Hot Honey & Cheddar Dinner Rolls
Soft & fluffy dinner rolls, flavoured with mature cheddar cheese & glazed with hot honey butter! These rolls are packed full of flavour & are perfect for sharing.
This post contains affiliate links.
We’ve taken the humble dinner roll, flavoured them with mature cheddar cheese & glazed them with a simple hot honey butter! They’re soft, fluffy, sweet, spicy & cheesy! You can’t really go wrong with that. And there’s a tangzhong in the dough which makes them even softer & fluffier.
This batch of cheesy dinner rolls uses the same dough as my tangzhong dinner rolls, which guarantees that they’ll have the fluffiest texture possible! There’s plenty of grated cheddar in & on top of the dough & the baked rolls are brushed with a glaze that’s simply made by mixing melted butter with hot honey. They’re super easy to make & are a fantastic side dish, appetizer, snack or choice of bread for sliders.
For more bread recipes, check out our ever growing collection of baking recipes! There’s a whole load of buns, rolls & loaves to make, as well as cakes, cookies, brownies & more…
What Is A Tangzhong?
A tangzhong is a technique that originates from Asia, where a small amount of the flour & liquid in bread dough is pre cooked in a saucepan to make a thick paste (like a roux). This paste is then cooled down & added in to the dough along with the remaining flour & water.
Making dough with a tangzhong, makes bread that is soft, fluffy & tender. Another benefit is that tangzhong breads have a longer shelf lives than other types & will stay soft for several days.
I’ve found that using 5% of the flour from the dough is best when making a tangzhong. I then use 1 part flour to 4 parts liquid (50/50 milk & water).
What You’ll Need
I recently became a brand ambassador for JD’s hot honey so I used their original hot honey for these dinner rolls. This also means that I’ve got a code to share that will get you 10% off an order on their website. Simply use code SALTBUTTERSMOKE10 at checkout (click here to read more about affiliate links).
- Hot Honey – I used JD’s jalapeño infused hot honey but feel free to use regular honey if you’re not a fan of spice.
- Cheddar – A good quality mature cheddar works best for these dough balls. However other hard cheese like Gruyere, Comte or Monterey Jack will work as well. We’re adding grated cheese into the dough & sprinkling it on top before baking.
- Flour – You’ll need a strong white bread flour for this dough. Make sure to use a bread flour with a protein content between 13-15%. I used a Canadian bread flour from Shipton Mill.
- Yeast – We’re using fast action/instant yeast for this dough. Dried active yeast can also be used but will need activating in warm liquid first. Keep in mind that using dried active yeast will make your dough prove slightly slower.
- Salt – Using a good quality sea salt is key when making bread. I use Maldon salt.
- Sugar – Adding caster sugar to bread dough adds a touch of sweetness, gives our bread a softer texture & helps it colour more deeply once baked.
- Milk Powder – Adding skimmed milk powder to the dough is optional but helps keep the bread soft & gives it a deeper golden colour once baked. I used skimmed milk powder but whole will work as well.
- Eggs – You’ll need a large egg for the bread dough & for an egg wash. A large egg should weigh around 55 grams out of the shell.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter when baking as it allows us control over how much salt we add in (different brands of salted butter contain different amounts of salt!). You’ll need butter for the bread dough & for the hot honey butter glaze.
- Milk – I’d recommend using whole milk in your dough for the softest texture. Semi skimmed milk will also work though.
- Water – We’re using a mix of milk & water for this bread dough, for the perfect balance between texture, flavour & colour.
How To Make Cheddar Dinner Rolls
This batch of dinner rolls is made the same way as my tangzhong dinner rolls but with the addition of grated cheddar. Both in the dough & sprinkled on top before baking. It’s a really easy dough to make and the shaping & baking is super simple as well.
