Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Rolls (Eggless)

Cheesy and carb-y, two of my favourite things! These super soft rolls are filled with cheddar, caramelised onions and seasoned with mixed herbs to make one seriously good accompaniment to soup for dinner and eggs in the morning (the dough itself is made without eggs though). They’re so good and I hope you’ll try them soon!

It turns out that when you fill a basic yeasted dough with tons of cheese, sweet, soft, caramelised onions, and then roll the whole thing up into tender, fluffy beauties, the end result can give cinnamon rolls a very, very good run for their money. Never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. With updated photos and some tweaks to the recipe, I’m even more thrilled with these than before!

There are two reasons you need to make these: One, I insist. Two, they are based off the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman which happens to have the most amazing recipes. Did I mentioned I swapped out the butter for olive oil because Deb said I could, and it worked like a charm?

Those bits of cheese and onion that get all crispy on the edges? THAT should be the only actual reason to make these rolls. I may have enjoyed those bits more than the bread itself, just saying. Scraping the pan has never been more fun. Deb uses chopped white onions, but I have a soft spot for caramelised onions and they turned out to be just what the cheddar ordered. The rolls are buttery without any butter, super soft, and packed with a ton of flavour.

I hope you love these as much as I did!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Rolls (Eggless)

Soft and fluffy savoury rolls filled with cheddar cheese and caramelised onions!

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Makes: 12 rolls

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Ingredients

  

For the dough

• 1 cup milk (250 ml)
• 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 gms)
• 1 and 1/2 tsps salt
• 2 tsps mixed herb seasoning / Italian seasoning (usually comes salted; if you skip this increase the salt in the dough to 2 tsps)

For the filling

• 2 and 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (see notes)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsps olive oil

Instructions

• Heat the milk in a small bowl till it's warm, but not hot and you can comfortably dip a finger in. Stir in the yeast and sugar, cover and set aside to let it become frothy, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture and olive oil. Mix for a few seconds.
• Add the flour, salt and seasoning and mix till a shaggy dough comes together. If using a mixer, let it run on medium-low speed for 3 to 4 minutes until you have a smooth, barely sticky dough. Knead it briefly and gently by hand to smoothen, then poke a finger lightly into it. If the dough slowly bounces back, it's ready to rise. If not, knead a little bit more till it does. If make the dough by hand, mix and knead the dough on a lightly floured counter for about 5 to 6 minutes, until smooth.
• Lightly oil the bowl you just used, then place the dough in it. Cover tightly with clingfilm and set aside to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled. Or preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (mine is 100C) for two minutes, turn it off, and place the bowl inside to speed up the rise in cold weather.
• While the dough is rising, fry the sliced onions in one tablespoon olive oil until lightly browned. Set aside to cool a bit.
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan or if you don't have it, do what I did and use two pans: an 8 inch square pan which will fit 9 rolls and another smaller dish, about 8x4 inches which will fit 3 rolls.
• When the dough has doubled, punch it down to release the air, then turn it out onto a lightly floured counter or large silicone mat. Roll it out into a roughly 12x16 inch rectangle, using your fingertips to even out the sides. Spread the second tablespoon of olive oil over the dough.
• Spread the cheese over the dough, then sprinkle the cooked onions all over it.
• With the shorter end facing you, roll the dough up tightly and place it seam side down on the mat or counter. Slice using a sharp knife into 12 equal rolls. Place each one in the prepared pan(s), leaving about an inch gap between each for the second rise. Cover tightly with clingfilm and leave to rise again for about 1 hour until puffed and doubled. See photos below.
• Preheat the oven to 175 C. Remove the clingfilm from the pan and sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the rolls. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (if you bake all 12 at once, the baking time might increase by about 10 minutes) or until lightly browned, and the cheese is golden and bubbling lightly around the sides.
• Allow the rolls to stand for 10 minutes, then using a sharp knife, cut each one out and eat immediately! Store at room temperature for a day and then in the fridge for 3 to 4 days although they're best eaten fresh. Happy baking!

Notes

*Watch these rolls come together on Instagram!

*In these photos which I recently updated, there are only 6 rolls. I made a half-batch while reshooting this recipe and it works perfectly for a small household. 

*You can use mozzarella or a different cheese instead of cheddar if you prefer. If you can find it, orange cheddar adds a bright colour to the rolls! For this version, I used a pre-cut variety of Nutoras cheddar. If buying pre-shredded cheese, check that are no additives or anti-caking agents which prevent the cheese from melting as the rolls bake.

*Prep-time does not include rise time

*Adapted just slightly from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook