Zaa'tar and Cheese Stuffed Bread Rolls

I am finally dropping a dough recipe that I love and am so proud of!!! I have a love-hate relationship with dough- making it, kneading it, using it, and baking it. This is partially the reason as to why there isn't a dough recipe on my blog yet!

Zaa'tar and Cheese Stuffed Bread Rolls

What I like about this particular dough recipe is that it rises fairly quickly and uses yogurt! I believe that when yogurt is used in a dough recipe, it creates for a fluffier, more delicious bread. What I also like about this recipe is that you can stuff it with so many different things or leave it as is! I stuffed my rolls with a zaa'tar and cheese mixture and it was to die for.

Follow along for my dough and stuffing recipes, and step-by-step pictures and a video of how to make these!

ZAA'TAR AND CHEESE STUFFED BREAD ROLLS
Yields: 15-20 rolls, depending on size

INGREDIENTS:
For the dough:
- 2 cups of warm milk
-1/2 cup of plain yogurt
- 5.5 cups of flour
- 2 tablespoons of yeast
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 cup of good olive oil
- 1 egg
- sesame seeds
- nigella seeds
For the stuffing (this makes a lot, so you may have some stuffing left over).
- 10 ounces of queso fresco
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup of zaa'tar (I eyeballed this, refer to stuffing picture below to see how stuffing should look like)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil (also eyeballed, use just enough for the mixture to come together)

TO MAKE:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the dough attachment, add in the milk, yogurt, yeast, sugar, and only 2 cups of flour. Mix well with a whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, add the rest of the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder into a separate bowl. Mix that together.
3. Turn the mixture on low speed and add the rest of the flour/spice mixture in batches to the milk/yogurt mixture. Add in the olive oil and turn the mixture on medium speed until the dough begins to come together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 
4. When the dough comes together, turn it onto a floured surface and, using lightly floured hands, knead the dough gently by hand until it forms into a ball. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm area for 40-60 minutes until it has doubled in size.
6. In the meantime, make the filling. In a large bowl, crumble the queso fresco, add in the shredded cheese, zaa'tar, olive oil, and mix to combine. Set aside.
7. After the dough has risen, divide into balls. I made the dough balls fairly big, but you can make them smaller. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper that has been lightly oiled.
8. Allow the dough balls to rest for an additional 10-15 minutes, covered.
9. Take the balls and, on a lightly floured surface, form each into a flat disc. Add in a scoop of the zaa'tar-cheese mixture into the center, and bring in the edges of the dough to the center and pinch to close. Use your hands to even out the edges. Repeat with rest of dough.
10. Place the balls back on the baking tray. Beat the egg with a little bit of water to make an egg wash and brush the tops and sides of the dough balls with the egg wash. Top each ball with some sesame and nigella seeds.
11. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. As the oven is preheating, allow the dough balls to rest, covered.
12. Bake the dough balls for 20 minutes or until they are fully baked through and golden brown.
13. Enjoy warm!

Here is a video of how I flattened the dough, how much mixture I used for each ball, and how I wrapped it up and formed it into a ball!

The dough balls brushed with egg wash and topped with sesame and nigella seeds.

The zaa'tar and cheese mixture.

Dough formed into balls.