Seeded Bread Machine Rolls (Snail-Shaped Buns)
Sneak Preview: Shape soft bread machine dough into cute snail rolls, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with seeds for a bakery-style finish. Perfect for dinner or sliders.
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Store-bought buns are fine… until you meet these. The bread machine does the kneading, and you handle the fun part—rolling them into spirals and topping them with seeds. It’s a small effort for rolls with real personality.
Ingredients and Substitutions
MILK: Adds richness; any kind works, but whole milk is preferred
WATER: Cool temperature when using a bread machine
EGG: Large; adjust liquid for other sizes.
BUTTER: Unsalted preferred. Chop it up and toss it in cold.
SUGAR: White or honey.
SALT: Don’t skip it—it reins in the yeast. Table salt or sea salt is fine.
FLOUR: Bread flour gives chew; all-purpose works too.
YEAST: Instant or bread machine yeast.
SEEDS: Sesame or poppy. Everything seasoning works, too.
How To Shape Seeded Rolls into “Snails”
⬇️ Jump to the recipe below for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
?Tips That Make a Difference
• Rolling out the dough on a silicone mat saves cleanup headaches-toss it in your dishwasher when you’re done.
• Give the dough a short rest after dividing—rolling is easier after it relaxes.
• Keep your seeds fresh by refrigerating them in a sealed bottle or bag. Stale seeds can ruin an otherwise perfect roll.
Seeded Bread Machine Rolls (Snail-Shaped Buns)
Video
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup (170 g) milk (cool)
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) water (cool)
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, chopped
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon table or sea salt
- 3 ¼ cups (390 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast
Glaze
- 1 (44 g) egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Instructions
- Load the pan: 3/4 cup (170 g) milk (cool), 3 tablespoons (42 g) water (cool), 1 large (50 g) egg, 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, chopped, 3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon (1 ½ teaspoon) table or sea salt, 3 1/4 cups (390 g) bread flour, and 2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast Select the DOUGH cycle and press START.
- Check Early: After the first minute, lift the lid to make sure the paddles are engaged and the dough is clumping together.
- Check Texture: After 15 minutes, the dough should stick to the sides, then pull away cleanly. Add 1 tablespoon of water or flour at a time if needed.
- First Rise: Let the DOUGH cycle finish. The dough should double in size.
- Shape the Rolls: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface or silicone mat. Divide into 16 pieces. Let the dough relax for about 10 minutes. Then roll each piece into a 12-inch rope, coil like a snail, tuck the end under, and flatten gently.
- Second Rise: Place rolls 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
- Glaze and Top: Flatten rolls with the palm of your hand again down to about 1-inch thickness. Whisk 1 (44 g) egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the rolls and sprinkle with seeds. Flatten lightly again with your palm.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, split with a serrated knife to make sandwich buns, if desired.
Notes
1️⃣ Add ingredients to the bowl in the listed order.
2️⃣ Mix on LOW until moistened, then knead on speed 2 or 3 with a dough hook for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3️⃣ Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
4️⃣ Gently deflate and shape as directed in the recipe. ? By Hand:
1️⃣ Mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough ball in a large bowl.
2️⃣ Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10-20 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3️⃣ Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled.
4️⃣ Gently deflate and shape as directed. ? Yeast Tip: Using active dry yeast? Increase by ¼ teaspoon. It no longer requires dissolving, but you can if preferred.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
FAQ About Seeded Rolls
Yes. Chill overnight after the first rise, then shape and bake the next day.
Absolutely. Freeze after baking and cooling, or freeze shaped rolls before the second rise. Give them plenty of time to soften and rise before baking.
Final Thoughts
If you enjoy rolls or bread with seeds, check out this recipe with whole wheat flour that has seeds inside and on top. It’s one of my favorites.
Adapted from One Hundred Years of Bread (paid link) by Sidney Brockman Carlisle
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
what does “cool” mean, pertaining to milk & water in the recipes. c Can you suggest a temperature as a guide? Thanks for all your hints .
Hi Anne,
I always use cold water straight out of the tap. If milk, use straight out of the fridge. If that makes you uncomfortable, use room-temperature water. I assume you are using a bread machine.
If not using a bread machine, this does not apply. 90-95˚F is good.
The reason you don’t have to warm the ingredients with a bread machine is due to the friction of the kneading paddles. They will warm all ingredients in the dough. If you need convincing, stick a quick-read thermometer into the dough at the end of the kneading phase. Mine is always over 80˚F. The optimum temperature for bread dough to rise is between 75 and 78 ˚F.
In answer to your question about a specific temperature, all I would say is above 40˚F and not over 100˚F. Caution: You never want to add anything frozen—like frozen fruit or rock-hard frozen butter.
Hope that helps.
Interesting bread machine recipes, but such a pity the ingredients are generally specified only in volume measures (cups, tablespoons…), instead of the more accurate weight measures (grammes).
David,
You are absolutely right!! I am in the process of correcting that but haven’t made it to every one of my recipes just yet. I’m working on it. Right now, only the newest recipes and most popular ones have weight measurements. So sorry! 🙁
Made these last night sans seed topping, and family thought they made the best hamburger buns! Absolutely love all your bread tips and so grateful to have found your blog! Bread machine has been sitting in pantry for >10yrs, cause I hated they way it baked! I adore your recipes for manipulating the doughs and baking by hand!
The quarantine has made me much better at bread making- Would love some tips to incorporate spelt four For healthier alternatives, if possible.
Thank you!
Hi Tia,
Glad your snail rolls were good. Your family should feel privileged. I have never baked with spelt, but I like a good challenge. So I will start working on it. Stay tuned. paula
Can this recipe be converted to use without a bread machine? I would love too try this recipe but don’t have a bread machine.
you are an amazing baker. everything looks wonderful! i would BUY these buns.
I am making these buns right now – I was about to start dumping ingredients in, then I remembered that my dough blade was sitting by the sink, then I read your reminder to make sure the dough blade was in place – good reminder! Thanks!! I made barbeque pork in the crock pot today, so I thought these buns would be great for sandwiches.
These look great – my mouth is watering! I don’t have a bread machine but have thought about getting one….. these may push me over the edge! Until then – I’m thinking I may try them with the old KA standby…
Thanks for sharing!
Of course. 🙂
Your buns look great! I am referring to your Seeded Twirly Buns of course.
Mimi