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Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns. Is there anything better?! These rolls are easy, doughy, swirled with cheddar cheese, basil pesto, fresh herbs, and a little everything bagel spice too. Serve at your next family gathering as an easy brunch, appetizer, or even as a side dish. Everyone will love these fun (cheesy) and pretty swirl bunsโฆperfect, springy and DELICIOUS!
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There are three things I seem to be really into right now โ fresh herbs, everything bagel spice, and recipes geared towards Easter entertaining. Iโm sure youโve all noticed my major obsession with herbs. Honestly, itโs been going on since about this time last year. I havenโt gotten even the least bit tired of creating new recipes with fresh herbs. They add so much flavor and color to even the simplest of recipes.
The everything bagel spice? Well, I seem to get hooked on this spice blend every time the spring and summer months roll around.
And Easter recipes? Well, thatโs simply because Easter is fast approaching, and Iโm really excited about it this year. Why? Because I love when Easter is late into April. When Easter falls in March Iโm never that excited about it. March is a cold and dreary month meant for St. Patrickโs Day, not Easter, you know? Easter is all about longer, warmer days, with blooming flowers, asparagus quiche, and lots of sweet spring desserts. Probably making no sense at all, but in my head it doesโฆ
Anyway, these swirl buns have a funny story. I mean, kind of. Nothing that comes out of my mouth is ever very โfunnyโ. I just donโt seem to have that funny bone in my body.
Moving on.
Hereโs how these buns came to be. Every night I set aside a good chunk of time to go through ALL of my Instagram messages, look through the photos of recipes everyoneโs made, and do my very best to respond to you all. Itโs honestly one of my favorite things to do, Iโm always so bummed if I have to miss a night.
One night a couple of weeks ago, someone had tagged me in their story, showing me a cheddar swirl roll theyโd made, and informing me how much they loved my recipe. At first, I thought how good the rolls looked, and that I was so happy they had enjoyed the recipe! A few hours later though, my thoughts rolled back to that photo. I thought to myself, wait, what recipe was that? So I searched the site, and unfortunately confirmed my uneaseโฆI didnโt have a cheddar swirl bun recipe.
I have so many recipes here on HBH (2067 to be exact), sometimes I can forget that Iโve made something. However, I now know for sure that I have not made a cheddar swirl bun. My thought is that this very kind reader just got me confused with someone else. BUT, I am so thankful, because once I realized that I had zero cheddar swirls roll recipes, I knew I needed to make one.
And as soon as possible, because how perfect will these be as an Easter brunch bun or appetizer? Yum.
I like to use my favorite, super simple bread dough recipe as the base for the rolls. Itโs literally just milk, flour, eggs, and butter. Simple, but itโs a great, extra soft and doughy base.
The filling is really what we need to talk about though, itโs so flavorful.
For one, thereโs basil pesto. Yes, I might use basil pesto in one too many recipes but I find it really adds so much.
Two, thereโs cheddar cheese. Now, I have not once met a person who does not love cheddar. Itโs easily one of the more likable cheeses, and it pairs especially well withโฆ.
Everything bagel spiceโฆoh how I love this flavor combo! Itโs a mix of sesame seeds, onion, and herbs, and if you love the classic everything bagel, then youโll love this spice.
Spread the pesto all over the base of the dough. Then add the cheese, everything spice, and a pinch of fresh thyme. Next step is to roll up the deliciousness, just as you would a cinnamon roll, then slice into buns, and let rise.
At this point, you can either keep the buns in the fridge overnight and bake them off in the morning. OR you can simply bake them right away. Either option is great.
As soon as the swirl buns come out of the oven, serve them! These are definitely a roll thatโs best to eat warm. Theyโll be soft cheesy, and smelling beyond good.
You must make these buns! Sorry, best line I can come up with at the moment. My brain is a little all over the place, but itโs still true! You need a cheesy, herby swirl bun in your life this spring. Maybe as a mid-week treat, or for Easter dinner, a Motherโs Day brunch โ whatever.
