Savory vs. Sweet Buns
Savory buns don’t get enough hype. Sure, cinnamon and cardamom buns are one of the greatest things the world has ever given us (not an exaggeration, we truly believe this), but savory buns deserve just as much credit. One of our favorite meals in the wintertime is a bowl of hot soup paired with a bread roll. Whether it’s a plain roll, garlic bread, a cheese and prosciutto stuffed bun, or one of these ostesnurrer, it just completes the meal. But then again, we’re Danish, and so bread is like water to us – necessary for life!
Cheesy Goodness
These delicious ostesnurrer are gooey and soft in the middle with a crisp outside. The pools of melted cheese are heavenly, and the garlic, black pepper, and olive oil give the bun an amazing flavor. The dough is made with a little bit of whole wheat flour. This gives it a sweeter flavor than if it were 100% bread flour or all-purpose. But this works perfectly with the salty, savory cheese filling, and also makes the bun a bit more nutritious.
Making Ostesnurrer!
If you don’t have whole wheat flour on hand, that’s totally fine. This recipe will work great with just all-purpose or bread flour! The recipe itself is pretty straightforward. Mix the dough and knead for 10 minutes. It should pass the windowpane test. Let it proof until doubled in size, then roll out into a rectangle. Top with the oil, garlic, and cheese. Fold the bottom of the rectangle over the top, cut into strips, and twist. Don’t worry if you lose a bit of cheese during this step – it’s inevitable! Let the buns proof again, and use the poke test to check if they’re ready. Bake, and enjoy these delicious, cheesy buns!
Ostesnurrer (Cheese Twists)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast, or 1 packet (2.25 tsp) active dry yeast or 17.5g fresh yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 grams (3/4 cups + 2 tbsp) whole wheat flour
- 250 grams (2 cups + 1 tbsp) bread flour, or all-purpose
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 egg for egg wash
FILLING
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 cloves finely chopped garlic (your preference on how much!)
- 120 grams (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Black pepper
Instructions
- If using active dry yeast or fresh yeast, heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add your yeast, stir, and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. If using instant yeast, there is no need to dissolve it, and you can add it directly to a mixing bowl/bowl of a stand mixer with the milk!
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add your yeast and milk mixture (or separate ingredients if using instant yeast) to the egg mixture and mix together.
- Add the whole wheat flour to the mixture.
- Measure out your bread (or all-purpose) flour in a separate bowl. Add about half of it to start. Start kneading the dough and add more flour as needed. You may not end up using all of the bread flour – make sure your dough is not too dry, but doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl as you are kneading it. Either by hand or using a stand mixer, knead the dough for 10 minutes until it passes the window pane test.
- Cover your dough and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Right before your dough is ready, mix together your olive oil, garlic (finely chopped, or you can use a garlic press), and black pepper in a bowl for the filling.
- Once doubled in size, turn out your dough onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 12" by 16" in length.
- Brush your dough with the olive oil and garlic mixture.
- Distribute your cheese over the top half of the dough.
- Fold the bottom half of the dough over the top. Cut your dough into 12 equal sized strips (about 1 inch in width).
- To make the twists, start by holding one end of the dough down and twist the strip while it is still on the surface.
- Once twisted, lift the strip and twist it around your index and middle finger about two times.
- Seal the ends together through the middle of the twist by pressing them together – this will help keep them from unravelling.
- Place the twists on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With twelve twists, you will very likely need to bake them on two baking sheets. You can bake them at the same time if you move the oven racks in the oven to a more spaced out position, or you can bake the sheets one at a time on the center rack.
- Cover the twists (with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel) and let them rise for a second time, about 45 minutes until they pass the poke test – when you poke the dough, it should not spring back immediately, but leave a slight indentation. If any of the twists have unraveled, make sure to reseal the ends in the center of the twist. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Egg wash your twists and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool slightly on a wire rack before enjoying. If they cool down all the way, you can heat them back up in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Enjoy!
Great recipe, thank you! 💖 My mum told me she was full and only wanted half a bun but immediately took the other half after her first bite 😆
Haha, that’s great – we are so happy to hear it! Definitely an impossible task to only eat half of one of these 😂 But so happy you both enjoyed it and thank you for leaving a comment and review!