Skillet Parmesan and Garlic Pull-Apart Bread Rolls

By SweetnSpicyLiving on November 12, 2023 • ( 1 Comment )

Dinner rolls is almost like a must when planning for a get together menu. Soft and fluffy dinner rolls can never be out of place in the table. There is always something that goes well with it. While I like making the traditional dinner rolls, from time to time I like taking dinner rolls up to a higher level. Elevated dinner rolls, baked and served in cast iron skillet and made into a pull-apart style rolls topped with cheesy goodness.

This Rosemary Pull-Apart Cheese Rolls are to die for! Just smelling it while it was baking drove me crazy, even more when took it out of the oven. It was a sight I would never forget seeing. Too dramatic you might say, but I really do have those love at first sight moment when it comes to food. I cannot remember how many times I fell in love with foods that I make, just by looking at them.

This Rosemary Pull-Apart Cheese Roll is one of my favorite rolls to serve, and I have to say it never failed to make other people fell in love with it. It has a very nice soft and fluffy texture, thanks to the creaminess of milk and fats from the egg. It was proudly puff-up, with crunchy toasted cheese scattered on top. I have to admit the cheese is really what made this pull-apart bread stands out. The way that it was browned to perfection, the way that it was slightly crunchy and toasted, it was so good. This bread taste as good as it looks, you will never regret making this bread.

Are you scared of making homemade bread? Maybe you’ve heard or seen videos of homemade bread that takes 2-3 hours (which is pretty normal), and even more 17 hours (bohooo!) to make a loaf of bread or a simple dinner rolls. You dread the tedious work, the kneading and the waiting and so you would rather buy bread than make it. I hear you, I’ve been there and I had the same sentiments.

But do you know that not all bread are created equal? Yes, just like cakes and pastries, bread can also vary in terms of complexity and wait time. So I say just go on the level that you are comfortable with so that you wouldn’t hate it, that way in the end you may end up liking it. Maybe, just maybe, this is the bread that would remove your fear of homemade bread.

How to Make Parmesan Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

Let me give you a quick summary on how I made this bread.

I used active yeast for this bread, which needs “proofing” to activate it. It only took 5 minutes to get the yeast activated. I added it in warm water (110F) and added sugar in it. Temperature is very important in activating the yeast, make it too hot or cold and the yeast will not activate properly.

After activating the yeast, I added all wet ingredients to the yeast mixture until just combined, this was followed by adding the dry ingredients in 2 batches then mixing happened for 8 minutes. We need to do it in double batch so mixing is easier.

After this step, a clean bowl (no flour sticking on the bowl) is what I aimed for. Clean bowl meant that I was on the right track for the consistency of the dough. Not too dry, but still slightly sticky. Most of the time I did not need to add additional flour and sometimes I had to. If your dough gets too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until you get a clean bowl and the dough forms. The most that I need to add is about 3 tbsp, don’t over do it adding too much flour as it can make the bread heavy and dense. Final dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.

Then 15 minutes rest and a warm place, shape, rise again for another 15 minutes then off it goes into the oven. Sounds easy, right?

Ingredients:

1 1/4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm Water (110F)
2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon Sugar , divided (1/2 teaspoon for yeast, remaining for flour mixture)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Milk , warmed to about 80F
1 large Egg – room temperature
2 tablespoon Flavorless Oil
1 1/2 cups Bread Flour or All-purpose Flour plus 1/4 cup on the side ONLY as needed (I sometimes ended up using about 2 tbsp of it)
1 tablespoon Dried Rosemary or 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (you can increase it for stronger flavor)
1 teaspoon tables Salt
1/3 cup Asiago Cheese or grated Parmesan Cheese

Filling Options:

This is totally optional. You can make the bread and leave the stuffing out.

1/4 cup Pickled Jalapeno Pepper
150g Mozarella or Cheddar Cheese

Eggwash:

Substitution: If you do not want to crack an egg just to brush the top, you can use softened butter or milk to brush the top but do not skip brushing the top with something liquid to help the grated cheese stick.

1 whole Egg – beaten
1 teaspoon Milk (you can use powdered milk diluted in water) or water

Instructions:

Activate Yeast: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together yeast with water and 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar. Rest 5 minutes until mixture is foamy.
Add Wet Ingredients: Set mixer with paddle attachment and mix in remaining sugar, milk, egg, and oil on low-speed.
Add Dry Ingredients: Add salt, rosemary and 1 cup flour and mix on low-speed until combined, then switch to a hook attachment. Set mixer on low-speed and slowly add in remaining 1/2 cup flour. Allow mixture to knead on medium-low speed until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, about 8 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add 1 tbsp of flour at a time (but not more than 1/4 cup) until the dough starts to form, dough should be slightly sticky and not too dry. If too much flour is added rolls will be dense and heavy. A good measure of correct texture is a clean mixing bowl. Spray the sides of the bowl with olive oil and continue kneading for another 2 minutes.
Rest 60 minutes: Remove the dough and form into a ball. Transfer into a greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap or warm towel and allow to rest for 60 minutes.
- To help the dough rise better, I put it inside the oven which I pre-heated to 110F. Once it reached the 110F, I stopped/canceled it (my oven minimum is 170F) DO NOT forget to stop it, you only want the oven to warm up for the dough to rise, you do not want to dough to be baked. Some oven has a proofing setting, mine doesn’t, so this is my trick.
Shape and Arrange: Lightly push the dough down with the heel of the palm of your hands and divide into 19 equal portions, shape each into a ball. Do not knead too much as it will knock out the air that was accumulated during the rest period. Pull the sides down and tuck under several times then make into a ball shape. Arrange the ball in a 6-inch cast iron skillet or similar size baking dish. Tucked side facing down so that you have a smooth exposed surface.
- If you opt to fill the center, fill the center with cheese and jalapeno pepper or whatever filling you like. make sure to pinch and seal the bottom then roll into a ball shape.
Let rest for another 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350F during last 10 minutes of dough rising.
Brush Top: Gently brush top of rolls evenly with egg wash by combining 1 tsp of milk and 1 beaten egg.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
Bake: Bake in preheated 350F oven for 20 until tops are golden brown, Serve warm, reheat before serving as necessary.