Cheesy Garlic Mozzarella Swirl Rolls

These Cheesy Garlic Mozzarella Swirl Rolls are melty, buttery, and so savory thanks to plenty of garlic, herbs, and shredded mozzarella cheese rolled up into every bite! They are the perfect thing to go with soup, salads, and all sorts of main dishes!

Whenever we have soup I love to serve it with some warm, delicious type of bread and these garlic mozzarella rolls always hit the spot. They are fantastic with our Cheesy Lasagna Soup, Easy Minestrone Soup, and Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage. But really they go with almost anything!

These rolls are relatively quick to throw together too, aside from the rising time. It's just like making any old batch of yeast bread dough - some mixing of ingredients, a little kneading, and then a nice rise to let the dough double in volume.

Then the rolls get their star treatment by rolling them out, slathering them with a garlic butter spread and sprinkling mozzarella cheese over it all before rolling them up, cinnamon roll style, slicing them into individual rolls, and stuffing them into the individual cups of a muffin pan to give them some shape.

Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, these are simple enough to throw together on a cold, rainy afternoon, then start a pot of soup and have them together for a perfectly comforting and soul-satisfying dinner.

What You'll Need

• Flour - Regular all-purpose flour works great for these, but you can use bread flour if you have it on hand for even chewier rolls.
• Water
• Active dry yeast
• Mozzarella cheese - Use freshly grated mozzarella cheese for even better meltiness.
• Sugar - Just a small amount to help the yeast proof.
• Salt
• Butter
• Oil - Something neutral like vegetable or canola oil works great.
• Egg
• Garlic bread seasoning - You can buy this at the grocery store or make your own using the version in the notes of the recipe card below.

How to Make Cheesy Garlic Mozzarella Swirl Rolls

1. Proof the yeast. Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in your mixing bowl and let them sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add ingredients and mix. Add the salt, vegetable oil, egg, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix well using the paddle attachment until smooth.

3. Knead in flour. Continue adding the flour, 1 cup at a time, switching to the dough hook and kneading between additions until incorporated. Continue to knead for 3-5 minutes until satiny and smooth. The dough should be soft and barely stick to your fingers.
4. Let the dough rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled ball, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.

5. Make garlic butter. While the dough is rising, combine the softened butter and garlic bread seasoning in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside. Prepare a muffin pan by spraying each cup with cooking spray.
6. Roll out dough and top with filling. When the dough is fully risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into an 6x18-inch rectangle. Spread the garlic butter over the dough, all the way to the edges, and then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the butter.

7. Shape. Working from the long edge, roll up the dough tightly just like you would with cinnamon rolls, pinching the edges when done. Using a long piece of thread or dental floss, cut the rolled dough into 12 equal slices by sliding the thread under the roll, pulling both ends of the string up and crossing them over each other, then pulling tight to create the slice. Place each sliced roll into the individual cups of a prepared muffin pan (mine often seem too big for each muffin cup but I just squish them in as best I can - the pan is just meant to help give some shape to the muffins instead of baking them with their sides touching like cinnamon rolls in a rectangular baking dish) and cover with a clean cloth.
8. Rise. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and allow the rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes until puffy while the oven is heating.

8. Bake. Place the rolls into the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown on top. Check the rolls during the last 10 minutes of baking to see whether the cheese is getting too brown. If so, just loosely place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls to prevent the cheese from burning.
9. Serve warm. Once the rolls are cooked through and no longer doughy in the center, remove them from the oven and serve warm.

Recipe FAQ's

Tips for Success

• Measure the flour carefully. You don't want to add too much flour or the dough will be dense instead of fluffy and light. I have a whole post on how to measure flour that you might find helpful.
• Rise in a warm spot. If it's cool in your house, place the dough in a warm spot like near the back of the stove or in a sunny window so that they rise well.
• Try the floss trick. I find it much easier to cut these using dental floss or a piece of string than a sharp knife.
• Make a sandwich! Try slicing one of these rolls in half the next day and using it to make a ham sandwich. Crazy delicious!

How to Store and Freezing Instructions

Store any uneaten rolls in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. You can also freeze these rolls for up to 2 months in an airtight container in the freezer. Thaw on the counter before serving.

We like to reheat individual rolls in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying, or you can warm them in a baking dish covered with foil at 325°F for 8-10 minutes.

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Print Pin Rate

Cheesy Garlic Mozzarella Swirl Rolls

5 from 18 votes

Amy Nash

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Additional Time 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 12 rolls

These Cheesy Garlic Mozzarella Swirl Rolls are melty, buttery, and so savory thanks to plenty of garlic, herbs, and shredded mozzarella cheese rolled up into every bite! They are the perfect thing to go with soup, salads, and all sorts of main dishes!

Ingredients

  

123

Roll dough

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 ½ cups warm water
• ▢ 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 4-5 cups all-purpose flour

Cheesy garlic filling

• ▢ ½ cup salted butter softened
• ▢ 1 ½ Tablespoons garlic bread seasoning
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar and allow to proof for 10 minutes or until foamy. Add the salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk and stir to combine. Add in 3 cups of the flour and mix well, then add enough remaining flour, half a cup at a time, to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger (I'm usually right around the 4 ½ cup mark but you might need a little more or a little less). Knead the dough using a dough hook attachment on a standing mixer or by hand for 3-4 minutes, or until satiny and smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled ball, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour.
• While the dough is rising, combine the softened butter and garlic bread seasoning in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside. Prepare a muffin pan by spraying each cup with cooking spray.
• When the dough is fully risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into an 6x18-inch rectangle. Spread the garlic butter over the dough, all the way to the edges, and then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the butter.
• Working from the long edge, roll up the dough tightly just like you would with cinnamon rolls, pinching the edges when done. Using a long piece of thread or dental floss, cut the rolled dough into 12 equal slices by sliding the thread under the roll, pulling both ends of the string up and crossing them over each other, then pulling tight to create the slice. Place each sliced roll into the individual cups of a prepared muffin pan (mine often seem too big for each muffin cup but I just squish them in as best I can - the pan is just meant to help give some shape to the muffins instead of baking them with their sides touching like cinnamon rolls in a rectangular baking dish) and cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. and allow the rolls to rise while the oven is heating.
• Once the oven reaches 350°F, bake the rolls for 18-22 minutes. Check the rolls during the last 10 minutes of baking to see whether the cheese is getting too brown. If so, just loosely place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls to prevent the cheese from burning.
• Once the rolls are cooked through and no longer doughy in the center, remove them from the oven and serve warm.

Notes

• Garlic Bread Seasoning: To make your own garlic bread seasoning, combine ½ cup powdered Parmesan cheese with 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon marjoram, and mix well. You will not use all of the garlic bread seasoning for these rolls. Store any unused garlic bread seasoning in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Recipe lightly adapted from Our Best Bites.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 3mg

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This post was originally published in October, 2016. The photos and content were updated in November, 2022.