Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls (No Knead!)

ByCourtney
67 Comments
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Supremely tender and fluffy Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls made the 10 minute, no knead way!

Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls | Neighborfoodblog.com

It seems I have a moment with every experimental recipe when I’m positive things won’t work out. For this bread, it happened almost immediately.

This brioche recipe comes from the totally genius Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day website. If you haven’t heard of ABin5 (because honestly, who has the time to write that out?), it’s a specific way of making bread which requires only 5-10 minutes of prep time and a long rest to get flavorful, fluffy bread every time. There’s no kneading and no proofing the yeast. You literally just throw everything into the pot, stir, then let the dough rest in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I’ve had great success with the basic no knead bread recipe, but I was craving something a little more special for our Easter dinner this year. And nothing says special like brioche. Brioche is a rich, fluffy bread made with an amount of butter and eggs you’d be better off forgetting as soon as you taste it. In other words, it’s splendid for the holidays.

Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls made with only 30 minutes prep and no kneading!

Other than whisking up your eggs and melting the butter, this recipe is really no harder than the original ABin5. You simply stir together the yeast, water, salt, eggs, and butter then slowly stir in the flour until a dough forms.

It was as I stirred in the flour that I had my moment o’ panic. This dough could only be described as strange.

Exhibit A (#ewww):

How To Make No Knead Brioche Bread | Neighborfoodblog.com

Lumpy, wet, and clumpy, I took one look at it and immediately decided it was never going to turn out. But I couldn’t bring myself to throw away 8 eggs and 3 sticks of butter (yep, you read that right!) so I stuck the batter in the fridge anyway and waited.

Whaddaya know, the darn thing rose.

Exhibit B (whaaaaat???):

How To Make No-Knead Brioche | Neighborfoodblog.com

It was still all kinds of strange, but I decided to roll it out and cover it in cheese and garlic anyway. Cheese and garlic can cover a multitude of sins. That’s what I always say.

Exhibit C (A rectanglish shape. This is me being the opposite of precise):

Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls | Neighborfoodblog.com

The dough got rolled up cinnamon roll style, cut into pieces and laid in a muffin tin. I put it in the oven, held my breath, and waited once again.

After 10 minutes, the kitchen filled with the smell of yeast and garlic.  Maaaaaaybe this was actually going to work.

After 20 minutes the bread was pillowy and golden, with a lovely swirl of cheddar. Still disbelieving, I had to eat one straight out of the oven. The dough flaked apart in glorious swirls, revealing the cheesy centers. It was tender and light, better than I ever imagined.

Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls | Neighborfoodblog.com

I’ve talked before about my belief that bread baking is an exercise in faith. It’s still a mystery to me that such simple ingredients–flour, salt, yeast–can create something so deeply satisfying. The risen loaf is an everyday reminder that grace is still active, still moving in the mundane workings of my life. It tells a tale of hope, even when we’re waiting. Even when we doubt. Even when we can’t see how the lumpy, bumpy mess of our lives could possibly be redeemed.

Easter is a beautiful time to reflect on Jesus’ death and the miracle of resurrection, but I fear our reflection often begins and ends on a single day, when really, resurrection is happening all around us. Jesus is present, living among us, breathing life, restoring souls, bringing rest to the weary and justice to the oppressed. Even when things look like a hot mess, He is here. As Tony Campolo famously said, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” Resurrection is just around the corner.

Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls | Neighborfoodblog.com

It may sound silly, but sometimes I need a simple yeasted bread to remind me  Jesus is still in the business of taking this scraggly, jagged, broken world and making something beautiful.

Let’s grab the butter and eat to that.

Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Buns (No Knead!)

