Molletes 1962 (Biscuits)

Molletes, crumbly, sweet corn flour biscuits topped with a sprinkle of sugar. They’re perfect with a cup of coffee or a warm mug of Mexican hot chocolate. Simple, comforting, and just the right amount of sweet.

About Good Food from Mexico

Good Food from Mexico was written by Ruth Watt Mulvey and Luisa Maria Alvarez, first published in 1950 by M. Barrows & Co. It includes 350 recipes from antojitos (appetizers), soups, and cocktails to entrees, desserts, salads, and more.  In my opinion, what makes this book special is the chapter introductions which go into great depth about the way Mexicans live, their traditions, and customs. Here is an excerpt from the introduction where you can clearly see the passion and care that was taken into writing this book:

“ This is the story of what is eaten in Mexico, but the eating itself is even more memorable. Forever you will recall the broad-bones faces, shadowed by the light of tiny charcoal burners as the vendors squat over the piles of roasting chestnuts that fill the air with fragrance on a winter evening. Forever you will recall the end of the night baseball game and surging out with the crowd of fanaticos to sit at one of the benches before a stall selling chicken soup. You will remember the blaze of noon at Tres Cumbres on the road to Cuernavaca with the cars lined up before the taco stands. You will remember too the ornate mahogany of the OperaBar and holiday evenings when you ate sweet rice and an infinite variety of sea food on the roof of the Majestic Hotel, which overlooks the zocalo and the great cathedral. The memory of food will be the memory of Mexico.”

Mulvey, Ruth Watt., and Luisa Maria Alvarez. Good Food from Mexico. “Molletes.” New York: M. Barrows, 1950. P. 205. [TX716.M4 M85 1962]

What is a mollete?

There are several interpretations of what a mollete is. Today, the most recognized version is a bolillo (a baguette-style bread) sliced in half, spread with refried beans, and topped with melted cheese and salsa. However, in Oaxaca, molletes refer to a type of pan dulce, an elongated, dark brown bread sweetened with piloncillo, cinnamon, and anise, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Puebla also has a lesser-known seasonal mollete, a soft roll filled with coconut pastry cream topped with a pumpkin seed glaze.

None of these have much in common with this 1950’s recipe. But after digging a little deeper, I found that in Spain, mollete refers to a small, oval-shaped bread. That makes me think this recipe could be an adaptation of the Spanish mollete, evolving over time with locally available ingredients like nixtamalized corn flour.

What is Nixtamalina?

The original recipe calls for nixtamalina as an ingredient. I couldn’t find a reference to nixtamalina any where but from the context of the recipe I deduced that nixtamalina is what we know of today as masa harina. The recipe does state that if you can’t find nixtamalina you can use cornmeal, but corn meal and masa harina are very different. Masa harina is made from nixtamalized corn, the corn is soaked in a mixture of lime and water, then dried, and ground into flour. This softens the corn and makes it easier for your body to absorb the niacin, calcium, and iron in the corn. While cornmeal is simply dried and ground corn. You can find masa harina at your local Mexican grocery store or online.

Original Recipe

How to Make Molletes Step by Step

Expert Tips

Make sure you fold in the whipped egg yolks, and the butter. If you whisk the whipped egg will loose all of its volume.

Serving

These are great still warm from the oven with coffee or Mexican hot chocolate.

Storing

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

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