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Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns. Is there anything better?! These rolls are easy, doughy, swirled with cheddar cheese, basil pesto, fresh herbs, and a little everything bagel spice too. Serve at your next family gathering as an easy brunch, appetizer, or even as a side dish. Everyone will love these fun (cheesy) and pretty swirl buns…perfect, springy and DELICIOUS!

overhead photo Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns

There are three things I seem to be really into right now – fresh herbs, everything bagel spice, and recipes geared towards Easter entertaining. I’m sure you’ve all noticed my major obsession with herbs. Honestly, it’s been going on since about this time last year. I haven’t gotten even the least bit tired of creating new recipes with fresh herbs. They add so much flavor and color to even the simplest of recipes.

The everything bagel spice? Well, I seem to get hooked on this spice blend every time the spring and summer months roll around.

And Easter recipes? Well, that’s simply because Easter is fast approaching, and I’m really excited about it this year. Why? Because I love when Easter is late into April. When Easter falls in March I’m never that excited about it. March is a cold and dreary month meant for St. Patrick’s Day, not Easter, you know? Easter is all about longer, warmer days, with blooming flowers, asparagus quiche, and lots of sweet spring desserts. Probably making no sense at all, but in my head it does…

dough before rolling

Anyway, these swirl buns have a funny story. I mean, kind of. Nothing that comes out of my mouth is ever very “funny”. I just don’t seem to have that funny bone in my body.

Moving on.

Here’s how these buns came to be. Every night I set aside a good chunk of time to go through ALL of my Instagram messages, look through the photos of recipes everyone’s made, and do my very best to respond to you all. It’s honestly one of my favorite things to do, I’m always so bummed if I have to miss a night.

Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns before buns

One night a couple of weeks ago, someone had tagged me in their story, showing me a cheddar swirl roll they’d made, and informing me how much they loved my recipe. At first, I thought how good the rolls looked, and that I was so happy they had enjoyed the recipe! A few hours later though, my thoughts rolled back to that photo. I thought to myself, wait, what recipe was that? So I searched the site, and unfortunately confirmed my unease…I didn’t have a cheddar swirl bun recipe.

I have so many recipes here on HBH (2067 to be exact), sometimes I can forget that I’ve made something. However, I now know for sure that I have not made a cheddar swirl bun. My thought is that this very kind reader just got me confused with someone else. BUT, I am so thankful, because once I realized that I had zero cheddar swirls roll recipes, I knew I needed to make one.

And as soon as possible, because how perfect will these be as an Easter brunch bun or appetizer? Yum.

Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns in baking dish

I like to use my favorite, super simple bread dough recipe as the base for the rolls. It’s literally just milk, flour, eggs, and butter. Simple, but it’s a great, extra soft and doughy base.

The filling is really what we need to talk about though, it’s so flavorful.

For one, there’s basil pesto. Yes, I might use basil pesto in one too many recipes but I find it really adds so much.

Two, there’s cheddar cheese. Now, I have not once met a person who does not love cheddar. It’s easily one of the more likable cheeses, and it pairs especially well with….

Everything bagel spice…oh how I love this flavor combo! It’s a mix of sesame seeds, onion, and herbs, and if you love the classic everything bagel, then you’ll love this spice.

Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns torn apart

Spread the pesto all over the base of the dough. Then add the cheese, everything spice, and a pinch of fresh thyme. Next step is to roll up the deliciousness, just as you would a cinnamon roll, then slice into buns, and let rise.

At this point, you can either keep the buns in the fridge overnight and bake them off in the morning. OR you can simply bake them right away. Either option is great.

As soon as the swirl buns come out of the oven, serve them! These are definitely a roll that’s best to eat warm. They’ll be soft cheesy, and smelling beyond good.

overhead close up photo of Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns

You must make these buns! Sorry, best line I can come up with at the moment. My brain is a little all over the place, but it’s still true! You need a cheesy, herby swirl bun in your life this spring. Maybe as a mid-week treat, or for Easter dinner, a Mother’s Day brunch – whatever.

