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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 buns…perfect, springy and DELICIOUS!
There are three things I seem to be really into right now – fresh herbs, everything bagel spice, and recipes geared towards Easter entertaining. I’m sure you’ve all noticed my major obsession with herbs. Honestly, it’s been going on since about this time last year. I haven’t 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, that’s simply because Easter is fast approaching, and I’m really excited about it this year. Why? Because I love when Easter is late into April. When Easter falls in March I’m never that excited about it. March is a cold and dreary month meant for St. Patrick’s 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 does…
Anyway, these swirl buns have a funny story. I mean, kind of. Nothing that comes out of my mouth is ever very “funny”. I just don’t seem to have that funny bone in my body.
Moving on.
Here’s 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 everyone’s made, and do my very best to respond to you all. It’s honestly one of my favorite things to do, I’m 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 they’d 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 unease…I didn’t have a cheddar swirl bun recipe.
I have so many recipes here on HBH (2067 to be exact), sometimes I can forget that I’ve 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. It’s literally just milk, flour, eggs, and butter. Simple, but it’s a great, extra soft and doughy base.
The filling is really what we need to talk about though, it’s so flavorful.
For one, there’s basil pesto. Yes, I might use basil pesto in one too many recipes but I find it really adds so much.
Two, there’s cheddar cheese. Now, I have not once met a person who does not love cheddar. It’s easily one of the more likable cheeses, and it pairs especially well with….
Everything bagel spice…oh how I love this flavor combo! It’s a mix of sesame seeds, onion, and herbs, and if you love the classic everything bagel, then you’ll 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 that’s best to eat warm. They’ll 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 it’s 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 Mother’s Day brunch – 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, don’t 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.
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 877 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 ½ – 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
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, honey, eggs, butter, 3 ½ 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 ½ 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. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the cheddar, thyme, everything bagel spice, and crushed red pepper flakes. 4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment. 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 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
No Yeast Option: If you do not have access to yeast or simply cannot use, you can omit the yeast and instead use 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda, added with the flour. You can skip the rising and instead just let the dough rest 30 minutes, then roll, rest again another 15-20 minutes, then bake. The rolls will be a little less fluffy, but will be great!
This post was originally published on April 3, 2019
What changes would you suggest for using active dry yeast instead of instant? These looks amazing, I can’t wait to try.
Hi Lisa! Add the yeast to the warm milk with the honey and mix to combine. Let this mix sit 5-10 minutes until the mix is puffy on top and smells like bread. Then follow the recipe as directed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Even better than the bakery! My very favorite flavors together 🙂 thanks for the great recipe!!
Thank you, Charissa! xTieghan
I loved this idea and made them today. They did not turn out well. I used 4 cups of flour and rolled the dough out to 10*16, however I found the layer was a bit too thick, no doubt when they came out of the oven, the first bite did not reach the spiced and tasted plain. Also, the cheese never bubbled…. I used bread machine for the mixing part. Next time will try less flour.
Hi Yang! I am so sorry to hear that! Are there any questions I could help you with? xTieghan
Would you need to alter the recipe at all if you used buttermilk?
Hey Rachel! I worry buttermilk will be a bit too thick for this recipe. I would recommend using 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup water to thin the buttermilk a bit. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Wow
?
Im so excited to try this recipe this week! I have a silly question ? – would I be able to swap the thyme for another herb like rosemary?
Hi there! Yes, of course! I am sure rosemary will be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
AMAZING! Made these for a party tonight and they turned out great. Let rise in the fridge over night so if you do that add about 10 extra min to the baking time but they turned out perfect. Subbed olive oil for pesto. Will be making again
I am so happy to hear that these turned out so well for you Anna! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Great recipe. I think I might use marmite instead of pesto and make them into cheese and marmite pinwheels, which I normally make with pastry , but using dough will be a change 🙂
Thank you Amy! xTieghan
These buns are everything! Love the cheesy swirls!
Thank you Laura! xTieghan
thnk you i was looking for article like this. you tell everithing about cheddar to me… thnk you.. i wish you allwas write article like this 🙂
Thank you! xTieghan
What’s the weight of 1 packet of instant yeast?
HI! It is about 7-8 grams. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these today at work, used smoked Gouda. Made them a bit larger
Then turned them into Smokey pesto turkey sandwiches.
I may try using a smoked garlic horseradish instead of pesto to make a killer beef sandwich next!
Thank you so much Andii! xTieghan
Can they stay in the fridge for 24 hours? I’d like to make them tonight for a party tomorrow… so they’d be in the fridge almost full 24 hours. Would I take them out for a bit before baking them?
HI! Yes, that will be just fine. Remove the rolls 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Definitely adding these to our Easter brunch menu. Thanks Tiegan!
Thank you Emily! xTieghan
I see now that the link in your text that leads to the heirloom tart does lead me to the recipe of everything spice. So if got it now. ;-). But still, I wanted you to know about the other links I mentioned.
Tessa