Just make them and enjoy!
If you make these cheddar swirl buns, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns.
Ingredientsย
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 ยฝ โ 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast, (see notes for no yeast option)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel spice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
Instructionsย
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, honey, eggs, butter, 3 ยฝ cups flour, yeast and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ยฝ cup of flour.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 3.ย Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the cheddar, thyme, everything bagel spice, and crushed red pepper flakes.ย 4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.ย Line a 9ร13 inch baking dish with parchment.ย 5. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread the pesto evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the cheddar mix evenly over the pesto, lightly pushing it into the pesto. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20-30 minutes. Alternately, you can let the rolls sit in the fridge overnight.6. Bake the rolls for 20-25ย minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
very easy to follow and comes out delicious!!
Hey Maya,
Perfect! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it was a winner!
Can the dough be made in a bread machine instead of the mixer?
Hey Ann,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!
Dough turned out great in bread machine. I thought they were too salty so I would delete adding that since the everything bagel spice has salt in it. My husband thought they were just ok which means I will not be making them again. On a happier note, I do love looking at all your recipes and trying them.
If I have dry yeast, not instant, usually there is a step to activate the yeast with milk and sugar. Since these are savory rolls and thereโs no sugar, will it activate sufficiently just with the hot milk alone? Should I add just a bit of sugar to activate?
Hi Aven,
You can activate the yeast in the warm milk and honey. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
I agree the metric conversion is wrong thereโs no way 1 cup of milk is enough for nearly 1kg of flour, I halved the amounts and i still had to use more than a full cup of milk and the dough was still too dry, I managed to use the dough but the result was a really tight rise and a bit of a heavy bun not at all as it should have been. They also werenโt very cheesy at all I wouldnโt make them again without revising the amounts.
Hi Sofia,
So sorry about this! Unfortunately, the metric calculator is accounting for more flour than the 3 1/2-4 cups, it is giving you the measurement for all of that. I always recommend that if the metric information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. Itโs not something weโd prefer to be using. We are required to. Iโm sorry for the trouble, we do our best! xT
The flourโs metric conversion is incorrect, so I added almost double the amount of flour and had to scrap the dough ๐
Hi Alexa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry the metric conversion was incorrect, we will look into this! Wishing you all the best! xx
I tried this today and I find it tasty but the dough is a little dry. I feel like it maybe needed butter inside like a cinnamon roll does? Or possibly more overall filling. Iโll definitely try it again though!!
Thanks so much, Amber! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate you making it! You could totally add some butter. Have the best week! XxT
I’m doing a Bake-Along with friends and family to this year’s The Great British Bake Off and used your recipe for the Savory Bun Signature Challenge. Very good, well-written recipe and the buns turned out delicious and really pretty. I loved the spiciness. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hey Janet,
How fun!! Thanks for choosing to make this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great Friday! xT
Absolutely amazing recipe. We don’t have the bagel spice here so I used what I thought would be similar ( checking now I missed the sesame seeds, but added smoked paprika and it was still delicious).
I am soooo happy with how the dough behaved in the fridge overnight – I will be using variations of this dough more often for sure.
Hopefully I will find some more time to check out the rest of your site. If your other recipes are half as good – it will be a very good journey.
Thank you for the inspiration
Hey Astoria,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Can I make the dough in my bread maker? Same measurements?
Thanks. Love your recipes!
Hi Barbara,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Is the 877 calories for all 12 or 1 roll?
I put the recipe into an app and it shows about 290 calories per roll (depending of course on the brand of pesto, specific cheese, etc.)
If you do pop them in the fridge overnight when you remove them the next morning do you need to bring them to room temperature before baking?
Hi Julie,
Yes, I would recommend doing that:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
These sound scrumptious! What would be the best method to make this ahead of time? Should the dough be kept in the fridge until ready to be used?
Thanks!
Thanks so much Arielle! You can pop them in the fridge overnight at the end of step 5:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT