Mushroom Swirl Rolls
Makes 12 large rolls
When it comes to fillings for rolls, mushrooms might not immediately come to mind. The filling for these scrumptious swirls was inspired by a NYT recipe for ‘vegetarian sausage rolls’. With miso, a good mixture of mushrooms, and some cheddar cheese, these rolls are a perfect celebration of what mushrooms can do.
Tips and Tricks
As with many mushroom dishes, the more you diversify your selection of mushrooms, the more interesting the flavor will be. See what your supermarket carries and play around with something new.
You can of course adjust the filling to anything else you’d like. The process will be the same as what you see below.
These rolls come together quickly and don’t take too long to prepare if these are going on the table for supper. If you have another bread roll recipe, feel free to swap with the one provided here.
Ingredients:
Bread rolls:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or another neutral oil)
1 tsp kosher salt
3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
olive oil
Mushroom mixture:
olive oil
1/2 cup of onion, minced
1 1/2 lbs of mixed mushrooms (button, cremini, shiitake, wild mushrooms, etc.), diced
kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp butter (or plant-based butter)
2 cups of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (vegan cheese is fine)
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
Directions:
Start with your bread dough. In a stand mixer or large bowl, add your water, active dry yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Add two cups of the flour and stir ever so slightly until you have a wet, shaggy dough. If using a stand mixer, turn on low and slowly add 1/2 cups of flour until the dough begins to come together and all the flour from the sides of the bowl have been incorporated. Once it’s become a dough, increase the speed to medium, and knead the dough for another 5 minutes. If doing by hand, add the flour the same way, stirring with a wooden spoon, and once the dough is cohesive enough, knead on a floured board for seven to ten minutes.
Take a large bowl, swirl a tbsp or so of olive oil around, and place the dough inside, covering with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a moist towel and place in a draft-less, warm area to rise until doubled. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
While the dough is rising, work on your mushroom mixture. Have your onion, mushrooms, and garlic chopped beforehand.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add some olive oil. Once shimmering, add your onion. Sprinkle some salt over the onions and let cook until translucent.
Add your mushrooms in batches. This is so they all have a chance to cook evenly. Add about a third or half of your mushroom mixture (however much fits into the pan). Sprinkle with some salt and let cook until softened. Once they’ve softened enough that there’s more room in the pan, add the next batch of your mushrooms.
Once all the mushrooms are in your pan, add the garlic and the thyme. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until almost all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Stir frequently.
Once your mushrooms are fully cooked and all the liquid almost evaporated, take off the heat. Immediately add the miso and the butter and let melt into the mixture. Stir everything together and let cool for ten to fifteen minutes.
Once cooled slightly, add your cheese and just enough bread crumbs to help the mixture come together (about a 1/3 cup).
Put aside until your bread dough has finished its first rise.
When your dough is ready, punch it down, take out of the bowl and put onto a flat surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you want it to be even enough for when you spread the filling.
Take your mushroom filling and spread evenly on your dough. Leave some room along the edges, otherwise some of the filling will spill out.
Taking one of the shorter edges of the rectangle, carefully begin to roll the dough until you have a large log. Pinch the seams.
Using a knife, cut the log into inch-wide pieces. Place each piece on a greased or parchment-paper lined baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap or a moist towel and let rise until slightly puffy (about 30 minutes).
Place the rolls in the oven and bake for 20 - 24 minutes. You want the rolls to be slightly browned.
Take out of the oven and serve!
