Bread Machine Cheese Buns: Grandkid-Approved Favorite
Sneak Preview: Make pillowy, cheese-loaded buns using your bread machine! Soft, stretchy rolls with melty Cheddar inside and crispy cheese on top. Perfect for dinner or sliders.
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My family thinks these Cheddar cheese buns are the best dinner rolls on the planet. They always win extra points with my youngest grandson. I wish you similar results.
Unroll hot, cheese-filled rolls to reveal melty Cheddar in soft, flaky bread. Enjoy crispy, crunchy cheese bits on top for an extra layer of texture and taste. Eat with dinner or use as slider buns with ham, turkey, or mini burgers.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“These cheese buns turn out absolutely wonderful. The recipe and instructions are so precise and easy to follow….My family just cannot keep their hands off of them.”—SHILPY
Ingredients and Substitutions
- FLOUR: Unbleached wheat flour is my favorite. Substitute bread flour. Weigh flour if possible.
- YEAST: Instant yeast or bread machine yeast (same thing). Substitute active dry yeast–add 1/4 teaspoon extra
- EGGS: Large size (±50 g).When subbing a different size, compensate with more or less liquid.
- MILK: Any milk including non-dairy The higher the fat content, the richer and moister your bread. The milk does not need to be warmed because of friction from paddles.
- BUTTER: No warming needed. Chop refrigerated butter finely and add to the pan
- CHEESE: Cheddar is my first choice. For variety, use semi-hard cheeses like Gouda, Swiss, or Pepper Jack
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Cheese Buns
- Make Tangzhong Paste: Whisk flour into milk and microwave until thick, stirring every 10-15 seconds. Small lumps are fine, but if paste becomes solid, start over. (No microwave? Cook gently on stovetop, whisking until thick.)
- Combine Ingredients in Bread Machine: Add the paste, remaining milk, and dough ingredients (excluding the cheese) to the pan; select the DOUGH cycle.
- Check Dough Consistency Twice: After one minute, the dough should start to clump. After 15-18 minutes: The dough should be tacky, briefly sticking and then pulling cleanly away from the sides. See the recipe for corrective measures.
- Remove Dough from Bread Pan: At the end of the cycle after the dough has doubled in size, move dough to a lightly floured surface.
The dough should be smooth and elastic at the end of the kneading phase. Watch the dough knead; it should stick to the side briefly, then pull away cleanly. If yours doesn’t look like this, look at this post for instructions on fixing your dough. It’s not too late.
How To Shape Cheese Buns By Hand
- Shape Dough: Divide the dough in half; roll each piece into a rectangle, top with cheese, slice, and roll the strips. Use a pizza cutter or bench scraper to make strips.
Proof and Bake
- Proof Rolls: Place the rolls in a pan and let them rise until nearly doubled in size. Tip: Sprinkle shreds of cheese on top to give people a clue about what’s inside.
- Bake: Bake at 375°F until golden and the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
The internal temperature should reach 190˚F. Let the rolls cool on a wire rack to prevent soggy bottoms.
Bread Machine Cheese Buns: Grandkid-Approved Favorite
Mix dough with Tangzhong paste in a bread machine, shape into rolls filled with cheese, proof, and bake. Easily adaptable for stand mixer or handmade methods (see recipe notes).
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Ingredients
Tangzhong Paste
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 g) milk divided
Dough
- ½ cup (114 g) cool milk
- Tangzhong paste from above
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) heavy cream OR 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) sugar granulated
- 1¼ teaspoon (7 g) salt table or sea salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter cold, chopped
- 2¾ cups (330 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
- 2 cups (226 g) Cheddar cheese shredded (8 ounces)
Instructions
- Make Tangzhong: Whisk 2 tablespoons (15 g) unbleached all-purpose flour and ½ cup (113 g) milk in a microwave safe container; microwave 45-60 sec, stirring until thick.
- Add ½ cup (114 g) cool milk to the Tangzhong paste ( and whisk energetically. It’s OK if there are still some lumps. They will disappear in the mixing process. Add to the bread machine pan.
