Cheddar Marmite Rolls

Cheddar Marmite Rolls are soft and fluffy, filled with savory Marmite and extra sharp cheddar and baked till golden brown. A great breakfast or snack!

Marmite is a thick, salty spread made from yeast extract, enjoyed by many and probably hated by even more. It’s a very divisive ingredient by all accounts. Some people say that you have to grow up eating it to like this quintessential British foodstuff but I know quite a few British folks who are on the NOPE, NEVER side. 

As further proof, I did not grow up eating it. In fact, I only came across it as a fully grown adult but I love it! Hot buttered toast with lashings of Marmite? Divine. Steaming bowl of pasta with creamy butter and generous spoon of Marmite stirred through it? The perfect meal. Fortunately, my husband feels the same. 

In fact, I made these rolls at his request. This month our host chose Loaves of Love for our Bread Bakers theme so I asked what he would like me to bake. Cheddar Marmite Rolls was the answer. We both adored them.

Cheddar Marmite Rolls

If you don’t have Marmite, you can use its less pungent Australian sibling Vegemite. I don’t know of any other possible substitutes! This recipe is adapted from one on Tasting Thyme. It makes 12 large rolls. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 360ml warm water (100-110°F or 38–43°C)

1 tablespoon potato flour/starch 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dried yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 2/3 cups or 456g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling out

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the mixing bowl

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup or 60ml Marmite

8 oz or 225g grated extra mature cheddar, divided

Method

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the potato starch, yeast and sugar with the warm water and set aside for a few minutes. This should activate the yeast. If it doesn’t start to foam and bubble up, discard and start over with new yeast. 

Add the flour, olive oil and salt to the yeast bowl. 

Mix with the dough hook until it forms a sticky dough. 

Knead for 8-10 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and stretchy. Form it into a tight ball. 

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bowl and roll the dough ball around to coat. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes - 1 hour or until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and put it on a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12 x 16 in or 40x30cm. Put the Marmite in a heatproof bowl, and warm gently in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, just to loosen it. Spread this over the rectangle of dough, making an effort to go to the sides but leaving an edge at the top and bottom. 

Separate out about small pile of the grated cheddar to use for topping then sprinkle the dough with the rest in an even layer. 

Dampen the top edge with a little water, then from the longest edge, roll the dough up into a tight log. 

Finish with the seam side down so that it sticks closed. 

Line a baking pan with parchment or a silicone liner. 

Cut the roll into 12 reasonably equal slices.

Place them on your prepared pan, close together but leaving a little space for expansion. Cover with greased cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 mins – 1 hour.

Once your rising time is nearly up, preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Sprinkle the risen rolls with the reserved grated cheese. 

Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Do be careful not to let the cheese topping burn. You can cover the buns with foil if you are worried, to protect the top while they finish baking. 

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack.

Leave to cool slightly before serving warm. (We ate the leftovers either at room temperature or after a quick zap in the microwave. Delightful either way.)

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, our Bread Bakers theme this month is Loaves of Love because it’s February, the month for Valentines! Celebrate with someone you love by baking for them. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the loving links below. 

• Beet Feta Twisted Heart Bread from Magical Ingredients
• Cheddar Marmite Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Cheesy Twisted Heart Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Double Chocolate Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Extra Gooey Sticky Buns from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Heart Shaped Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
• Rose Petal Pistachio Cardamom Sourdough Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Cheddar Marmite Rolls!

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Artisan Bread Bowls #BreadBakers

These artisan bread bowls are crusty outside and tender inside, the perfect accompaniment/vessel for your favorite thick soups. (I served mine with New England style clam chowder.) And bonus: Serving soup in a bread bowl means no bowl to wash up either! 

I am the odd person out in my house. My husband and both daughters are massive bread fans but unless it’s hot out of the oven or, in the case of my favorite fromage jambon-beurre sandwich, filled with slices of jambon de Paris and Comté cheese first spread thickly with French butter, I can take it or leave it. 

