These soft and fluffy cheese rolls are made using easy bread dough and rolled with shredded cheddar cheese and a roasted tomato & red pepper sauce.
These cheese rolls are the perfect companion to soup, or as a side dish for pretty much any dinner, but especially pasta. Soft and fluffy bread dough is just rolled up with some cheese and fresh thyme leaves.
Soft & Fluffy Cheese Rolls
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Ingredients needed
- strong white flour
- fast-acting yeast
- whole milk
- eggs
- butter
- honey
- tomato and grilled red pepper sauce
- cheddar cheese
- thyme leaves
Step by step directions
Step 1 & 2
- This recipe has been made super easy in that it only uses one bowl. Start by weighing the butter and milk in a medium bowl and warming in the microwave. The mixture should be warm and the butter melted.
- Once the mix is warm but not hot, whisk in the eggs, yeast and honey. Set the bowl aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast has started to froth on the top of the mix. Add in the flour and salt.
Step 3 & 4
- Mix the flour and milk mixture together until you have a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough comes together and is soft and bounces back when gently pressed.
Step 5 & 6
- Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel or some cling film and set in a warm place until doubled in size. This should only take about 30-40 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about ¼ cm thick.
Step 7 & 8
- Spread the red pepper sauce over the entire surface of the dough and sprinkle the thyme leaves and then cheddar over the surface. Press the cheese lightly into the dough.
- Add extra cheese, herbs or even toss in some parma ham to turn these into pizza rolls.
Step 9 & 10
- Starting with the long edge closest to you roll the dough tightly. When you've rolled the dough into a log, pinch along the edge to seal. Cut the dough into 9 equal rolls.
- Place with the cut side up in a lined baking tin. Leave covered in a warm place for another 30 minutes, then bake.
Variations
These rolls are vegetarian the way they are but here are some ideas for add-ins
- crispy pancetta lardons
- pesto
- mozzarella
- parma ham
- chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Storage
These rolls really are at they're very best on the day they're baked, but I do always love having a couple in the freezer so that I have a quick side with some soup or a snack on a very busy day.
- Freezing- Wrap tightly in a double layer of foil for up to 3 months
- Room temperature- In an airtight container for about 2 days. They will dry out a little, but a quick zap in the microwave will soften them up again in no time.
Soup recipes to serve with cheese rolls
Tools used
Soft and Fluffy Cheese Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 ml (1 cups) whole milk, warm* see notes
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) honey
- 7 g (¼ oz) fast-acting yeast, 1 sachet if using packets
- 2 (2) eggs, beaten
- 500-550 g (3 ⅘ cups) strong flour
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- 1 (1) jar tomato and grilled pepper sauce* see notes
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) grated cheddar
- 3 (3) sprigs thyme, leaves picked
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170ºc fan or 180º conventional and line a 23cm square baking tin with nonstick baking paper.
- Start by weighing the butter and milk in a medium bowl and warming in the microwave. The mixture should be warm and the butter melted.
- Once the mix is warm but not hot, whisk in the eggs, yeast and honey. Set the bowl aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast has started to froth on the top of the mix. Add in the flour and salt. Mix the flour and milk mixture together until you have a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough comes together and is soft and bounces back when gently pressed.
- Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel or some cling film and set in a warm place until doubled in size. This should only take about 30-40 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about ¼ cm thick.
- Spread the red pepper sauce over the entire surface of the dough and sprinkle the thyme leaves and then cheddar over the surface. Press the cheese lightly into the dough.
- Starting with the long edge closest to you roll the dough tightly. When you've rolled the dough into a log, pinch along the edge to seal. Cut the dough into 9 equal rolls.
- Place with the cut side up in a lined baking tin. Leave covered in a warm place for another 30 minutes, then bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the rolls are baked through.
Notes
- This recipe truly benefits from the higher fat content in whole milk and creates a really soft dough, but if you have skim or semi skim that will work too.
- As a substitute, you can use pesto or red onion chutney instead of the grilled pepper sauce.
- Add extra cheese, herbs or even toss in some parma ham to turn these into pizza rolls.
Nutrition
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Wez
If I do all the prep work (in the morning) and don't put them in the oven (until tea-time approx 5pm) but keep them out on the worktop (covered in clingfilm)..... would they still bake just as nice? Or is it better to continue with baking them & then reheat later with few splashed of warm water over (or a tray of hot water on rack beneath to steam) to freshen them up?
Deborah Rainford
Hi Wez,
I would bake them from start to finish then reheat them exactly as you suggested. The only reason is that they will overprove on the worktop and will probably be a little too puffy before going in the oven. To reheat them sprinkle with a few splashes of water and give them between 2-5 minutes in a very hot oven. Let me know how it goes!
Walter
Mucho gracias from a newbie baker!
I was already into prep before realising I only had plain flour! I used a topping mix of pesto, (tinned) mackerel and a dash of sweet chili sauce...
With zero experience rolling out dough my log was humungous... ended up with 18 slices which were difficult to lift without falling apart and completely filled up the baking tray. Expecting a complete disaster I was amazed after 25 mins with a result that looked kinda like a tear and share loaf infused with pesto and mackerel and the bread part was unbelievably good - soft, fluffy, like a bun... Very yummy and filling!
Thanks again, this is the second recipe I have followed from here!
Regards
Deborah Thompson
You've made my day! I'm so happy that it worked out. And your variation sounds absolutely incredible!!!