These Caramelised Onion & Red Fox Cheese Rolls are the perfect savoury sister to Cinnamon Rolls. I’ve used a stunning homemade garlic and herb butter, a layer of caramelised shallots and then used one of my all-time favourite cheeses, Red Fox from Belton Farm. Red Fox is like a crumbly, crunchy and subtly string Red Leicester Cheese. I’ve loved it for ages so when the lovely humans from Belton Farm sent me some as a PR Sample I knew I’d be one very happy chappy.
For the rolls
- 300ml whole milk
- 75g unsalted butter
- 1 large free-range egg – beaten
- 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 7g (1 teaspoon or 1 packet) fast-action dried yeast
- 200g red fox cheese – grated
the garlic butter
- 150g unsalted butter, very soft or at room temperature
- 6 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme – chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary – chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives – chopped
for the caramelised shallots
- olive oil & butter
- roughly 15 shallots – chopped
the glaze
- melted butter
Method:
Start with the dough – put the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl and set aside. Put the milk, honey and butter into a small saucepan and cook over a low-medium heat until all the butter has melted. Set aside until just lukewarm.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, then pour in the milk mixture and add the egg. Mix with your hands to form a rough, soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic. (I did this in my stand mixer, using the dough hook on low speed for 10 minutes.) then put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave it to rise for about 1-1½ hours or until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile make the garlic butter filling by gently sautéing the ingredients in a pan with a little olive oil and butter. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
Next, caramelise the shallots. In a pan, add some olive oil and butter and turn up to a medium heat. Add the shallots and saute gently for at least 30 mins or until they begin to turn golden in place. Stir regularly to avoid burning. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Once the dough is risen, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a 40cm x 50cm rectangle. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the garlic butter in an even layer across the entire surface of the dough, then spread the caramelised onion over the garlic butter. Top with a sprinkling of grated red fox cheese and gently press with your hand to secure in place.
Roll up the dough into a cylinder along the long edge, keeping the spiral tight. Using a sharp knife, cut into 6 fat slices.
Grease and line a baking tin roughly 20cm x 3cm and arrange the buns snugly in the base. Cover the tin with cling film, set aside and allow the buns to prove for 30 minutes until risen and puffy.
While the buns are proving, heat the oven to 180°C. Once proved, bake the buns for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. While the buns are baking, melt a little butter in the microwave.
Remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush with the butter, then sprinkle over some freshly chopped chives.
For more bread recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.
Eat and of course, enjoy!
