Garlic Jalapeno Rolls

These eggless garlic rolls have been such a hit and I have made them several times. They are soft, flavorful, delicious and come together very easily. Thanks to Suhaina for this awesome recipe. It's an easy bread recipe, even for beginners and the only main thing would be to knead the dough so it's smooth and elastic. Now that my brother and sister in law got me a Kitchen-aid stand mixer, the kneading is a breeze and that has helped me increase the frequency of making this garlic bread. 

GARLIC JALAPENO ROLLS (with Cheddar cheese) 

Ingredients: 

For the Dough

All purpose flour - 3 cups + a bit more for dusting
(you can also replace a third with whole wheat flour, if desired) 

Warm water - 1 cup (ensure it's not too hot so it doesn't kill the yeast - it should be slightly hotter than lukewarm) 

Active Dry Yeast - 1 pack or 2 tsp 

Sugar  - 2 tbsp 

Extra Virgin Olive oil - 2 to 3 tbsp 

Salt - 1 tsp

Garlic powder, Red chilli flakes and italian seasoning - to taste (optional) 

For the Garlic Butter filling : 

Butter - 3 tbsp, softened (you can replace a tbsp of it with extra virgin olive oil) 

Garlic cloves - 12, minced (I used a garlic press) - should yield about 2 tbsp

Jalapenos (optional) - 2, minced (for people who don't like spice, discard the seeds) 

Coriander / Cilantro - about 3 tbsp, minced 

Salt - about 1/4 tsp or to taste

Sharp Cheddar cheese - 3/4 cup, shredded 

Method : 

1) First, proof the yeast (to make sure it's active/alive). Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and add the yeast and stir. Leave it aside for 10 mins or so till the yeast bubbles and foams. If it doesn't then the yeast is not good and this process must be restarted.  

2) In a stand mixer (or bowl if kneading by hand), stir together the flour, salt, herbs and spices, if using. Put the dough hook and add in the yeast mixture gradually on speed 2. In a few mins it will gather together into a dough (not unlike roti dough). 

3) Now continue to mix on speed 3 while gradually drizzling the olive oil for about 5-7 minutes until well kneaded and the dough is smooth and elastic. 

4) Rub some oil in a bowl, put the dough in, cover with a wet towel and leave to rest in a warm place ( I put it in the oven with a light on) until it doubles in size. It takes about an hour or so. 

5) Meanwhile, make the filling - combine, all the ingredients into a bowl (except the cheese) and set aside. 

6) Grease a baking pan with some butter/olive oil and set aside. 

7) Once the dough has proved, punch it down. Spread some flour and roll out the dough into a rectangle so it's about half inch thick. Now spread the garlic jalapeno butter filling evenly over it. Sprinkle the shredded cheese, if using,  uniformly. 

8) Roll up the dough (from the long side). Now cut it in half and then make equal cuts to create spiral rolls (as show in the picture). Lay them in the greased baking tin close to each other. 

9) Cover baking tin with a wet towel or a cling wrap and allow to rest in a warm place to rest and prove again for about 20 - 30 mins.  Melt some butter and brush on the top of the rolls just before popping them into the oven. 

10) Preheat oven to 375F and place rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or till golden brown. 

Enjoy the rolls while warm - they taste great as is or with some soup! 
We had these rolls as part of our Thanksgiving feast as well this year with some roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and some apple blueberry crisp :)