Fortunately for my family, despite not eating it much, I love baking bread. I enjoy the process, slowing down and allowing the yeast or sourdough starter to do its work transforming flour and water. Like magic. And I especially love the wonderful aroma that wafts through the house when the bread is in the oven. It brings the family right downstairs and into the kitchen like a magnet. 

When I told my younger daughter that I was hosting this month’s Bread Bakers event and that I had chosen “bread to pair with soup” as our theme, she immediately said, “Make bread bowls!” So I did. 

Artisan Bread Bowls

Start the bread bowls a day before you are wanting to serve them to allow for an overnight stay in the refrigerator. The long, cold rise allows more flavor to develop. This recipe is adapted from one on the King Arthur Flour website.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups or 295ml lukewarm water

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 cups or 375g flour

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/3 cup or 40g whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup or 28g coconut milk powder (or sub powdered cow's milk)

Rice flour for sprinkling before scoring - you can sub regular flour but it will brown more than rice flour so the definition on the bread bowls won't be as obvious. 

Method

Add the warm water and 1/2 cup or 63g of the flour to your mixing bowl. Stir well and then sprinkle on the yeast. Cover and set aside for about 5-7 minutes. The yeast should activate and begin to bubble and foam.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining 2 1/2 cups or 313g flour. 

Mix and knead them all together until you've created a smooth dough.

Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place. Leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes. 

Prepare a baking pan by lightly greasing it or lining it with parchment or a silicone liner.

Punch it down and divide the dough into 4 pieces. My big ball of dough weighed 752g so I divided by four and each ball weighted 188g. I'm a little anal like that but if you are not, just eyeball it. 

Tuck under and roll each piece into a nice tight ball.

Place the balls on your prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with a little flour.

Cover the bread bowls with greased cling film.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Mine were in the refrigerator for about 20 hours. The longer the slow rise time, the more flavor is created. 

When you are ready to bake, remove the bread bowls from the refrigerator. Uncover, and let them sit for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F or 218°C. 

Place one oven shelf in the middle of the oven and one under it at the bottom. While the oven preheats, put an ovenproof cast iron or metal pan on the bottom shelf. 

Just before baking, sprinkle the tops with rice flour and use a sharp blade to slash the top surface of the bowls in a circle to allow them to expand. 

Put the kettle on and boil enough water to fill the empty heated pan up halfway. 

When the oven reaches temperature, put the baking pan with the bread bowls in on the middle shelf and then quickly add boiling water to the hot pan on the bottom shelf. Close the oven door as quickly as you can to keep the steam in.

Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until the bowls are deep brown, and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Once they are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to cut the top off at an angle then cut around the inside and use your clean hands to remove the bread inside. 

I hate to waste good bread so I pulled the innards apart into small pieces and toasted them in a hot oven (375°F or 190°C) for about 12 minutes, to use as croutons for our soup. (This is two innards. I saved the other two bread bowls for another day and repeated the process.) 

Or you could make fresh breadcrumbs. Or stuffing. Just don't waste good bread, okay? 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s my Bread Bakers group post day, as it always is on the second Tuesday of each month since August 2014! I’m hosting and our theme is “Bread to pair with Soup.” Check out the many great recipe links below. 

• Artisan Bread Bowls from Food Lust People Love
• Brazilian Cheese Bread from Passion Kneaded
• How to Make a Crusty French Baguette from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• No Knead Bread from Making Miracles
• Pao de Milho from A Messy Kitchen
• Skillet Corn Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Soft Bread Rolls for Soup from Sneha's Recipe
• Sourdough Breadsticks from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Rolls for Soups and Sandwiches from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Artisan Bread Bowls!

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Lassy Raisin Bread #BreadBakers

This Lassy Raisin Bread is made with molasses, whence comes the name. It is a classic recipe from Newfoundland, often enjoyed during the holidays. It's a lovely soft loaf that is delicious plain and even better toasted and buttered!

