Cheese and Onion Bread Rolls

Homemade bread rolls are one of life’s simple pleasures, and these cheese and onion versions take them to another level entirely. The onion is cooked slowly until sweet and golden, then folded through the dough with generous handfuls of mature cheddar. When they come out of the oven, the cheese on top goes all crispy and bubbly — it’s extremely hard not to eat them straight from the tray.

I often make a batch on a Sunday and we eat them through the week with soup or just on their own with butter.

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 300ml warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 15g butter
• 150g mature cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• Black pepper

Method

1. Cook the diced onion in the butter over a low heat for 15–20 minutes until soft, sweet, and lightly golden. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix to a rough dough, then turn out and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Flatten the dough slightly and scatter over the cooled onion, two-thirds of the cheese, the mustard powder, and a good grinding of black pepper. Fold and knead briefly to distribute everything evenly.
4. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and leave to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
5. Knock back the dough and divide into 10 equal pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball and place on a lined baking tray, leaving space between them.
6. Cover loosely and leave to prove for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the rolls. Bake for 18–20 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base.
8. Cool on a wire rack — if you can bear to wait.

These rolls freeze brilliantly. Let them cool completely, then freeze in a bag for up to three months. Reheat from frozen in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes and they’ll taste almost as good as fresh.