- Tangzhong
To make a tangzhong, we place flour, water & milk into a small saucepan, whisk to combine then set over a low heat. We then cook this, stirring frequently until a thick paste forms. This will only take a minute or two. Once cooked, we transfer the tangzhong to a bowl & let it cool to room temperature. - Mixing The Dough
We’re using a stand mixer to mix this dough. So we add flour, sugar, salt, yeast, an egg, milk, water & the cooled down tangzhong into the mixer’s bowl then mix on a medium speed with the dough hook until smooth & starting to come away from the sides of the bowl. Then we gradually mix in softened butter then continue mixing until the dough has passed the windowpane test. This will take 5-10 minutes of mixing once the butter has been added in. - 1st Rise
Once the dough is mixed, we let it prove at room temperature until it has doubled in size. This will take 45 minutes – 1½ hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. - Knocking Back
Once risen, we knock the dough back, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface then divide into 17 equal pieces, each weighing around 50 grams. - Shaping
Next, we need to shape each piece of dough into a tight ball then place them into a greased 9″ circular baking tin (line the base!). The dough balls should be spaced slightly apart so that they have room to rise. They should be just touching once proved. - 2nd Rise
Once shaped, we let the dough rise for a second time, until they’ve increased in size by around 50% & are all touching. This will take around 45 minutes – 1 hour. - Baking
Once risen, we brush each bun with egg wash then bake at 180°c/356°f for 20-25 minutes, until they are well risen & a deep, golden brown colour on top. Then as soon as the rolls are baked, we brush them with a generous amount of hot honey butter then finish with a pinch of salt.
How To Shape Dinner Rolls
Shaping dough into rolls is surprisingly easy & this technique can be used to shape dinner rolls, burger buns & more! Before shaping, make sure to knock your dough back & lightly flour your work surface to stop it from sticking.
Here’s how to shape dinner rolls…
- Using a dough scraper, cut your dough into equally sized pieces (a set of scales comes in handy here!).
- Take a piece of dough then stretch & pull the edges into the middle.
- Flip the dough over then use cupped hands to shape into a tight ball. Use an un floured section of work surface to do this. Dragging the seam on the work surface helps increase surface tension.
- Place your shaped dough into a lined baking tin then repeat with the remaining dough.
Hot Honey Butter
When I make regular dinner rolls, I always brush them with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven which gives them a fantastic, glossy finish. These aren’t regular dinner rolls though, they’re cheesy dinner rolls! And what goes really well with cheesy bread? Hot honey.
So for this batch of rolls, we’re glazing them with a really simple hot honey butter. It’s literally just melted butter mixed with hot honey! Then there’s a pinch of sea salt on top of the dinner rolls as well, which brings everything together nicely. If you’re not a fan of spice, you can swap the hot honey out for the regular stuff.
Serving Suggestions
There’s not much better than a freshly baked dinner roll that’s still warm from the oven! I tend to serve mine on their own with some butter but these hot honey cheddar dinner rolls would be good with soup or they could be used to make sliders with.
Tips & Tricks
- Add a tangzhong into your bread dough, to give your dinner rolls a softer, fluffier texture!
- Use a digital food probe to take the temperature of the liquid in the dough. I recommend using a Thermapen!
- Make sure to use softened butter in the dough, so that it incorporates properly.
- Use the windowpane test to assess the gluten development in your dough as you knead it.
- For optimum gluten development, use a strong bread flour with a protein content between 13-15%.
- Brush your dinner rolls with hot honey butter as soon as they come out of the oven, to give them a glossy finish & a sweet and spicy flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best results & to make mixing the dough as easy as possible you will need to use a stand mixer to make dinner rolls. Using a stand mixer also ensures that we get proper gluten development in the dough.
Cheddar dinner rolls will keep for up to 3 days. As these dinner rolls contain cheese, I would recommend storing them in the fridge, in an airtight container. To serve, I like to reheat dinner rolls in the microwave but you could bake them at 160°c/320°f until warm.
