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Asiago Herb Dinner Rolls

Yield: 16 Rolls (Makes 12-16)
Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 ½ cups warm water
  • ¾ tablespoon instant yeast, or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral oil like avocado or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons (see note)

Topping:

  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2-3 tablespoons melted butter
  • ⅓ cup or so grated Asiago cheese (I use the sharp holes on the back of my box grater)
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley or herbs de provence for a slightly more gourmet flavor

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels (see a tutorial on working with yeast here). The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.
  • Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).
  • Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 12-16 pieces (I weigh out about 2 ounces of dough for each roll). Form each piece of dough into a tight ball by cupping it in your hand and rolling it on the counter (here's a video on rolling the dough into balls). Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking tray.
  • Put the mayonnaise and butter in separate small bowls. Lightly warm the mayonnaise for 10 seconds or so in the microwave - it doesn't need to be hot, just a little runnier than normal. In another small bowl or shallow dish, toss the Asiago cheese with the garlic powder and parsley.
  • One by one, dip the top of each roll in the mayonnaise and then directly into the butter. Place butter side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan. Sprinkle the top of each roll with the Asiago mixture, lightly pressing it into the melted butter/mayo so it sticks a little bit. I like to dip about 4-5 rolls, place them on the baking sheet or pan and then sprinkle with the Asiago mixture before proceeding with another 4-5 rolls (so the butter stays soft and melted to allow the cheese to stick). Place the rolls 1/2- to 1-inch apart.
  • Lightly cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap (not too tight as you don't want it to pull up all the cheese topping off the rolls when you remove it) and let the rolls rise until doubled and very puffy.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the rolls for 14-15 minutes until lightly browned and baked through. These rolls taste best, in my opinion, if the tops have a chance to soften. After they've cooled out of the oven for about 5-10 minutes, I like to place a very thin kitchen towel (like a muslin or flour sack towel) over them for another 10-15 minutes (these rolls taste great the next day, too, and the tops are beautifully soft if, once they are cooled, they are stored in ziplock bags overnight).

Notes

Flour: substituting bread flour for the all-purpose will result in an even lighter, chewier roll. Also, I'm pretty certain you could make this same style of roll using the Fluffy Whole Wheat Dinner if you want a whole grain version.
Cheese: these rolls can also be made with Parmesan cheese in place of the Asiago although we far prefer the Asiago flavor (thanks to our undying love for Asiago bagels, I believe). The key is to grate the cheese finely - I like to use those sharp holes on the back of my box grater.
Topping: speaking of the cheese, I like to sprinkle the cheese topping on the butter-topped rolls. I think it gives the perfect amount of cheese and herb topping. However you can definitely dip the rolls into the cheese mixture right after they're dunked in the mayo and butter. Doing so will give even more cheese topping (but because of this, you'll want to at least double the cheese topping amounts in the recipe).