Cheese Rolls with Buttery Parmesan Crust

For 15 rolls, Cheese Rolls with Buttery Parmesan Crust keeps the list centered on instant yeast, warm water and lukewarm milk. Set aside about 78 minutes.

• Yield 15 rolls
• Ready in 78 minutes
• Prep 60 minutes
• Cook 18 minutes

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 large egg , lightly beaten
• ¼ cup ( 57 g ) butter , softened
• ⅓ cup ( 71 g ) sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5-6 cups ( 710 to 852 g ) unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling

• 8 ounces ( 227 g ) cheddar or pepperjack cheese , cut into 15 cubes

Topping

• 2 tablespoons ( 28 g ) butter
• ¼ cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
• ¼ cup ( 29 g ) grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

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.

Cool the bake on a rack until the crumb sets, then slice.