Green Onion & Gruyere Palmier Rolls

Angel Biscuits are the base of this recipe. Often called “Brides Biscuits”, Angel biscuits are a cross between a yeast roll and a biscuit. They are leavened with yeast, baking powder, and baking soda. This combination of leavening agents allows you to bake them immediately, or refrigerate and bake a day or two later. You may also let them rise after shaping for a lighter texture.

Lamination involves folding the dough over multiple times to create layers. As you fold the dough, cheese and onions are rolled and pressed into the dough to create additional layers of flavor. I use the folding technique typically used for Palmiers, a French cookie made from puff pastry to create a layered palm leaf shape. Here I cut the dough much wider than for a palmier. Baking the rolls in a muffin tin results in upward rise rather than outward spread, which is what would occur on a baking sheet.

If you like these, check out my breakfast variation: Devilishly Sinful Angel Biscuits

Cheese & Onion Rolls

Green Onion & Gruyere Palmier Rolls

Yield:  12  rolls

¼ cup warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast (or rapid-rise/instant yeast*) (2 ¼ teaspoons)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere or Manchego cheese

2 bunches green onions, finely minced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (400 convection). Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray or grease with butter or oil. Set pan aside.

Mixing by hand: In a small bowl combine the water, yeast and a pinch of the sugar.  Stir, and let stand until bubbly about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour salt, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining sugar.  Mix well and make a well in the center by pulling dry ingredients from the middle to the side of the bowl. 

Place butter in a microwave-safe dish and microwave until melted.  Add buttermilk to melted butter to keep butter from being too hot.  Pour the milk & butter mixture into the center of the dry ingredients and add the dissolved yeast.   Stir to mix, adding enough flour to make a soft dough.  Let rest for about 10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead the dough until it develops a smooth, elastic feel, about 5-10 minutes.

If Mixing in a Mixer: Combine all ingredients in the mixer, adding most of the flour but not all. Mix until a smooth moist ball comes together. If it’s feeling sticky, keep adding flour but make sure not to create a stiff dough.

Knead the dough on the mixer for about 5 minutes.

Testing the dough: Test the strength of the dough by cutting off a chunk of dough. Keeping your fingers flat so as not to poke the fingertips through the dough, begin to stretch out the dough. As the dough is stretched, gravity should start to help pull it out. If you can pull the dough thin enough to see light pass through it, you have kneaded it sufficiently.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about the size of a piece of legal copy paper (11 x 14) with the short sides on the left and right and long side parallel to you. Scatter shredded gruyere cheese and green onions across the middle third only. Fold the right side of the dough over the onions and cheese. Scatter more onions and cheese on top of the right side that was just folded over. Fold the left side over the new layer of onions and cheese to cover them. Turn the dough packet so the short sides are facing the left and right again.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to the original size again. This time take half of the remaining cheese and green onions and scatter them lengthwise down the middle of the dough. Fold each long side in toward the middle where the two long sides will meet. Roll lengthwise down the dough to press the dough layers together. Scatter the remaining cheese and onions across the length of dough that is farthest away from you. Fold the side of dough nearest you over the top of the other side. Roll the dough with your rolling pin to gently compress the layers together.

Using a sharp knife or metal bench scraper, carefully cut the length of folded dough into 12 equal pieces. Place each piece of dough into a cup of a muffin tin with the cut side facing up.

Bake in preheated 425 degree (400 convection oven) for about 20 minutes.

 

*If using Rapid-Rise or “instant” yeast: 

Omit the water and combine all dry ingredients together including the yeast.