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 5 hours 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours

Ingredients

For the brioche:

  • 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated yeast
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm, not hot
  • 7 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the filling:

  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • In a large 5 quart bowl or pot, mix together the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter. Add the flour and use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to stir the mixture together until the flour is incorporated. The mixture will be lumpy and will likely be wetter than other bread doughs you've worked with before.
  • Cover the pot loosely and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. It should double in size.
  • After 2 hours, place the loosely covered pot in the fridge and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 5 days.
  • When you're ready to make the rolls, generously dust a counter top or other flat surface with flour. Remove about 1/3 of the dough (I'm not real precise here. I've done it with nearly half of the dough. It works just as well, but you'll have mondo sized rolls). Place it on the floured counter. Sprinkle the top of the dough and your hands with flour. Use your hands to press the dough out into a roughly 10 x 16 inch rectangle (Again, I'm not ultra precise here).
  • Sprinkle the dough with garlic powder then spread the minced garlic evenly over the rectangle. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
  • Roll the dough up jelly roll style starting on the long end. Slice it into 12 even pieces.
  • Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a slice of dough into each muffin cup with the sliced edge facing up and down. Cover the tray with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 60-90 minutes.
  • Towards the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Check your rolls at 20 minutes to make sure they're not getting too brown. If they are, place a piece of foil over top. Serve warm with more butter. 🙂

    • Notes

    This recipe only uses 1/3 of the dough so you can use the rest to make brioche burger buns or a regular loaf of bread (it makes great french toast!)

    Did you make this recipe?

    Leave a review, or head over to Instagram and share a photo! Tag your projects with #neighborfoodies!

    © Courtney Rowland

    Recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in 5

    67 Comments

    5. These rolls are great and I love that you showed me the pics as you went along…trepidation and all! What do they say about the ugly duckling? These rolls turned into gorgeous swans.

      Reply

    6. I love the opposite of precise. Breads and rolls have a way of challenging creativity and turning each adventure into an art form! Your rolls turned out beautiful and perfect, in my opinion. I would totally make this recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Thanks Dionne. That means a lot. I know some people are very precise with bread baking, but I’ve realized that’s just not me. I prefer to just feel it out–like you said, make it an art form! And guess what? They turn out anyway! 🙂

        Reply

    11. oh my gawd, love these brioche rolls!! fluffy Garlic Cheddar Swirled Brioche Rolls made in 10 minutes?! I’m sold! and they look delicious! Happy Easter!

      Reply

    12. Giiiiiiiiirrrrrlllllll! I always love your posts so much and this one is so special. Baking anything, but bread especially, is definitely an exercise in faith. You throw everything in and cross your fingers, hoping it will turn out exactly as you had imagined. These are so fabulous. I LURV them! Happy Easter to you and your family, Courtney.

      Reply

    13. Fantastic post – you are right: bread & faith are the perfect parallel. Everything about your recipe is right up my alley — I love your flavor combinations and I wish I had one of these right now! Happy Easter!

      Reply

    14. I love ABin5! And you know I love a good cheesy garlic brioche roll. 🙂 Happy Easter, my friend! xo

      Reply

    15. Oh, Courtney. You brought tears to my eyes. What a gorgeous analogy between the bread we break and faith…After all the Grace that has been extended into my life, I forget to remember the sweet loving which is available in the moment….On to technicalities; thank you for the intro to the ABin5 site. Your brioche rolls do look and sound scrumptious. Quick question: Did you decide to put the dough in the fridge? Or is it specified in the recipe?….See, I want to have faith their bread recipes will work 😉

      Reply

      1. I’m glad the post had special meaning for you. 🙂 It was a special post for me as well. As far as the rolls go, yes, you put them in the fridge after letting them rise for 2 hours on the counter top. I let mine sit in the fridge overnight before rolling them out, but you can leave them for up to 5 days if you want!

        Reply

    18. Cheese and garlic do make everything better! But wow…these look so good, and to think, you almost gave up!! Lesson learned: never give up on food 🙂

      Reply

    25. YUM!!! I am so loving you recipe! It’s beautiful and the cheese, oh yah now that is what I am talking about!

      Reply

    27. I’m swooning from gazing at all of the beautiful breads for the Easter/Passover Feast, and your bread just makes me swoon more. I see what you mean about the swirls–yes, it had to be part of the name! Lovely!

      Reply

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