Just make them and enjoy!

overhead Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns with serving spoon and herbs

If you make these cheddar swirl buns, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Watch the How To Video:

Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 877 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, honey, eggs, butter, 3 ½ cups flour, yeast and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour.
    2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
    3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the cheddar, thyme, everything bagel spice, and crushed red pepper flakes. 
    4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment. 
    5. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread the pesto evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the cheddar mix evenly over the pesto, lightly pushing it into the pesto. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 20-30 minutes. Alternately, you can let the rolls sit in the fridge overnight.
    6. Bake the rolls for 20-25  minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Serve warm and enjoy.

Notes

No Yeast Option: If you do not have access to yeast or simply cannot use, you can omit the yeast and instead use 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda, added with the flour. You can skip the rising and instead just let the dough rest 30 minutes, then roll, rest again another 15-20 minutes, then bake. The rolls will be a little less fluffy, but will be great! 
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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    I made these for dinner tonight and they were very delicious but I had an issue after letting them sit in the fridge overnight. I bake semi-regularly but don’t have a lot of experience with dough so I think I may have messed something up. I made the dough, let it rise for an hour, made the rolls and put them in the pan and then let them rise again which resulted in a beautiful looking batch of rolls. However, after putting them in the fridge overnight I went to retrieve them and found they had fallen about a centimeter or so from the height they were the night before. I baked them anyway and they tasted delicious they were just a little dense. Can you let me know what I should have done something differently to keep the dough from sinking since I put them in the fridge overnight? I can’t wait to make them again with your suggestion/s. Thanks, Tieghan!

    1. Hey Tammie,
      Thanks so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that they were enjoyed!! Next time, don’t let them rise that second time after you have the rolls formed in the pan. Instead, pop them into the fridge and then allow them to rise the next day at room temp before baking. I hope this helps! xx

  2. Made these last night & they were a hit. Love how the dough comes together. Maybe I will try using the dough for cinnamon rolls with PB frosting.

    1. Hey Pat,
      Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a go! xT

    1. Hi Sue,
      I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT

      1. Thanks but I was just surprised by the calorie amount..I don’t count them just wondering…it just seemed way too high for one roll….

  3. I’m planning on making these for Easter brunch, but we’re not big on pesto. Is there a substitute I can use? Abigail

    1. Hi Abigail,
      You could make an herby butter, that would be great! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

  4. I only have rapid rise instant yeast. Will that still be fine to leave overnight to rise in the fridge?

    1. Hi Katie,
      You bet, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if there is anything else that I can help with! xT

  5. 5 stars
    This was a recipe win! I wish I could attach a photo. We dipped them in pizza sauce which was really good too. Thank you!!

    1. Hey Colleen,
      Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT

    1. Hi Amy,
      You could just use a store bought dough:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

  6. I moved to Breck about a year ago and have not had luck getting bread to rise properly at high elevation. What is the trick? Will this recipe work at elevation? or maybe I should just try to no yeast option.

    Thanks!

    Love your food BTW!!

    1. Hey Melissa,
      You should be able to follow this recipe as written without any adjustments! I hope they turn out well for you, let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx

  7. You state to spread the pesto and then add the cheddar mix- but I’m not seeing pesto in the recipe. Can you clarify?

    1. Pesto is the last ingredient in the list calling for 1/4 cup of homemade or store bought basil pesto.

    2. Hi Lisa,
      It’s the last ingredient in the list, 1/4 cup of pesto:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx

    1. Creamy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon or sausage links sound great with these. It would be a really nice upgrade from regular ol’ toast for a late breakfast or brunch.

    2. Hey Christina,
      I usually like to serve these with a meat and potatoes type of dish, but you can really serve this with anything you like, just treat them like a great dinner roll! xT

    1. Hi Sarah,
      Just click “metric” under the list of ingredients to view the measurements in grams. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx

    1. Hi Katie,
      Just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx

    1. Hey Danielle,
      Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx