Mollete is an open sandwich with refried beans and white cheese in Mexican cuisine, served hot.
Originating from Mexico City, it is made with bolillo cut lengthwise and partially hollowed out, filled with refried beans and topped with cheese and occasionally slices of jalapeño or serrano peppers.
The sandwich is then grilled in the oven until the cheese melts.
Refried beans are “frijol mantequilla” known outside the region as pinto beans, mashed and fried in oil or butter after being boiled. Find the recipe on the blog.
The traditional cheeses used are queso ranchero, queso asadero, or queso menonita.
In southern Mexico, molletes can be served with salsa or pico de gallo or topped with sliced ham, chorizo, bacon, or mushrooms.
There is also a sweet mollete typical of the Jalisco and Guadalajara regions, where the bolillo is buttered, sprinkled with sugar or honey, and grilled until crispy.
The ones in the photo were tasted during our trip to Mexico in November 2024, in the VIP lounge of Mexico City: with goat cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Mexican sauce with white truffle essence.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 bolillo (or mini baguette)
- 14.1 oz refried beans
- 5.3 oz sliced or grated cheese (see note below)
Steps
Preheat the oven to 392°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove some of the bread from the halves to accommodate more toppings. Spread about 1 teaspoon of butter on each half.
Spread 2 or 3 tablespoons of warmed refried beans on the bread.
Sprinkle the grated cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy (15 to 20 minutes).
Garnish as desired with pico de gallo or avocado or chorizo or jalapeño.
FAQ
How can I substitute queso ranchero, queso asadero, or queso menonita?
Queso ranchero is very similar to parmesan with less aging, asadero is provolone, and menonita closely resembles Havarti, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese produced and aged in Denmark.
Other cheeses can also be used, like mozzarella.What is a bolillo?
A bolillo (in Mexico) or pan francés (in Central America and Brazil) is a type of salty bread produced in Mexico and Central America.
It is a variant of the baguette, but shorter and often baked in a stone oven.
Brought to Mexico City around 1860 by Emperor Maximilian’s troupe of cooks, its use spread rapidly throughout the country.
Do not confuse it with its Spanish namesake.
In Spain, a mollete is indeed a bun, typical of the Andalusian region; a round and soft white bread, usually served lightly toasted with olive oil and raw garlic or spread with lard (usually in the form of manteca colorá or zurrapa de lomo) in an Andalusian breakfast.Why the name “mollete”?
One theory suggests that “mollete” comes from the Latin “mollis”, meaning “soft” or “smooth”. This may be due to the texture of the bread used in the Mexican molletes recipe.
The bread used is characterized by being soft inside and crispy outside.
Another theory suggests that the name “mollete” is linked to the way the bread used in this dish is kneaded.
The term “mollete” could derive from the Spanish word “moler”, which means “to crush” or “to grind”, referring to the process of kneading and forming the dough for the bread.
