Tortas

Miguel makes tortas for he and Ivy at Baptista’s Cantina and Grill in Crust No One, the second Bread Shop Mystery.

Dough

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lard, shortening, or butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

GLAZE

• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl or the pan of your bread machine set on the dough cycle, combine the yeast, water, honey, melted fat, salt, and 3 1/2 cups of the flour. Mix until a soft dough forms.
2. Check the doughs consistency; if the dough sticks to your finger when you touch it lightly, add 1/4 cup of the additional flour and mix for another minute. Check the dough again, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of flour only if you need it; the dough should be soft, but not sticky.
3. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes at medium speed in a stand mixer, or 10 minutes by hand, until it’s smooth and bouncy.
4. Cover the bowl and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled, or let the bread machine complete its cycle.
5. Once the dough has risen, deflate it and divide into 10 pieces, roll into balls, and cover the pieces.
6. Let them rest for 5 minutes before shaping the rolls into a football shape, tapering toward the edges; the rolls should be 5 1/2″ long and 2″ around at the center.
7. Place the rolls onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with greased plastic. Allow the rolls to rise while turning the oven on and preheating to 400°F
8. When the rolls are almost doubled in size, brush the tops and sides with egg wash. Using a greased knife, slash the rolls twice parallel to each other. Press down firmly with each slice.
9. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown and the centers read 190°F with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.
10. Yield: 10 rolls.