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Telera in the food context refers to a type of soft, round Mexican bread roll with a slightly flattened shape and a distinctive trio of horizontal grooves on the top. Telera is a key ingredient in Mexican cuisine, particularly used to make sandwiches like tortas, which are filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Its soft texture and mild flavour make it an ideal bread for hearty, flavourful fillings.

Description

Telera is similar to the French baguette but softer and less crusty. Its crumb is light and airy, with a soft crust that is not as chewy as that of a baguette. The bread is typically made from wheat flour, water, yeast, salt, and a small amount of sugar or fat, which gives it its slight sweetness and tender texture. The distinctive three-score mark across the top is one of the telera's key visual features, often dividing the roll into three equal sections.

Because telera is soft and easy to slice, it’s perfect for sandwiches. It’s often toasted or grilled before being filled with ingredients, allowing it to soak up flavours while still maintaining its structure.

Common uses of telera include:

• Tortas: Telera is most famously used as the bread for Mexican tortas, a type of sandwich that can be filled with a wide range of ingredients, from grilled meats like carne asada to avocados, beans, cheese, and spicy salsas.
• Molletes: Another popular Mexican dish made with telera bread, molletes are open-faced sandwiches topped with refried beans and melted cheese, often served with salsa or pico de gallo.
• Breakfast sandwiches: Telera can be used to make simple breakfast sandwiches, filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, and meats like chorizo or ham.

Application Areas

Telera is widely used in several food applications:

• Sandwiches and tortas: Telera is the go-to bread for making traditional Mexican tortas, a sandwich filled with everything from grilled meats to vegetables and spreads.
• Street food: Tortas made with telera are commonly sold as street food in Mexico, often served with a variety of fillings, making it a portable, satisfying meal.
• Home cooking: Telera is popular in Mexican households, where it’s used for making sandwiches, snacks, or as a side with meals.

Well-Known Examples

• Torta de milanesa: A sandwich made with telera bread, stuffed with thin, breaded, and fried beef or chicken cutlets, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and jalapeños.
• Torta ahogada: A specialty from Guadalajara, this is a sandwich made with telera bread, filled with pork and drowned in a spicy tomato-based sauce.
• Molletes: A breakfast dish where telera is sliced in half, toasted, and topped with refried beans, cheese, and salsa.

Risks and Challenges

One challenge with telera is that, due to its soft nature, it can become soggy if overfilled or if left too long with moist ingredients like salsas or sauces. Toasting the bread before filling helps mitigate this issue, giving it a sturdier texture while still maintaining its softness.

In regions outside of Mexico, availability of fresh telera bread can be a challenge, though it is often substituted with similar types of bread, such as bolillo rolls or even French bread.

Similar Terms

• Bolillo: A slightly crustier Mexican bread roll often used in tortas as well, though it is narrower and has a more elongated shape compared to telera.
• Baguette: A French bread that shares some similarities with telera in terms of its role in sandwiches but has a much firmer crust.
• Pan de agua: A Latin American bread that is also used for sandwiches, though it has a lighter, fluffier texture than telera.

Summary

Telera is a soft, round Mexican bread roll with a slightly flattened shape and three distinctive grooves on top. It is a staple in Mexican cuisine, primarily used for making tortas (sandwiches) and molletes (open-faced sandwiches). Its tender crumb and soft texture make it perfect for soaking up the flavours of meats, cheeses, and salsas without falling apart. While similar to other sandwich rolls like bolillo or baguette, telera has a unique place in Mexican food culture, providing the foundation for many beloved dishes.

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