Cheese Rolls

These easy cheese rolls are delicious! They’re soft and cheesy and super simple. You’ll make this cheese rolls recipe again and again!

When I pack lunches for the kids, I’m always trying to be a bit creative so they’re not getting the same thing over and over. One thing that they don’t seem to mind having over and over is the cheese buns from a certain local bakery! I will admit, they’re delicious; however, they’re fairly expensive and not within our local driving radius! I figured there has to be a better way, so I started testing my own recipe for cheese rolls!

These EASY cheese rolls are seriously so good. The first time I made them I did not use nearly enough cheese, and then the second time I did not add enough seasonings. Third time’s the charm! You’ll love this cheese rolls recipe! And the best part? They’re completely homemade and much more affordable than the rolls from the bakery!

Ingredients for Homemade Cheese Rolls

Obviously, you’ll need a lot of cheddar cheese for this recipe! Other than that, the recipe is really quite simple. You’ll need the following:

• active dry yeast
• granulated sugar
• whole milk
• eggs
• unsalted butter
• all-purpose flour
• salt
• cheddar cheese
• dried oregano
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• flaky sea salt

It may look like a long list but if you read through it you’ll see there’s nothing complicated or fancy!

How Do You Make This Cheese Rolls Recipe?

If you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls from scratch, especially if you’ve tried my Nutella cinnamon rolls, the process is much the same! If you’ve never made homemade rolls or if you are intimidated by yeast, don’t be! This recipe is super simple.

I’ve broken the steps down for you and provided photos to make it very easy for you to follow:

1. Warm the milk. You can use a saucepan to warm the milk, but I typically add the milk to a glass measuring cup and microwave it for about 45 seconds. You want the milk to be very warm but not piping hot or you’ll kill the yeast! Around 105-110 degrees is perfect. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the yeast, sugar and warm milk. Whisk the mixture together and then cover the bowl with a cloth for about 5 minutes, until the yeast has puffed up a bit and looks foamy.

2. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the softened butter. Don’t be concerned if things are not completely mixed. Add in one cup of flour, and mix just until combined. Switch the attachment to the dough hook, then add the remainder of the flour, one cup at a time. Turn the mixer up to medium and knead the dough with the mixer for 4-5 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a bit more flour, just a tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is pulling away easily from the bowl, add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and mix for another minute.

3. Remove the dough, then spray the bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough back inside. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the bowl to rest for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it to a floured surface and roll it out to a rectangle approximately 12″ x 16″. I like to use a measuring tape but you definitely don’t need to be exact. Spread the remainder of the softened butter over the dough, smearing it evenly. Next, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese, followed by the seasonings.

5. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a tight roll until you have a cylinder. From this, cut 12 equal pieces. I like to cut the dough first in half, then another half, then divide each quarter into 3 equal pieces. I find this is the easiest way to get similar sized rolls! Place the rolls evenly spaced apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray (the spray side goes on top of the dough)! Let the rolls rise for another 1-2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the rolls in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the centre of the middle roll no longer looks “doughy” and the edges of the rolls are only slightly browned. Remove the rolls from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, then allow them to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Tip: I like to keep the rolls covered with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking, then remove it for the last 10. This ensures they don’t get too brown before they’re fully cooked and the cheese rolls stay soft!

How Well Do These Rolls Keep?

These rolls are definitely best fresh out of the oven (they’re amazing)! But they also keep really well. Once cooled, you can store any extras in an airtight Ziplock bag or in an airtight container. I love using my Zwilling vacuum seal system! They’ll continue to stay soft and fresh for 2-3 days on the counter at room temperature.

Freezing: I like to make the batch of 12, but then freeze half of the rolls for later. They will keep for up to 2 months! Thaw them overnight in the fridge, and either eat them cold or you can heat them up before serving. Cover the rolls with foil (once thawed) and heat them in an oven heated to 250 F for about 10 minutes!

Lunchboxes: These cheese rolls are PERFECT for lunchboxes!

Can You Make These Rolls Overnight?

Making these rolls over 2 days is actually what I typically do! Since the rolls require 2 different rises, for 1-2 hours each, it’s quite the process. Trust me, it’s worth it! Since I don’t always have time to make and bake the rolls all in one day, what I sometimes do is prepare the dough up to step 5 in the blog post above. Once the rolls are sliced and placed on the cookie sheet, you can tightly cover them and place them in the fridge for up to 12 hours (but no longer than 16 hours).

About 2 hours before you want to bake the rolls, remove them from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature, still tightly covered or until they have risen.

Continue with step 6 to bake the rolls.

What Do You Serve Cheese Rolls With?

These cheesy rolls are so good on their own, or in a lunchbox instead of a sandwich. They’re also so good alongside a hearty soup , or even as part of a meat and cheese board! I like to make them in place of a dinner roll too, during a big holiday dinner!

Here are some of the best soups to go with these rolls:

• creamy tortellini soup
• ham bone and bean soup
• simple butternut squash soup

I also think these rolls would be delicious with a warm and hearty chilli!

Some of My Other Favourite Bread Recipes

Who doesn’t love bread? These are my favourite go-to bread and dinner roll recipes from the blog:

• 3 ingredient bread
• overnight beer bread
• cheesy cornmeal drop biscuits
• 30 minute dinner rolls

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