Feta-olive-filled bread roll secret?

January 30, 2008 10:52 AM

Baking: I tried some rolls that a distant acquaintance served many years ago- I think they were whole grain, about the size of a baked potato, and they had filling- made of feta, some olives, and maybe soft tofu?? They were really good and I seem to recall that she referred to them as "Bolsas." Does anyone know how to make these?

I googled unsuccessfully...

These rolls were definitely dense and bread-like, as opposed to pastry-like, and the dough may have been herbed.

She also had two small children and said these were a regular snack/ lunch item in her family and that they were not labor intensive....

I have no way of contacting her now.

posted by ohdeanna to food & drink (9 answers total)

"Bolsa" would literally translate to "bag" in Spanish, which would make sense given your description. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the foodstuff you describe, but that may suggest why googling is proving difficult.
posted by benzo8 at 10:56 AM on January 30, 2008

You could be looking for bollos?
posted by benzo8 at 11:02 AM on January 30, 2008

Something like this? This recipe just has cheese as a filling, but I imagine you could add other stuff.
posted by rtha at 11:03 AM on January 30, 2008

I know for sure there's a recipe for these in The Tassajara Bread Book. If memory serves, the ingredients are exactly as you describe. Unfortunately I don't have my copy with me at the moment, so I can't type out the recipe, but check your local library.
posted by seldomfun at 11:06 AM on January 30, 2008

I hope someone finds the recipe and posts it here. These sound awesome.
posted by studentbaker at 11:23 AM on January 30, 2008

Apparently you can browse the book on Amazon. The recipe is called Ricotta Olive Bolso, and here's what it says:

Bread for bolso:

1 package yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup dry milk
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
3 3/4 cups unbleached white flour or whole wheat if preferred

Dissolve yeast in warm water (about body temperature). Stir in dry milk, sweetening, salt and butter. Add a couple cups of flour and blend thoroughly, beating until the mixture is elastic. Fold in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough, then knead several minutes, using more flour as necessary. Let rise 45-60 minutes.

Filling for bolso:

1 egg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cups sliced green olives
1 pound ricotta cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2-3 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
1 or more cloves garlic

Beat the egg. Mix in the grated cheese and sliced olives. Blend in the ricotta cheese and season with the remaining ingredients. Use 3-4 tablespoons per pocket.

(At this point the recipe mentions the optional ingredients, including sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, nicoise olives, and other cheeses including feta. It mentions some cheeses have a higher salt content and the recipe may need to be adjusted to compensate for that).

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a rectangle or circle. Mound some filling on half the dough, then fold dough over and seal the edges together.

Place on a greased baking sheet, then let rise for 20 minutes. Brush with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a couple tablespoons water or milk) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.

I'm going to add at this point that these sound delicious and I will definitely be making them soon myself.
posted by seldomfun at 11:24 AM on January 30, 2008 [40 favorites]

Yes!!! I am almost positive she would have used that book. I was wracking my brain trying to remember the title- b/c I thought maaaaybeeee I could find the recipe there. I know Tassajara is a staple for bread-baking..... thanks!
posted by ohdeanna at 11:24 AM on January 30, 2008

Bolsa means "Istanbul" or "Constantinop(b)le" in Armenian.
posted by k8t at 12:27 PM on January 30, 2008

I can now confirm that these are, in fact, delicious. Thank you, ohdeanna and seldomfun.
posted by mumkin at 9:12 PM on February 24, 2008