Rosemary Bread Rolls Stuffed With Cheese and Chilli Paste and a Giveaway

If there is one food that I love and wouldn't be able to live without, it would have to be bread rolls. When I was a little girl, they were a staple around the house and Mummy was an expert at creating different flavors and fillings to entice us.

Sometimes she would stuff it with chicken and vegetables. Other times it would be smoked shredded beef. Often she would delight us with a nutella filling.

I loved the anticipation that came with taking my first bite, waiting for the flavors to explode and discovering a new filling.

Now that I have a little girl, the similarities between us are striking. It seems she has a love of bread just like her Mummy. 'With butter?' she'll ask? Yes, bread always has to slathered with copious amounts of butter. And of course, the butter has to be soft and room temperature! Otherwise, she has now learnt to hold the little butter packets tightly in her palm to get them to soften. Smart girl, isn't she?

Although this isn't my Mummy's recipe, Maryam loves this soft pillowy bread roll that my friend makes. It's certainly a roll with character- scented with fresh rosemary and garlic. I chose to fill it with an Arabic cheese called Kiri cheese (a type of cream cheese) and added some chili paste for the adults. Just like my friend does.

As the roll bloomed and baked and scented the house with rosemary, I waited. And waited. And tapped my fingers. And imagined sharing this flavorful and fluffy ball of goodness with Mummy. Would she approve of this new filling? I think so, no?

Bread rolls make a regular appearance on our Iftar tables- they're easy to make, can be prepared in advance and small enough to be eaten as finger foods. Would you like me to share with you a chicken bread recipe next time?

And now on to the giveaway. Well, it's a rather special one. Earlier this year, I bought a ticket to attend the Food Blogger Connect in London UK from 12- 14th August. There will be renowned speakers including Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen and Todd and and Diane of White on Rice Couple. The ticket also includes a special pass to attend a food photography and styling workshop with Beatrice Peltre of La Tartine Gourmande.

Due to personal circumstances, I won't be able to attend. So I'm giving away one ticket worth nearly $600 to a lucky reader. This giveaway has not been sponsored by any company. You are responsible for your own travel and stay to the venue. This giveaway is open to readers worldwide. More information about the venue and speakers can be found on the Food Blogger Connect website.

Here is how you can take part in the giveaway (you have multiple chances of entering by doing one or more of the following):

1) Follow @sispandspoonful on Twitter

2) Follow Sips and Spoonfuls on Facebook

3) Subscribe to Sips and Spoonfuls by email (link on the upper right corner)

4) Tweet the following : I entered to win a free ticket to #FBC11 via @sipsandspoonful http://t.co/KtAwmiO #giveaway

PLEASE REMEMBER: Leave a separate comment for EACH of your entries or only one entry will be counted.

Good luck. The giveaway will end on Tuesday 9th August at midnight. One winner will be selected at random from a valid entry. Be sure to leave an email as I will be emailing you straight away to pass you the ticket. You will need to claim the prize within 24 hours or another winner will be chosen.

Rosemary Bread Rolls Stuffed With Cheese and Chili Paste

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
2 tbs freshly chopped rosemary (you can substitute any herb of choice or even dried herbs)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs margarine
Warm water- enough to make a soft dough
Kiri cream cheese
Chili paste (optional)
Extra flour for rolling
1 egg yolk
1 tbs freshly chopped rosemary

Directions:

Mix the first six ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the margarine and mix the dough till it resembles breadcrumbs. Add enough warm water to form a soft and pliable dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until double in size.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into four equal balls (if you want larger rolls than mine, you can divide it into 3 balls). Roll the ball into a disc that is a 1/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into half horizontally and vertically so that you have 4 triangle. Cut each triangle into half again so you are left with 8 triangles all together.

Take a triangle with the widest side close to you. Put about 1 tsp of the cheese (mine were pre cut into small rectangles) and a few drops of chili paste. Roll the triangle up towards the tip (the narrowest side) and tuck the tip under your crescent shape. The ends can be twisted inwards to give the same shape as above. Place on a baking tray.

Repeat with the other 3 dough balls. Cover the baking tray with a clean cloth and let the bread rise again for 30 minutes. Once risen, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle the remaining rosemary. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

You can vary the herbs and filling to your liking or just make the rolls plain without a filling.

Here is a helpful video tutorial to shape the bread in a crescent (although I didn't find it necessary to make the small slit at the beginning).