Mexicana bubblegum bread
- Holly Bell - Recipes From a Normal Mum
- Jun 7, 2015
- 2 min read
I met my friend Jasmine when we were sweet 16, studying A Level philosophy. I found philosophy a tough subject; the lessons were slightly wasted on my teenage self. I no longer read Descartes but I do still love to hang out with Jasmine. She is now a PhD student in San Francisco, with her Yankee husband and baby daughter. I made this with my eldest son the last time she came for the summer to remind her of the Mexican bakeries back in her adopted home town. Her daughter loved them in pink but you can make them any colour you like, and you can even try marbling two colours together.
INGREDIENTS
500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
7g fast action dried yeast
5g salt
15ml olive oil, plus extra for shaping
gel food colouring
300ml water, warm
METHOD
Mix together the flour, yeast, salt and oil. Add a dab of food colouring to the water. You can add as much or as little as you like. I added a fingernail amount of pink gel colouring and let Charlie stir it up. Add the water to the flour mixture then either knead by hand for about 8 minutes or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 4 minutes on a low speed until smooth and elastic looking. Pop into a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to double in size; the time is dependent on the room – the cooler the room, the longer it will take. Wash yours and any helper’s hands straight away as the gel colours can have staying power.
Once risen, deflate the dough by knocking it back. Use scissors to divide it up into pieces about the size of a cherry tomato. Roll each piece between the palm of your hands (oil your hands if you find that the dough is sticking) and then place on a floured baking tray in a grid fashion, about 1 cm apart. Cover loosely with cling film and leave to double in size again; they will spread into each other as they prove.
Preheat the oven to 220°C and bake for about 10–15 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned and well risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy dipped in soup, sandwiched with chocolate spread or just split and filled with cheese for a very exciting lunch indeed.
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