Garlic It Up

“Life’s such a treat and it’s time you taste it”

Theme song by KISS “Lick It Up” from Lick It Up
Listen on Spotify
Listen on YouTube

Listen to the More Recipes About Music & Food Spotify Playlist

Let’s be clear. I have no real issues with KISS up until Love Gun. KISS Alive is perhaps one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. One of the reasons I started this recipe site was a KISS-inspired Detroit Coney hot dog. However, somewhere, despite decades of undeserved success, KISS lost the rock thread. I have zero ideas why hardcore fans have stuck it out through Disco KISS, Pop KISS, and the cheesy faux Hair Metal KISS of the theme song here. Sure, this is a somewhat decent party song, but certainly not the stellar level of rock KISS promised us early in their career.

It is, however, the perfect cheesy theme song for a cheesy garlic bread roll. This is part of my neverending King Arthur Baking fanboy obsession. The base dough here is actually a cinnamon roll dough but works brilliantly for savory rolls. You could make these in a traditional cake pan or square pan, but they truly rock in a cast iron pan. So, what I’m saying is, get a cast iron pan.

GARLIC IT UP ROLLS
Garlic butter, mozzarella, & parmesan in a roll
(adapted from King Arthur Baking)

For the tangzhong
113g whole milk
23g  unbleached bread flour

For the dough
151g whole milk, cold
300g unbleached bread flour
6g kosher salt
25g granulated sugar
7g instant yeast
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg

Garlic Mozzarella
12 cloves of garlic, grated
1 stick of butter, softened
2 tablespoons olive oil
5-ounces low moisture mozzarella, shredded
2-ounces parmesan, grated

For the egg wash
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

To make the tangzhong
Combine both the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bucket of a bread machine (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).

To make the dough
Weigh your flour or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. 

Add the cold milk, then the flour and remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order listed; the heat from the tangzhong will help to warm the cold milk.

Mix — by hand, on low speed of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, or in a bread machine set to the dough cycle — to bring the dough together. Next, knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and tacky. This will take up to 15 minutes by hand, 10 to 12 minutes on the medium-low speed of a mixer, or the length of the dough cycle in a bread machine.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable cover.

Let the dough rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 to 90 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen).

To make the filling
While the dough is rising, put the softened butter, garlic, and olive oil into a medium bowl. Stir to create a garlic butter paste. Set aside.

To assemble the rolls
Lightly grease a cast-iron skillet.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and press it into a 10” x 12” rectangle that’s about 1/2” thick. For evenly shaped rolls, try to pat the dough into an actual rectangle (with corners), rather than an oval. Spread the garlic butter over the dough, covering all but a 1/2” strip along one long side. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the filling.

Starting with the filling-covered long side, roll the dough into a log. Score the dough lightly into eight equal 1 1/2” to 2” pieces. Cut the dough at the score marks. Dental floss will give you the cleanest cut: pull off a long piece of floss, loop it underneath the log at the score mark, and pull the ends in opposite directions to cut the dough. Repeat until you’ve cut all of the rolls. If you don’t have dental floss, a bench knife or sharp knife will work.

Place the rolls onto the prepared skillet arranging them first around the sides of the skillet then placing the last (if you have an extra) in the center. To prevent them from unraveling while they rise and bake, tuck the ends of the spirals underneath the rolls so that they’re held in place.

Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover and let them rise for 30 to 60 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen). The rolls should be puffy and the dough shouldn’t bounce back immediately when gently pressed.

About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake, position a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Make the egg wash by mixing together the milk and egg. Brush the tops of all the rolls. Bake the rolls for 14 to 18 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of one roll reads 190°F. Bake for the lesser amount of time for extra-soft rolls, and the longer amount of time for rolls with a bit more color and slightly firmer texture.

Remove the rolls from the oven and place the skillet on a rack to allow the rolls to cool. When cool, remove the rolls from the skillet and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.