Name: Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls
Prep time: 2 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 1 cup / 235 ml warm water; 1/3 cup / 80 ml canola oil; 3 tbsp yeast; 1/4 cup / 50 g sugar; 1 beaten egg; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 3 1/2 cups / 435 g unbleached all purpose flour; 1 Tablespoon chopped, cooked & drained bacon; 1 tablespoon grated cheese; 1 Teaspoon grated cheese per roll; 1 tablespoon milk

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls are delicious when eaten fresh from the oven and the cheese is melting! Freezer friendly and great for parties, picnics, lunchboxes

Bacon & Cheese Soft Rolls - Super delicious when eaten fresh from the oven when the cheese is melting!

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls. This recipe came about from when I made Simone's Soft Bread Rolls. Those rolls were so soft and delicious I thought about adding a filling and seeing if it would work.....and yes! I created a lovely soft bread roll, sticking with Simone's original recipe, and adding the extra filling and some photos to show you how easy it is to make.

These bacon and cheese soft rolls are freezer friendly. That means you can easily make a batch, freeze ahead for say parties, picnics, lunch boxes and just get out what you need. You can eat them defrosted at room temperature or reheat in the oven so the cheese is all melty again!

The fluffiness of these savory bread rolls, is really delicious! In this recipe, I have used cheddar cheese and bacon for the filling, but you can use mozzarella cheese inside with a sprinkle of herbs. The possibilities are endless!

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I also made a sweet version, with a custard filling. Oh my goodness! That is also very delicious! Check out our Vanilla custard filled soft rolls

I have used a dough mixer to make these rolls, but if you don't have one, please don't worry! You can make these by hand. At the end of this recipe you can see a link to go to the mini video tutorial for How To Knead, Rise and Shape Dough By Hand. It's easy to follow and fun to watch!

Table of Contents 📋 hide

7) Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls

8) Delicious Bread Recipes

Prep Time

2 ½ hr (includes rising time)

Cook Time

20 - 30 minutes

Yield

18 - 20 Rolls

Ingredients

The Bread

1 cup or 235 ml warm water
⅓ cup or 80 ml canola oil
3 tbsp yeast
¼ cup or 50 g sugar
1 beaten egg
½ tsp kosher salt
3 ½ cups or 435 g unbleached all-purpose flour

The filling (per roll)

1 Tablespoon chopped, cooked & drained bacon
1 tablespoon grated cheese

The Topping

1 Teaspoon grated cheese per roll
1 tablespoon milk

- I have given the filling & topping measures PER ROLL in case you want to make a variety of fillings etc, so you can judge better.

- You will need extra flour for your work top & hands when you come to handle the dough.

Instructions

1. First we get the bread ready: Combine first 4 ingredients in the bowl of the mixer and wait 20 minutes. The mixture will become foamy.

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, preparing yeast mixture

2. Then, using the hook attachment for the mixer add the remaining ingredients.

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, preparing dough

Knead for 10 - 15 minutes

3. Allow to rise in the bowl, covered with a cloth, in a draft-free place. About 30 - 45 minutes

Do not place on oven top, just leave the bowl on your kitchen work top

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, prove dough — Look how it has risen!

4. Whilst rising, make up the filling (fry off bacon & drain & grate cheese) and allow to cool.

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, prepare filiing

5. Once it has doubled, flour your hands very well and also the work top, and pull off pieces of the dough, slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

Don't be frightened to add some flour if your dough is very sticky. It will be fine.

Place your piece of dough on the worktop and flatten as in the picture.

Add a heaped teaspoon of filling in the center.

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, add filiing — STEP 5 The filling

Pull the dough from the sides to enclose the filling and squash the edges together so they are sealed, and reshape if necessary into a roll shape. Turn upside down (so the seal is on the bottom of the tray).

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, shape rolls — STEP 5 Squash together the sides to enclose the filling

When you come to make balls with the dough, have a bowl of flour close by to dust your hands making it easier to handle. Be generous and make sure your hands are well dusted!

6. Place the rolls apart from each other on a floured tin / tray. Allow to rise again on the cookie sheet, until the dough balls are touching (like in the picture). Rising will take about 30 - 45 minutes

Bacon &andCheese Soft Rolls, second rise — STEP 6 Place apart and allow to rise

7. Carefully brush the tops of the rolls with milk and sprinkle some cheese over them

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls, ready for the oven

8. Bake at 400 F / 200C / Gas 6 for 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).
Eat warm or cold. I love them when they are still warm!

We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Below shows a photo of a variety of burgers I made using these rolls, from fried egg, tomato and mushroom, burger, tomato and mushroom, and arugula. All were very delicious! You can eat these rolls as they are, or cut in half and add a burger too!

The one below doesn't have any cheese because I have someone in the family who doesn't like cheese so I made a couple without, and just added the bacon in the filling before baking the rolls!

If you would like to learn how to Knead, Rise and Shape Dough by hand I have a short video tutorial that will help you with the technique. It's fun to watch!

Recipe Card

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Bacon and Cheese Soft Rolls are delicious when eaten fresh from the oven and the cheese is melting! Freezer friendly and great for parties, picnics, lunchboxes.

