Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Caramelised Onion Brioche Rolls

Fluffy brioche is spread with sweet caramelised onions and sprinkled with grated sharp cheddar, then rolled into perfect rolls and baked to perfection - cheesy onion goodness. These are easy to make and make the perfect savoury breakfast or brunch treat.

Every now and then when I’m shooting and making something for this wee corner of the internet, I will make something that is a little messy looking, but 1000% worth it taste wise. These Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Caramelised Onion Brioche Rolls fall into this category - they are a little cheesy and melty around the edges, making them perhaps not the most gram worthy food, but absolutely one of the most delicious.

Cheese and Onion is a super popular combination, particularly in Southland in New Zealand where there is something called a ‘cheese roll’ - cheese, onion soup mixture and evaporated milk are cooked together, then spread over white bread and rolled up into a wee roll then baked off. It’s a very unique way of making them, but they are very, very yum. I drew inspiration from the flavour combo for these rolls, switching things up a little by making the filling a sharp cheddar and caramelised onion situation, and going for a fluffy brioche, which I baked individually in muffin pans to give stand alone rolls rather than a cinnamon roll style which is baked all together in one pan (that would work great with this recipe too if you like).

When you are making something like this with relatively simple ingredients, I like to get the best quality ones I can, particularly when it comes to the dairy, and for these New Zealand inspired rolls it only made sense to use New Zealand butter and cheese! I am so, so excited that the Anchor butter and cheese that I grew up on is starting to become available in the States - there really is nothing else like it. New Zealand dairy comes from grass-fed cows, which produce the most delicious, rich milk, which is made into so many amazing products. The butter and cheese are a beautiful rich flavour and are so yellow, which reflects the quality of the milk that they were made with. I am so stoked that there are so many amazing New Zealand products available in the States now, and that I get to shout about them each month with Taste New Zealand!

I used Anchor’s unsalted butter in the brioche - it is rich and creamy and perfect for something butter forward like brioche. I made the dough, and rolled it out into a big rectangle, which I spread with a solid amount of caramelised onions and Anchor Sharp Cheddar, which is super ideal for all applications - it is slightly sharp but also mellow, and grates like a dream, and paired so well with the slight sweetness of the onions. The whole thing then got rolled up and cut into pieces, which I placed into muffin tins and gave a second rise, then sprinkled with pretzel salt and baked to golden deliciousness. The cheese and onion mixture bubbles out the top a little, but to me, that is the best bit. You really can’t go past cheesy, oniony perfection.

Make sure you grab some Anchor butter and cheese if you see it in your local! x

A few wee tips:

• Make sure your muffin pan is very non stick for these, or they will stick. If you are worried you can make a little parchment paper sling to help pull them out, which will help with releasing the bottoms.
• If you would like to make these into cinnamon roll style rolls (baked all together), follow the same instructions but arrange them into a greased 9”x13” pan and then bake off as directed - you will likely have to increase the baking time a little to account for them being all snuggled in together.
• Want to make these for breakfast? The first proof can be done overnight in the fridge!
• Ideally the caramelised onions need a bit to cool - make sure that you allow for this. Either do them before you make the brioche dough, or they can be done up to a few days in advance. I like doing a whole bunch at once and then having them on hand for other things - it’s no more effort to make more and they are so good!

Thank you so much to Taste of New Zealand of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise for Sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

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