FLAKY MOZZARELLA ROLLS

Since early age, we are taught to associate baking and pastry with feelings of comfort and cosiness. With the much colder weather approaching, what better way to keep the chill away, then with a batch of crispy, golden Mozzarella rolls.

They do not take a lot of time, and they are very easy to put together – start to finish they take about an hour of your time. If you are so inclined, feel free to lightly sprinkle them with minced pepperoncini right before rolling up the dough.

Ingredients
200 grams Feta cheese
200 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
300 grams Graham flour
½ teaspoon salt
250 grams Mozzarella cheese, grated

Preparation

Place the softened butter into a large bowl, and use an electric mixer on a medium setting to cream the butter until it becomes smooth and lighter in colour. Add in the Feta cheese, along with the salt, and blend on a lower setting until just combined. When blended, increase the speed and whisk until completely creamy. Start gradually adding in the sifted flour, blending with the whisk at first, then with a wooden spoon or a sturdy, reliable spatula, until you get a very soft and pliable dough. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, so the butter can firm up slightly, making the further rolling and slicing easier.

Lightly flour the work surface, either with Graham or plain flour, and quickly roll out the dough to about 5 millimetres thick, then lavishly cover the whole surface with freshly grated Mozzarella cheese, making sure you leave one end of the dough bare, so the dough rolls could be sealed properly. Brush a small amount of cold water on the bare edge of the dough, and starting from the opposite side, roll it into a tight log, just as you would a Swiss roll.

Using a very sharp knife, carefully divide the dough into 16 equal rolls, and arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, cut side down. Although these rolls have no leavening agent in them, do space them apart generously, as they will bake crispier on the edges that way. Bake them in a preheated oven, at 200°C (400°F), for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Serve them immediately, either with tomato sauce or plain. Yields 16 rolls, 8 servings.