To make the softest & fluffiest dinner rolls, you’ll need to add a tangzhong into the dough! This is a Japanese technique where a small portion of the flour & liquid in bread dough is cooked on the stove, into a thick paste (like a roux). Once cool, the tangzhong is added into the flour then the dough is mixed like usual.
To bake dinner rolls in an Aga, use the simmering plate to make the tangzhong. Bake the rolls in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
The windowpane test is a way to check gluten development in bread dough. To perform the windowpane test, stretch a small amount of dough between your fingers. If the dough stretches thin enough to see through (like a windowpane) it’s ready. If the dough tears, it needs more kneading.
More Bread Recipes To Try!
- Baked Camembert Dough Ball Wreath
- Scottish Morning Rolls
- Tangzhong Dinner Rolls
- 100% Biga Potato Pizza Dough
- Same Day Focaccia
- Overnight Tangzhong Doughnuts
If you have enjoyed this recipe for hot honey dinner rolls, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating. And if you’d like to stay up to date with future recipes, follow us on Instagram & TikTok or subscribe to our newsletter!
Hot Honey & Cheddar Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 9" Circular Baking Tin
- Digital Food Probe
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 20 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 40 g Whole Milk
- 40 g Water
Dough
- 410 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 25 g Caster Sugar
- 8 g Fine Sea Salt
- 7 g Instant Yeast
- 1 tsp Skimmed Milk Powder (Optional – See Notes)
- 1 Large Egg
- 115 g Whole Milk
- 60 g Water
- 50 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 100 g Cheddar (Grated)
Egg Wash & Topping
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Cold Water
- 30 g Grated Cheddar (Optional)
Hot Honey
- 30 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Hot Honey (See Notes)
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Place the flour, milk & water into a small saucepan & whisk to combine. Cook over a low heat until you have a thick paste, stirring constantly with a spatula. Transfer to a bowl & leave to cool to room temperature.The tangzhong will take around 20 minutes to cool.
Dough
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk powder, egg & cooled down tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the milk & water into a jug, warm in a microwave to 38°c/100°f then pour into the flour.You can also do this in a pan, over a low heat.
- Using the dough hook, mix the dough on a medium speed until smooth & starting to come away from the sides of the bowl. This will take around 5 minutes.
- With the mixer still running, add in the butter a small amount at a time, incorporating each piece fully before adding more. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, keep mixing until the dough passes the window pane test. This will take another 5-10 minutes.
- Once the dough is ready, add in the grated cheddar then mix on a low speed until incorporated. This will only take a minute or so.
- Cover the bowl with a towel (or a piece of clingfilm) then leave to prove at room temperature until doubled in size. This will take 45 minutes – 1½ hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Shaping
- Whilst your dough is proving, grease a 9" circular baking tin with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Once the dough has risen, knock it back then transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 17 equal pieces, each weighing around 50 grams.
- To shape, take a piece of dough & bring the edges into the middle. Flip the dough over & use cupped hands to shape into a tight ball. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.Dragging the seam on the work surface helps increase surface tension.
- Next, place the balls of dough into the greased tin. Place one dough ball in the middle of the tin then 5 around it then the remaining 11 dough balls around the outside. There should be a small gap between each piece of dough (around 5mm).
- Cover the tin with clingfilm (or a tea towel) then leave to rise at room temperature until the dough has risen by roughly 50% & the dough balls are all touching each other. This will roughly take 45 minutes – 1 hour.
Baking
- Whilst your dough is proving, preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- To make the egg wash, add the egg & water into a bowl then whisk to combine.
- Once the rolls have risen, brush the tops with egg wash, sprinkle over the grated cheese (if using) then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until risen & a deep, golden brown on top.
Hot Honey Butter
- Whilst your rolls are baking, make the hot honey butter. To do this, place the butter into a bowl, microwave to melt then stir in the hot honey.Alternatively, melt the butter in a pan on the stove.
- As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush the top with the hot honey butter. Sprinkle the rolls with sea salt then leave to cool slightly before serving.
