Cheddar Swirl Breakfast Buns
Dough:
- 3 cups (13ÂĽ ounces or 375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- Few grinds of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet—¼ ounce or 7 grams) instant yeast
- 1 cup (235 ml) milk
- 4 tablespoons (55 grams or ½ stick) butter, melted, cooled to lukewarm, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
- ½ cup (½ medium) grated white onion
- 1½ cups (6 ounces or 170 grams) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
- ÂĽ teaspoon table salt
- Few grinds of black pepper
Instructions:
The secret ingredient, however, isn’t the cheddar, or the dill, or the dough, rich with milk and butter. It is the humblest of things, ½ cup of grated onion, which—baked against the cheese within the swirly walls of the bread—becomes so sweet and subtle it raises this breakfast treat to an entirely new level.
- Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and sugar in the bottom of a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the yeast into the milk until it dissolves, then pour the yeast-milk mixture and the melted butter into the flour, and mix them together with the paddle of an electric mixer, or with a wooden spoon, until a shaggy ball can be formed.
- If you are using a mixer, switch to the dough hook, and knead at a low speed for about 6 minutes, or until a smooth and slightly sticky ball is formed. If you are making these by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it for about 8 minutes, until smooth.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest until it doubles, about 2 hours. Alternatively, you can chill the dough in the fridge overnight, or up to 3 days, then bring it back to room temperature and pick up where you left off when you’re ready.
- Scoop the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured counter, and roll into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Mix filling ingredients, and spread thinly over the rectangle, leaving a ½-inch border at the short ends. Roll tightly from one short end to the other, into a 12-inch log. With a sharp serrated knife, carefully cut the log into twelve 1-inch rolls.
- Using parchment paper, line the bottom of two small pans (either 9-inch round or 8-inch square) or one 9-by-13-inch baking pan, and arrange six rolls in each of two smaller pans or twelve rolls in the larger one, with an even amount of space between them. Brush the tops with additional melted butter, cover the pan(s) with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled again, about 2 hours. When they’re almost doubled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Once the rolls have fully doubled, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the cheese bubbles from their centers. Serve immediately.