Pesto Mozzarella Rolls
Cuisine: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 9-10 rolls
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp. salt, divided
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour + more for kneading
  • Flavorless oil (such as canola or vegetable), for bowl for rising
  • 4 tbsp. melted and cooled butter
  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • ¼ cup almonds
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • ⅓ cup - ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to allow yeast to bloom. Add melted butter to yeast mixture.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tsp. salt and flour. Add flour mixture to stand mixer and knead dough with dough hook attachment.*
  3. Add more flour as kneaded, dough will be slightly sticky.
  4. Place dough in an oiled bowl, flipping once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Set bowl in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour until doubled in size.
  5. While the dough is rising, make the pesto. Combine basil, almonds, garlic, ⅓ cup olive oil, parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper in a food processor. You can add additional olive oil as necessary, but you want this pesto to be thicker to spread on the dough.
  6. After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and remove from bowl. You will now roll out the dough; I find it's easier to roll onto a large sheet of parchment paper, but you can certainly use a floured surface. Roll dough into a large rectangle about ½ inch in thickness. If you plan to use this for an appetizer, you can roll the dough more thinly, but use caution as it will be more difficult to roll.
  7. Spread dough evenly with pesto and top with mozzarella cheese. Roll dough tightly and slice into rolls, about 9-10 rolls for larger rolls as shown in the picture. If you'd like smaller rolls an appetizer, slice more thinly.
  8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  9. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the rolls in pan and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes until the rolls fill the plan. If you are making appetizer size rolls, use a 9 x 13 baking dish.
  10. Bake rolls for 30-35 minutes until rolls are golden brown.
  11. Serve warm.
Notes
* If you don't have a stand mixer, mix the yeast, milk, and sugar in a large bowl and mix in flour mixture with a spoon. Using your hands, knead the dough on a floured surface.
Recipe by For the Love of Gourmet at https://fortheloveofgourmet.com/pesto-mozzarella-rolls/