I will have try them, maybe for Thanksgiving. Diet? What diet?
These seriously look amazing! Bread + Cheese + Spicy Peppers = A piece of my heart!!
Hahaha “the diet can wait another day”! I love your mom :)) Those look amazing and I bet they tasted even better!! I still plan on a post about our day at Melissa’s – IMUSA sent me a pumpkin tamale recipe – is it one of yours? Congrats on working with them!