Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe roll dough that yields about 12 rolls  (I use the french bread roll recipe below)  

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

2 cups chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli

2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup finely chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS  

1.  Follow the recipe for your roll dough until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick and about 13 inches by 17 inches. 

2.  In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. 

3.  Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions.  It might look overloaded, but it works.

4.  Roll the dough up, bringing the lower edge up as tight as you can (just like cinnamon rolls).

5.  Keep Rolling.

6.  When the dough is rolled up, pinch the seam to seal.

7.  Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments.

8.  Place the rolls on a lightly greased (or lined baking sheet) and let them rise until doubled, covered with saran wrap or a towel.

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

French Bread Rolls

*Makes about one dozen rolls 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups warm water

3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, give or take 

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. 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. 

(At this point you can either bake the rolls as directed below, or you can use the dough to make the Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls above).

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

*Freezable Option: I almost always make a double or triple batch of these rolls. Once they are baked and cooled, I place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag and put them in the freezer. I either take them out a few hours before I need them or I take them out frozen and microwave them for about 2-3 minutes on 70% power.