Is it still cold where you are? Do you still have a few hearty soups on the menu? Perhaps one is in the fridge right now? Looking for easy homemade bread for soup? Perfect, make this red onion cheese rolls with pancetta to go with it. Why? Because the sweet red onion merged with the smoky pancetta, brought together with the mild and creamy cheddar cheese is a thing of perfection! You will first have one, then without a doubt more.
How come?
What brought on the idea like many others, was the fact that I try as hard as I can not to let food go to waste. Though I do admit to failing at it sometimes. However, winter still has us by its grip, and with that comes the need for warming comforting foods.
These red onion cheese rolls are great with soup, if your soup is more on the ‘plain side’- then these cheese and onion rolls will brighten the mood for sure.
I made the dough overnight and finished by adding the red onion, cheddar, and pancetta the next day. Nothing goes to waste in this recipe, and that goes for the fat from the pancetta; as well as the oil used to sauté the onions which we use to flavor and add that extra to the rolls.
Making Red Onion Cheese Rolls With Pancetta
Sauté: Slice the onions into rings and sauté over low heat until soft, then add in the pancetta. If the onions seem to brown or dry out before the pancetta is cooked through, pour in a tablespoon of water. The pancetta should end up crunchy.
When ready, tilt the pan and move the onions and pancetta to one side so that the oil is separated. Using the back end of a wooden cooking spoon, press on them to squeeze out as much oil as you can then put it in a bowl. Reserve the oil.
Preparing the dough will be easier with a scrapper if you’re not using a stand mixer.
Dough: Activate the yeast in warm water. Then add salt to one side of the flour, make a well, and add the activated yeast and reserved oil. Knead on low speed for at least 10 minutes, then increase to high for 5 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test. Lightly oil a clean bowl and tip the dough into it, cover with cling film, and leave to slowly rise overnight in the fridge. I made it at 4 pm and rolled it the next day at 10 am.
Mix & bake: Chop the pancetta and red onion, and roll out the dough into a large circle. Then sprinkle on the cheddar followed by the onion mix and lastly some more cheddar. Gently press the topping onto the dough to help it stick before rolling it into a log and cutting it into 10 equal pieces.
Butter the baking tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Then sprinkle some cheddar cheese on it before arranging in the rolls for their second rise.
Glaze and bake.
Store your freshly baked red onion and cheddar cheese rolls in a ziplock bag to keep them soft.
After day one: Bread naturally starts to lose moisture once cut, so on the second day, it will have a different texture. But what’s great about the red onion cheese rolls is that you can just pop them into the microwave for a few seconds and they will be nice and soft again.
Please give the red onion and cheddar cheese rolls a thumbs up below.
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Some soup to go with the red onion and cheddar cheese rolls?
Healthy sweet potato soup with broccoli stem
Red onion and cheddar cheese rolls with
(+10 rating, 2 votes)
Loading...Cheese and onion rolls made with overnight dough, red onions, smoked pancetta, and mild cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- DOUGH
- 140ml (1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons) water
- 9g (1/2 tablespoon) active dry yeast
- 280g (2 cups plus 3 tablespoons) strong bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 35ml oil (reserve from sautéing)
- FILLING
- 120g (1 medium-sized) red onion
- 60g cubed smoked pancetta
- 150g thickly grated mild cheddar cheese
- 1 small egg (for glazing)
Instructions
FILLING
Slice the onions into rings, take off any excess fat (you can freeze this for other recipes) from the pancetta
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add the onions plus 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Sauté the onions until soft then toss in the pancetta, fry until it is well cooked but not tough or crunchy. If the onions start to brown add a tablespoon of water and continue until the pancetta is cooked through.
Tilt the pan and move the onions and pancetta to one side so that the oil is separated. Using the back end of a wooden cooking spoon, press on the onion and pancetta to squeeze out as much oil as you can then put it in a bowl. Reserve the oil.
Finely chop the onion and pancetta mixture, cover, and store in the fridge.
DOUGH
Stir the yeast into the water and leave to stand for a few minutes to activate.
Add salt to one side of the flour in a stand mixing bowl, make a well and add the activated yeast and reserved oil then knead on low speed for at least 10 minutes, then increase to high for 5 minutes or until the dough passes the windowpane test.
Lightly oil a clean bowl and tip the dough into it, cover with cling film and leave to slowly rise overnight in the fridge.
ROLL AND FILL
Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large circle, evenly sprinkle half of the grated cheddar, and top that with the onion mixture followed by the rest of the cheese (reserve about 3 tablespoons worth).
Gently press on the topping with the palms of your hands to help it stick to the dough. With one hand on each end of the dough, begin to roll it into a log and cut it into 10 even pieces.
Lightly butter a 9-inch round baking tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Sprinkle the leftover cheese on the parchment paper and arrange the rolls inside leaving space between them for expansion.
Cover with cling film and leave to double in size
Preheat the oven to 200°C
When the rolls have risen, lightly glaze them with egg wash (whisk one egg) and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool completely before storing in a ziplock bag to retain moistness
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