The end of the year has snuck up on me and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels that way. I was determined to find time to bake bread for this final Bread Bakers event though because I have finally figured out where to buy fresh yeast here in Houston (YAY!) and I just love how it smells and tastes in freshly baked bread. 

I chose to make this particular loaf because 1. My husband loves raisin bread, especially when it’s toasted and buttered and 2. this month my Bread Baker friends and I are sharing holiday breads from around the world. 

There are probably as many recipes for Newfoundland lassy or molasses bread as we have neighbors to my very north, but one thing they all have in common is the requisite molasses, generally the milder unsulphured kind, and raisins. The traditional loaves are shaped by making three balls of the dough and placing them in a row in a bread pan. 

Lassy Raisin Bread

My recipe is adapted from one on Rock Recipes which makes a very impressive FOUR loaves. They really, really love their lassy raisin bread! And once you've tried a slice, you'll see why.

Ingredients

1/4 cup or 60ml lukewarm water

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon active dry yeast or 20g fresh yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 - 3 cups or 312-375g flour, plus extra for kneading

1/3 cup or 80ml lukewarm milk

1/4 cup or 60ml molasses

5 teaspoons cooled melted butter, plus extra for brushing the baked loaf, optional

1 egg, beaten lightly

3/4 cup or 100g raisins

Method

In the bowl of an electric mixer that has a dough hook, stir the yeast and brown sugar into the lukewarm water and then let stand without stirring for 10 minutes. It should get nice and fluffy if your yeast is alive.

Add in 1 cup or 125g of the flour along with the salt, butter, warm milk and the beaten egg.

Using the regular paddle of your electric mixer, mix slowly for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Whoops, almost forgot our namesake molasses! Add that in and beat again. 

Switch to the dough hook at this point and begin to slowly incorporate the remaining flour. 

You may not need to use all of the flour. This is a soft dough that’s supposed to be a little sticky.  

Add the raisins at this point and continue to mix with the bread hook until the raisins are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Place the dough in a large bowl and cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel. 

Leave it to rest and rise for two hours. 

Punch the dough down and knead it for a few minutes by hand on a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into three even pieces. I use my scale here to weigh the whole dough then divide by three. My dough weighed 760g so each ball weighed about 253g. Form each piece into a nice round ball. 

Line a medium loaf pan with baking parchment. (Mine was 9 x 5 in or 23 x 13cm.) 

Place the 3 balls of dough in your prepared loaf pan. 

Cover with greased cling film and allow the dough to rise until it is about 2 inches or 5cm above the rim of the pan, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, depending on room temperature. 

[As you can see from the photo, pretty sure I overproved mine, making a strategical error when I decided I had time to nip out to the grocery store for salmon. Reader, as it turned out, I did not. While I was disappointed in the outside looks of this wonderful bread, the flavor and soft, tender crumb consoled me.]

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for about 40 minutes. The top and bottom crust should have good color. I tented mine halfway through with foil because it was browning so quickly. Check on yours in case you might want to do the same. 

Once baked, turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool. 

Brush the top with melted butter, if desired, to soften the top crust. Also, more butter is always better was one of my mom's rules. She was a very clever woman.

Leave to cool completely before slicing to serve. I'm trying to think of it as "rustic," not misshapen.

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which, as I mentioned above, means it’s time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes. Many thanks to Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting and for choosing this lovely theme. Check out all the international holiday breads below. 

• Passion Kneaded: Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread) 
• A Messy Kitchen: Joululimppu 
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Julekake : A Norwegian Christmas Bread 
• Food Lust People Love: Lassy Raisin Bread 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Laufabraud 
• Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough bobalki (Slovak Christmas eve bread) 
• Sneha's Recipe: Vánočka/Vanocka - Czech Christmas Bread 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Venezuelan Christmas Ham Bread - Pan de Jamón

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Lassy Raisin Bread! 

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