Bolillos

We have been sick for a couple of days now so I thought a nice crock pot full of soup would be just the thing to hit the spot. I made Posole yesterday and found a great recipe for the bolillos to go along with it. They turned out great! Sorry I don't have a photo to share but here is what they look like and here's the recipe.

Bolillos

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups water
1 tablespoon honey (I use Agave nectar)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/4 - 4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Sprinkle yeast over the warm water in a large mixing bowl; stir and let stand 5 minutes.
2. When the yeast is working a bit stir the honey, lard and salt into the yeast mixture.
3. Add 2 1/2 cups flour.
4. Mix at low speed and then beat at medium speed until the dough is very elastic, about 5 minutes.
5. Gradually stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough.
6. Knead on floured surface until dough is smooth in texture and very elastic, 15-20 minutes (use a dough hook on your mixer and knead for about 10-15 minutes).
7. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn the dough so all surfaces have a sheen of oil.
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour (I turn on the light in the oven and place the dough in there to rise, do NOT heat the oven!).
9. Punch the dough down and knead briefly on a floured surface.
10. Divide dough into 10 pieces and roll into balls.
11. Work with the palms of your hands and start at the center of each ball to roll out into ovals.
12. Each piece should be about 5 1/2" long and 2" in the middle, tapering to each end.
13. Place rolls on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 25 minutes.
14. Meanwhile heat oven to 375F degrees.
15. Mix cornstarch and cold water, heat stirring constantly to boiling, boil until thickened and clear about 2 minutes.
16. Brush each roll with the cornstarch mixture.
17. Slash each roll down the middle stopping about 1/2" from each end and cutting about 1/2" deep.
18. Bake until the rolls are brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and cool on racks.
19. Serve warm & fresh from the oven.

Our little container garden that I spoke about a couple posts ago has died out on us. The unexpected cold snap did not give the plants a good start at all. We are planning to replant them directly outdoors at the end of this month when the weather is a little warmer. Stop back by and I will continue to post our progress.

My oldest daughter's birthday was last week and she put in a special order for a cheesecake :) She created this cheesecake herself, "Mama" was just the chef. Here's a picture of her special birthday creation.

It is an orange flavored cheesecake with dulce de leche swirled in... chocolate chips and strawberries on top and whipped cream of course! I can hardly believe my baby is 7 years old!