- Mix Dough: Add 1 large (50 g) egg ,1 tablespoon (14 g) heavy cream OR 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons (24 g) sugar , 1¼ teaspoon (7 g) salt , 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, 2¾ cups (330 g) unbleached all-purpose flour , and 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast to the bread machine pan. Select the DOUGH cycle and press “Start.”
- During the first minute, lift the lid to make sure the paddles are engaged and working correctly. Dough should start to clump and begin to form a ball.
- Recheck 12-15 minutes later to ensure the dough is the correct consistency. It should stick to the side, then pull away cleanly. If the dough is too dry it may thump against the side of the pan or ride around freely on top of the post. Add milk one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too wet, impossibly sticky and won’t pull away from the sides, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Give the dough time to absorb the flour or milk between each addition.
- When the DOUGH cycle finishes, check to see if the dough has risen to double its original size. If so, remove it to a floured surface. If not, allow the dough to remain in the machine until it is doubled.
- While the machine is doing all the hard work for you, grate the cheese so it has time to come to room temperature.
- Shape Rolls: Remove the dough from the bread machine onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a neat ball. Use a rolling pin to roll one dough ball into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle half of 2 cups (226 g) Cheddar cheese over the rectangle.Divide into 4 equally-sized strips lengthwise, then divide each strip in half across the width. You should have 8 total strips. Roll each strip starting from the outside ends.
- Proof Rolls: Place rolls into a greased (spray with Baker’s Joy for best results unless using USA pans) 8 or 9-inch pan in a spoke fashion.
- Repeat the shaping instructions with the other half of the dough.
- Cover the pans with tea towels or cheap shower caps and set aside to rise again until almost double. This will probably take an hour, plus or minus, depending on the room temperature.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 375 °F (190˚C) when you think the rolls are almost ready to bake.
- Place rolls onto the middle shelf of your oven. Bake for 14-17 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190˚F (88˚C).
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Run a plastic knife around the edge to loosen any cheese stuck to the edge. Turn rolls out onto a wire rack for another 10-15 minutes. Their tops should be up so their shape is not affected. Brush all over with melted butter.
- Tip: If you leave rolls in the pan too long after baking, they will sweat and become soggy on the bottom.
Notes
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Alternative Mixing Methods
Using a Stand Mixer
- Add ingredients to the mixer bowl in the listed order.
- Mix on low speed until everything is moistened.
- Switch to the dough hook and increase speed to 2 or 3.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5–10 minutes).
- Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled.
- Gently deflate, shape, and bake as directed.
- In a large bowl, mix ingredients until you have a shaggy dough.
- Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (10–20 minutes, depending on experience).
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled.
- Once risen, gently deflate, shape, and bake as instructed.
Equipment
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 283IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 1mg
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
5-Star Ratings Are My Favorite!Help others find this recipe in search results on the web.
FAQ:
- Can I freeze these buns?
- Yes! Double-wrap tightly, freeze up to 1 month.
- Can I omit cheese?
- Absolutely. Substitute with butter or cinnamon sugar.
- Can these become burger buns?
- Yes. Knead cheese into dough, shape into buns, flatten slightly, and bake as directed.
- Can I make these rolls ahead of time?
- Yes. Prepare dough, let rise, shape into rolls, and refrigerate. Allow rolls to come to room temperature and rise until almost doubled before baking. Thanks to the Tangzhong method, these buns stay fresh for several days after baking.
Final Thoughts
May your family enjoy these rolls as much as mine do. We are a cheese-loving family, so it stands to reason that anything with cheese will be popular. If you bake for the same kind of people, I recommend this Jalapeno-Cheese Loaf. It’s particularly nice to give away or serve as an appetizer.
Need help troubleshooting? Please email me: Paula at saladinajar.com–photos welcome!
Are you curious about what else my family loves the most ? The following recipes are all popular: My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls, Bread Machine Monkey Bread: A Savory Version, and Crusty French Bread Mixed in a Bread Machine.
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.