Herb & Cheese Pinwheel Rolls
Fresh herbs and Pecorino Romano butter fill these delicious yeast rolls, baked to golden-brown on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside!
Ingredients
Yeast Roll Dough
- 2 tbsp. warm water 110-115° F
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons if you have a large container of yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour You may not use all of this, but you may!
Herb & Cheese Butter
- 2 oz. salted butter, at room temperature equivalent to 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup
- 2 tbsp. fresh herbs, minced oregano, thyme, parsley
- 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
- 1 cup grated cheese (we used Pecorino Romano), divided
Instructions
Yeast Dough
- Scald milk and then add butter, salt and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool mixture to luke warm.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp. warm water with the yeast in a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk or stir with a fork, just to wet all of the yeast. Allow to sit while milk is cooling.
- Stir the luke warm milk mixture into the yeast in the bowl. Add the egg and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
- Stir in 2 cups of the flour and mix well with the wooden spoon or your clean hands. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and turn into a clean, greased or sprayed bowl. Turn the dough ball once to coat the top and bottom with the butter or cooking spray. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double, or about 45 minutes. Punch down and continue assembling the rolls according to the directions below.
Herb & Cheese Butter
- While the dough is rising, mix softened butter with herbs in a small bowl until well blended. Stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Set aside until ready to use. Reserve the remaining cheese for the tops of the rolls before baking.
Assembling the Rolls
- Spray a round baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Roll the dough out into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle on a floured cutting board or pastry cloth. Spread herb and cheese butter over the entire rectangle.
- Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a log. Cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch slices.
- Arrange the slices in the baking dish, making sure that the cut side is on top and on bottom. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until double in size, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- When doubled in size, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of the grated cheese over the tops of the rolls.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the rolls seem cooked in the middle. Serve hot.
Notes
These rolls are delicious the second or third day after baking, too. Simply wrap them loosely in foil and heat in a 250 F oven until heated through. The edges will get nice and crunchy while the middle is flakey, moist and delicious! You can also freeze them once they are completely cool. Wrap them in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. Thaw out 15-20 minutes before you want to reheat them. They are fantastic rolls to have handy in the freezer!