003 / 75 · Centerpieces with a twist

Pear, Onion and Blue Cheese Tear-and-Share

12 filled bread spirals, one per buffet portion · Active 35 min · Cook 50 min · Total 3 hr

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Pear and blue cheese usually meet on a cold board. Here they are rolled into soft bread with cooked onion, so the tray pulls apart into twelve small savory spirals.

Jump to ingredients

Twelve pear, onion and blue cheese bread spirals in one pan.

Dry the filling before rolling

Cook the onion and pear until there is no puddle in the skillet. Hot or wet filling makes a soft dough difficult to handle and can leave a gummy seam. Spread the cooked mixture on a plate to lose its heat while the dough rises.

Measure the log before cutting

A 36 cm log gives twelve 3 cm pieces. Mark the center first, then quarters, then divide each quarter into three. Even pieces rise and bake more consistently than a first large roll followed by increasingly small ends.

Ingredients

  • 250 g strong white bread flour (about 2 cups), plus up to 10 g for the work surface
  • 150 ml pasteurized milk (½ cup + 2 tablespoons), warmed to lukewarm, not hot
  • 1 large egg, 50 g without shell
  • 15 ml olive oil (1 tablespoon), for dough
  • 10 g sugar (about 2½ teaspoons)
  • 5 g instant yeast (about 1½ teaspoons)
  • 4 g fine salt (about ⅔ teaspoon)
  • 220 g/8 oz onion, thinly sliced
  • 150 g/5¼ oz prepared firm pear, cut into 5 mm/¼ in pieces
  • 10 ml olive oil (2 teaspoons), for filling and pan, divided 8 ml and 2 ml
  • 100 g/3½ oz blue cheese, crumbled
  • 0.5 g black pepper (¼ teaspoon)

Set out

Oven, 23 × 33 cm/9 × 13 in metal baking pan, at least 3 L/3 qt usable capacity, Mixing bowl, Small saucepan, Skillet, Knife and boards, Kitchen scale, Rolling pin, Ruler, Spoon, Clean plate, Cover for dough, Wire rack, Foil for shielding the bread top, Food thermometer, Refrigerator and storage containers

Allergens

Wheat, Milk, Egg. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Mix 250 g flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Beat milk, egg and 15 ml oil together, then mix into the flour. Knead 8–10 minutes until elastic. Use only the extra flour needed to prevent sticking. Cover and let rise about 60 minutes until noticeably doubled.
  2. Meanwhile heat 8 ml oil in the skillet. Cook onion over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring; add pear and pepper and cook another 5 minutes until softened and no liquid collects. Spread on the plate and cool. Grease the pan with the remaining 2 ml oil.
  3. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 36 × 24 cm/14 × 9½ in rectangle. Spread all the cooled onion and pear over it, leaving a 1 cm edge. Scatter all the blue cheese evenly. Roll from a 36 cm edge into a 36 cm log. Pinch the seam and cut 12 equal 3 cm/1¼ in rounds.
  4. Arrange cut-side up in 4 rows of 3 or 3 rows of 4 to suit the pan, with room to expand. Cover and rise 30–35 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F/190°C during this rise.
  5. Bake 30–35 minutes until golden and fully baked at the central bread seams; the bread center should reach about 190°F/88°C, with no wet dough when a middle roll is opened. Protect the top loosely with foil if needed and extend baking. Rest 15 minutes before separating into 12 rolls.

Bring it

Take the rolls in their pan with a clean cover, carried hot at 140°F/60°C or above or chilled at 40°F/4°C or below. They are perishable filled bread. Combine unprotected journey and display time within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.

Finish at the gathering

A chilled roll can be served cold from a temperature-controlled tray. For warm bread, arrange a 325°F/165°C oven and foil; allow about 20–25 minutes and check 165°F/74°C in the filling.

Make it yours

Serve the whole grid for people to pull apart, or separate the 12 rolls beforehand for a queue. The pear makes this especially useful for a winter cheese supper without any holiday-specific shape.

Ingredient labels

Bread flour contains wheat; milk, egg and blue cheese are included. Check cheese for its full ingredient/allergen label.

A useful detail

The 180-minute estimate includes two rises, up to 35 minutes baking and a 15-minute rest. The filling cooks during the first rise. A cold room can extend proving; use doubled and puffy dough as the rise cues.

Another way

  • Use 100 g mature cheddar instead of blue cheese for a milder tray; keep the cooked onion and pear quantities.
  • Replace pear with 150 g prepared crisp apple and cook until softened with no pooled juice.

Keep it well

Refrigerate cooled filled rolls promptly at 40°F/4°C or below; use within 3 days or an earlier cheese deadline. Keep the Bring it handling limits across packing and service. Reheat covered rolls to 165°F/74°C. Freeze promptly chilled individual rolls for up to 1 month for quality and thaw in the refrigerator.