Sourdough Cheese Rolls

Try these with my creamy spinach soup recipe! No sourdough starter or you started the recipe too late? See the yeast version below too...

Author: Lorraine via Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sourdough starter-- Learn more about sourdough here and making your own starter.
¾ cup cold filtered water
3-4 cups whole wheat flour and/or bread flour
1/4 cup melted butter, lard, coconut oil or olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated cheese-- cheddar, jack, gruyere, Gouda…
2 teaspoons herbs-- oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil…the choice is yours

Instructions

Mix first two ingredients in a large bowl, gradually adding the flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Get your hands covered in flour and start kneading for about 5 to 7 min adding flour as needed. Then put olive oil or melted fat on your hands and knead the dough for another 4 to 5 min. Adding the oil/fat as you knead. Form into a ball and brush with melted butter. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a buttered bowl overnight or at least 7 hours on your kitchen counter. The best temperature is between 60 to 70 degrees F. (15 to 21 degrees C.)
After rising time, punch down and add 2 teaspoons Celtic
sea salt and knead for about 2 min. until salt is all mixed in. Place on a floured surface and roll out to form an 11”x13’ rectangle.
Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten egg, leaving the top edge bare. Sprinkle on the cheese and herbs. Roll the dough up into a log.
Cut into 3 inch pieces and place on a cookie tray that is lined with parchment paper or greased.
Let rise in a warm place till double in size (about 1 ½ – 3 hours) I put mine in a warmed oven (about 80 degrees F.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and right after you put rolls in oven drop temperature to 350 degrees F and bake rolls for 20 to 30 min or longer until golden brown.

Notes

Lorraine kneads her bread by hand, but I use my beloved Bosch!

AMOUNTS FOR THE YEAST VERSION:

2.5 tsp. yeast
1.5 cup warm water
1.5 cup shredded cheese of choice, divided
1/4 cup melted butter, divided (+ more to brush on after baking and to add when serving)
Herbs of choice
1 egg
2 tsp. sea salt
4.5 cup bread flour

Mix yeast, warm water, 1 cup cheese, 1/8 cup melted butter, herbs, egg, and sea salt. Add flour and mix/knead until a nice ball, it may be sticky. Let rise in a covered bowl until doubled.

Roll out, spread the other 1/8 cup butter on the dough and the other 1/2 cup of cheese. Roll up the long way and cut into 1/2" pieces. Lay them on a buttered cookie sheet with some space between. Let rise until doubled again.

Bake as directed above. Brush on more butter and serve while warm with more butter, of course!