Mini Pesto Rolls
Mini pesto pinwheel rolls are soft, fluffy bites filled with vibrant basil pesto and melty cheese. Their golden, tender layers deliver big flavor in a perfect mini size that's ideal for pairing with any spread.
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour (540 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- ¾ cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup gruyere cheese grated
Topping
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese grated
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Dough
- Take out the butter and eggs to bring them to room temperature.
- Heat the milk in microwave until warm 105℉ - 110℉. [It's best to use a kitchen thermometer if you have one.] Add the warm milk, yeast and the white sugar to the mixer bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the softened butter and the eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until the eggs are incorporated. The butter will not incorporate at this stage, which is normal.
- Add the flour and salt mixture to the mixing bowl in three different stages. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition and then mix on a low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Repeat until all flour has been added.
- After the flour has been incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
- Spray a large bowl (or reuse the mixing bowl) with cooking spray. The dough is sticky and that's normal. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for a total of one hour. After 30 minutes, knead the dough using the stretch and fold method. If you're familiar with this method, do it in the bowl. If this is your first time, take the dough out of the bowl and set on a floured surface. Take ahold of a large piece of dough at the 12 o'clock position, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it back toward the middle of the dough ball. Rotate the ball ⅛ to ¼ of a turn and repeat the stretch out and fold back motions. Keep repeating until you have gone around 2 times and the dough becomes less stretchy. You DO NOT have to do this, BUT it does make the rolls more fluffy and soft. Put the dough back in the bowl to rise for another 30 minutes. So the total first rise time is one hour with the optional stretch and fold after 30 minutes.
Filling
- Spray a 9x13 pan or a ¼ baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- After the dough has risen for 60 minutes, put it on a floured surface and roll it out into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. [If the dough is ever resistant, let it rest for 10 minutes. Don't overwork the dough trying to roll it out. It should roll out easily.]
- Spread ¾ cup of basil pesto over the rolled out dough. Then sprinkle 1 cup of grated gruyere cheese over the basil pesto .
- Because these are mini rolls, the easiest cutting method is using a pizza cutter. Using a pizza cutter, cut 12 vertical strips. Then cut those in half horizontally for a total of 24 pieces. Roll them up individually and add them to the baking pan.
- Cover the mini pesto rolls and allow them to rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Bake uncovered for 22-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown.
Topping
- After removing the rolls from the oven, spread ¼ cup of basil pesto over the warm rolls.
- Top with ½ cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.
- Finished with a small amount of cracked black pepper.
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