Ingredients

The Bread

1 cup / 235 ml warm water
⅓ cup / 80 ml canola oil
3 tbsp yeast
¼ cup / 50 g sugar
1 beaten egg
½ tsp kosher salt
3 ½ cups / 435 g unbleached all purpose flour

The filling (per roll)

1 Tablespoon chopped, cooked & drained bacon
1 tablespoon grated cheese

The Topping

1 Teaspoon grated cheese per roll
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

First we get the bread ready: Combine first 4 ingredients in the bowl of the mixer and wait 20 minutes. The mixture will become foamy.
Then, using the hook attachment for the mixer add the remaining ingredients. Knead for 10 - 15 minutes
Allow to rise in the bowl, covered with a cloth, in a draft-free place. (Do not place on oven top, just leave the bowl on your kitchen work top). About 30 - 45 minutes
Whilst rising, make up the filling (fry off bacon & drain & grate cheese) and allow to cool.
Once it has doubled, flour your hands very well and also the work top, and pull off pieces of the dough, slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Don't be frightened to add some flour if your dough is very sticky. It will be fine. Place your piece of dough on the work top and flatten as in the picture. Add a heaped teaspoon of filling in the center. Pull the dough from the sides to enclose the filling and squash the edges together so they are sealed, and reshape if necessary into a roll shape. Turn upside down (so the seal is on the bottom of the tray).

When you come to make balls with the dough, have a bowl of flour close by to dust your hands making it easier to handle. Be generous and make sure your hands are well dusted!

Place the rolls apart from each other on a floured tin / tray. Allow to rise again on the cookie sheet, until the dough balls are touching (like in the picture). Rising will take about 30 - 45 minutes
Carefully brush the tops of the rolls with milk and sprinkle some cheese over them
Bake at 400 F / 200C / Gas 6 for 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).
Eat warm or cold. I love them when they are still warm!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate

Delicious Bread Recipes

Here's a selection of delicious bread recipes you can make at home.

Share your thoughts

13 thoughts shared

Wes SYDNEY TOWN!!
says:
June 21st, 2020 at 4:38 am

Hi. I made these today. Easy steps etc. i weighed each one at abt 55gms which gave me 15. Perfect 5×3 on a cookie sheet. I also put a bit of rosemary and garlic oil on the base sheet and then laid the rolls out on that. Perfect??

Irena
says:
August 22nd, 2018 at 7:12 am

I’d like to try this recipe. Do you use fresh or dry yeast? Thanks

1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  August 22nd, 2018 at 7:57 am
  
  Hi Irena, I use dry yeast. Please enjoy!
  
  1. Jean
    says:
    February 2nd, 2021 at 1:11 am
    
    Can you make the rolls on a bread machine?
charmaine
says:
March 14th, 2018 at 9:34 pm

The best fluffy light bread rolls ever.I used 3 tspns of Yeast the recipe says 3 tablespoons I was wondering if its a mistake or not although I used 3 tspns it was fluufy and light and soft.Please let me know if its 3 tablespoons. It was yummy with a fish filling. Thanks

1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  March 15th, 2018 at 6:44 am
  
  Hi Charmaine, glad you enjoyed the recipe and the fish filling sounds lovely!
  It is indeed 3 tablespoons. It seems a lot but it really does make them beyond fluffy!!
  
  1. charmaine
    says:
    March 15th, 2018 at 9:04 pm
    
    Thanks a lot the best soft rolls with great instructions and I shared it with my friend and she had a good result and was happy with it.
    
    Thank you once again
  2. Nana-Marie Thomas
    says:
    December 15th, 2020 at 5:47 pm
    
    I adore your recipe sweetie I have a bread machine and am always looking to please my senses with new ideas. I google and find such joy with women who share homestyle living ideas I was wondering about the 3 tablespoons of yeast and thought it must be a mistake. But then I read the comments and see you are just like me, the more yeast the better!!! But I was too afraid to use more yeast (or think outside of a baking recipe much) and am happy to see you really do use 3 tablespoons and you are so right!!! EXTRA EXTRA YEAST, READ ALL ABOUT IT! Merry Christmas everyone, happiness matters!
Charlie
says:
April 15th, 2016 at 8:26 pm

These look delicious!
I see you used thick cut bacon.

Can these be frozen before they are baked, then taken out to thaw? How long would you give to thaw?

1. Lovefoodies
  says:
  April 21st, 2016 at 6:31 am
  
  Hi Charlie, yes, these can be frozen, I suggest defrosting at room temperature for a few hours or more, depending on what temperature your house is. Obviously if you live in a warm area then it won’t take as long. Hope that helps!
  
  1. table2804
    says:
    March 4th, 2017 at 9:06 pm
    
    To freeze before baking, do I shaped the dough with filling and let rise before putting into the freezer?
    Do I need to wrap each bun separately for purpose of freezing?
    Many thanks
  2. Lovefoodies
    says:
    March 4th, 2017 at 10:52 pm
    
    Hi there, I would suggest you cook them and then freeze. Simply warm up in the oven when you want to serve. These rolls are really light and fluffy so I would worry you loose the air if freezing before baking. Hope that helps!
  3. Jean
    says:
    February 2nd, 2021 at 2:50 am
    
    Can you ise bread flour instead?