Cheese Rolls for Shavuot

Since Shavuot marks the beginning of the wheat harvest, and it’s customary to eat dairy foods on the holiday, these fantastic cheese rolls are a delicious and fitting way to mark the occasion.

In the days of the Temple, two loaves of wheat bread were given as an offering—the only time of the year when the Temple bread offerings were leavened. Because of this, various holiday-specific loaves evolved as ways to mark Shavuot in different Jewish communities.

From Ukrainian breads topped with five- or seven-rung ladder designs (alluding to Moses’s ascent on Mount Sinai to receive the Torah; five rungs represent the Five Books of Moses while seven represent the number of weeks from Passover to Shavuot as well as the seven spheres of heaven) to round seven-layered Sephardic breads decorated with symbolic shapes known as siete cielos (seven heavens) to special dairy breads—honey and yogurt breads were popular among Greek Jews, while German Jews prepared special cheese challot.

These crispy, savory cheese rolls are admittedly non-traditional, but I think they fit the pattern nicely. They are the perfect combination of crusty bread and crunchy melted cheese; they’re one of my all-time favorite things to bake.

My cheese rolls are slightly adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe, and I was first inspired to make them, many years ago, in an attempt to recreate my favorites from the Cheese Board in Berkeley. Cheese Board’s rendition is made with a sourdough base; since I haven’t (yet) mastered the art of the sourdough starter, this yeast-based recipe suits me just fine.

Cheese Rolls

Makes 8 rolls

STARTER

1 ¼ cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon instant yeast

½ cup cool water

DOUGH

all of the starter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons to 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon salt

3 ½ cups bread flour

½ teaspoon instant yeast

FILLING

2 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese, or the grated/shredded cheese of your choice (cheddar works well)

TO MAKE THE STARTER

Mix the 1 ¼ cups flour, salt, yeast, and ½ cup water in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until well combined; the starter will be stiff, not soft/liquid. Cover and let rest for at least an hour, and preferably overnight, at room temperature (65°F to 75°F is ideal).

TO MAKE THE DOUGH

Combine the risen starter with the water, salt, flour, and yeast. Knead (by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle) to make a smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it’s nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, or a piece of parchment. Pat and stretch it into a ¾”-thick rectangle, about 9″ x 12.” Spritz with water, and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Starting with a long side, roll the dough into a log, pinching the seam and the ends to seal. The cheese will fall out; just try to enclose as much as possible, then pack any errant cheese into the ends before sealing.

Place the log, seam-side down, on a lightly floured or lightly oiled surface (or leave it on the parchment and place the parchment on a baking sheet).

Cover the bread and let it rise until it’s puffy though not doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

Gently cut the log into eight crosswise slices with a serrated knife.

Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cut side up. Spread them open a bit at the top, if necessary, to more fully expose the cheese. Spritz with warm water.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are a deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and cool the bread on the pan. Bread is best served warm.

Store any leftovers, well-wrapped, for a day or so at room temperature or up to 3 days in the refrigerator; freeze for longer storage.

Rolls are best reheated before serving (though they are still good at room temperature); wrap in foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Bread that’s been frozen can be taken right from the freezer, wrapped in foil, and put into a 350°F oven. It’ll be nicely warmed in 30 to 35 minutes.

Sources: Encyclopedia of Jewish Food (Gil Marks, 2010); “Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves,” King Arthur Flour