Cheese scones and Italiano rolls

The only thing possibly better than homemade bread fresh from the oven with butter on it? Homemade bread products with cheese built in.

These recipes run the gamut from the super fast, to the really pretty reasonably fast, to one suggestion with a serious time commitment. But they are all so very tasty you'll wonder where they've been all your life.



Cheddar-Parmesan scones

Adapted from “Simply Scones” by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright, my go-to source for scone recipes sweet or savory. Now that we're working from home, you can whip these up in the time it takes for your spouse's noon hour run.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Generous dash of cayenne pepper

1½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

⅓ cup milk

2 eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Mix in cheeses. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix milk with eggs and stir into flour-butter mixture, just until combined.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board shape into a circle about 8 inches around. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out mostly clean.

Rating: Delightful. Nice texture, moist but not at all dense. Excellent carrier for a number of cheese options.

Pan rolls Italiano

Adapted from the Red Star “Centennial Bread Sampler.” This recipe was called One Hour Pan Rolls Italiano, but I’ve never made it in that little time, and I’ve always had better results if I at least doubled the rising time compared to the original recipe. But it’s still a pretty fast fix as yeast rolls go, and a huge return on flavor vs. time investment.

Ingredients

1 cup milk

½ cup water

4 tablespoons butter, divided

3½ to 4½ cups flour

2 packages dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon garlic powder)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Method

Preheat oven on lowest setting for 1 minute and then turn it off while you prepare the dough.

In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and 2 tablespoons butter until it reaches 120 to 130 degrees. Butter does not need to melt, and keep a close eye on it since otherwise you’re going to have to waste time letting it cool down. Grease a large bowl for rising the bread.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cup flour, yeast, sugar, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. When liquids are warmed, add to flour mixture along with egg. Mix on low speed until moistened, then at medium speed for 3 minutes. By hand, stir in ½ cup cheese and enough flour to make a firm dough. Avoid adding more flour than needed, reserving ½ cup in case you need it for kneading.

Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes or so. This is where that last ½ cup flour may come in to play.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in the still warm oven for at least 15 minutes, and preferably 30. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Set remaining ¼ cup Parmesan into a small bowl. Grease a 13-by-9 pan.

Punch down dough. Divide dough into fourths, and then each fourth into 4 parts. (The recipe makes 16.) Shape each ball of dough into smooth ball. Dip top of rolls in melted butter and then into Parmesan. Place rolls into prepared pan. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 and bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. 

Rating: These are so freaking good it's amazing.I've been making these for years and never tire of them. 

 
Savory cinnamon rolls
Also worth trying in the savory bread department: Savory "cinnamon" rolls. I tried this one from the Candid Appetite. This is one for when you've got plenty of time. I found I needed to allow far more rising time than the recipe suggested, although if you have a proofing box it could speed things up. I need to work on perfecting it before posting about it, but it's a really great idea:
https://www.thecandidappetite.com/garlic-bread-cinnamon-rolls/