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4.8 from 24 votes

Cheese Rolls with Buttery Parmesan Crust

A simple and flavorful recipe that's sure to be a favorite.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 18 mins
Servings: 15 rolls
Calories: 315 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Dough:
  • 4 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
  • ½ cup warm water
  • 1 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup butter softened
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5-6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling:
  • 8 ounces cheddar or pepperjack cheese cut into 15 cubes
Topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. For the dough, combine all the ingredients and mix and knead until you have a soft, elastic dough (don’t add too much flour – the key to soft dinner rolls is a soft dough!). Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover, letting rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
  2. Prepare a 9X13-inch pan by lightly greasing the bottom and sides with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Deflate the dough and divide into 15 pieces. Shape the pieces of dough into rounds and punch a cube of cheese from the bottom up into the center of each piece. Pinch the dough tightly together to close the bottom. Place the rolls, pinched side down, in the prepared baking pan. Cover and let rise again for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled.
  3. While the rolls are rising, melt the butter and stir in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Set aside.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the rolls have risen, brush the tops with the egg yolk beaten with water. Sprinkle tops of rolls liberally with the bread crumb mixture. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are nicely browned. Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a rack. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Flour Amount: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.
  • Yeast: if you double the recipe, don’t double the amount of yeast – it should stay the same as in the original recipe.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Roll Calories 315kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 40g (13%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 57mg (19%) Sodium 343mg (14%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 6g (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 15rolls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 315

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 Roll
Calories 315kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 40g 13%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 343mg 14%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 6g 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.