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Cheese and Pesto Bread Rolls

Using our basic bread recipe in this cheese and pesto rolls, flattened dough is smothered with homemade pesto and shredded mozzerella, rolled, cut and baked.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total rising time 1 hr 15 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins
Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 12 cheese and pesto bread rolls
Cheese and Pesto Bread Rolls
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Ingredients
  

Bread

  • 1 ½ cups bread flour
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tablespoon sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon oil plus more to grease the bowl
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dusting
  • 4 tablespoons semolina

Filling

  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions
 

Make the bread

  • Dump the flour into a mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast, salt and sugar.
  • Make a well at the center and pour in the oil and water.
    Adding water and oil to dry ingredients for making bread
  • Stir the mixture by gathering the flour into the wet ingredients.
    Mixing dry and wet ingredients for bread dough
  • Mix until all the wet ingredients have been absorbed by the flour.
  • Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
    Resting bread dough before kneading
  • Sprinkle flour on your work surface and dump in the rested dough.
  • Knead by alternately pushing it with the heel of your hand and rolling it back towards you. The kneading takes about 20 minutes.
    Kneading bread dough by hand
  • When the dough can be formed into a smooth ball, grease the bottom and sides of a clean bowl and drop in the dough.
    Bread dough after kneading
  • Roll the dough around to cover every inch of the surface with oil.
  • Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave to rise until double in volume (see notes after the recipe).
    Bread dough before and after rising

Make the rolls

  • Sprinkle the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan with one tablespoon of semolina evenly.
  • Sprinkle two tablespoons of semolina on your work surface, drop in the dough and roll into a rectangle about one centimeter thick.
  • Stir the pesto and mozzarella and spread evenly on the rolled dough.
    Spreading pesto and cheese on flattened bread dough
  • Lift one long end of the dough and start rolling all the way to the opposit long end it to enclose the filling. Pinch to seal.
  • Cut off the uneven ends of the rolled dough.
  • Cut the trimmed rolled dough into ten equal portions.
  • Arrange the rolls, pinched and sealed side at the bottom, around the perimeter of the cast iron pan (do not position them too tightly as they will need space to expand).
    Arranging cut bread rolls in cast iron pan sprinkled with semolina
  • Drop in any remaining rolls at the center of the pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining semolina on the rolls.
  • Leave the rolls to rise for about 15 minutes. Do not wait for them to fill out the pan; they will do that in the oven during baking.
  • While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 375F.
  • Bake the cheese and pesto rolls for 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Take the rolls out of oven, loosen the sides and bottom with an offset spatula and slide onto a plate.
  • Serve your cheese and pesto rolls immediately.

Notes

These cheese and pesto rolls are best when served hot.
If your family cannot consume ten bread rolls in one go, store the cheese and pesto rolls in a tightly covered container after they have cooled, and freeze.
To reheat a frozen roll, defrost in the microwave for 30 seconds and reheat in an oven toaster for three to four minutes to soften the cheese.
Slices of Cheese and Pesto Bread Rolls on Wooden Plate
Keyword bread, mozzarella, pesto
Daily Bread
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Baker’s Notes
Cook’s Notes