Dinner Roll Recipe with Dates and Blue Cheese

A yeast-raised dinner roll recipe with blue cheese, dates, rosemary, and sea salt. These homemade rolls are the best roll recipe for Thanksgiving!

What Inspired This Dinner Roll Recipe?

When it comes to cheese preferences, blue cheese definitely ranks at the top of my list. Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Cabrales, Danish Bleu Cheese…I love them all!

During one of our cheese lectures at Le Cordon Bleu London, we sampled a blue cheese that had been aged in the refrigerator for more than a year! Some of my classmates weren’t terribly anxious to try this mouldy manifestation, but I thought it was the best cheese we tasted all night.

I am particularly fond of adding cheese to my bread doughs, and blue cheese is no exception. (If you haven’t already, be sure to try my blue cheese bread with raisins and walnuts, or this pear and hazelnut bread with blue cheese, or even these blue cheese, leek, and walnut hand pies.) I love that cheese pairs equally well with both savory ingredients (such as herbs and olives) as well as sweet ingredients like honey, pears, raisins, apples, and figs.

In this dinner roll recipe, I’ve used dried pitted dates to create a sweet contrast with the sharp, pungent blue cheese. I chose Gorgonzola for this batch of blue cheese rolls, but a cheese such as Stilton will also work nicely.

When to Serve Homemade Rolls

A basket of these homemade dinner rolls adds a warm, freshly-baked touch to dinnertime, enhancing gatherings both big and small. Some of my favorite ways to serve these blue cheese rolls include:

• Holiday Celebrations: This is one of my go-to dinner roll recipes for Thanksgiving, and they’re great for Christmas dinner, too!  Try pairing with turkey or ham, stuffing, cranberry compote, and an assortment of vegetable sides.
• Family Dinners: I love serving these for a regular weeknight dinner,alongside a hearty stew or a bowl of vegetarian no-chicken noodle soup.
• Sunday Brunches: The dates in this dinner roll recipe lean just sweet enough to make them suitable for breakfast or brunch. Serve warm blue cheese rolls as part of a spread with eggs, bacon, and a homemade fruit salad.
• Picnics and Potlucks: Pack freshly made bread rolls into your picnic basket, or bring a basket of homemade rolls to a potluck or family reunion.
• Dinner Parties: Impress dinner party guests by serving homemade rolls, rather than the store-bought kind.

Blue Cheese Dinner Roll Recipe Tips and Tricks

This bread roll recipe offers plenty of room for creativity. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute another cheese, such as cheddar, asiago, or gruyère.

If you don’t have fresh rosemary on hand, try adding a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves to your dinner roll dough instead. I do not recommend using dried herbs in this recipe.

For a crunchy element, add a few tablespoons of chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans. To incorporate, knead the nuts in along with the dates, cheese, and rosemary, then proceed with the recipe as written.

Herbs de Provence oil adds depth of flavor to these dinner rolls. (It’s also nice to have on hand for both baking and savory cooking!) However, olive oil will work just as well. Or, try another herb-infused olive oil, such as basil oil.

Scaling the Dough

If you do not own a kitchen scale, I highly suggest purchasing one. Kitchen scales are inexpensive and readily available via Amazon, or in any houseware, grocery, or big box store. Baking by weight is far more accurate than using measuring cups. Using a scale also means less food waste, and there are fewer dishes to wash, too!

Scaling the dough is important in order to achieve uniformity in the size and shape of your dinner rolls. If you do not have a kitchen scale (and do not mind “rustic” rolls of varying shapes and sizes!) you can estimate the size of each ball of dough.

If you don’t own a scale, you can shape the dough into a loaf of bread rather than individual rolls. Simply form it into a ball following the first rise. Prove on the parchment-lined tray for an hour, score as desired, and bake until golden brown. You will need to increase the bake time in order to bake one large loaf; it will take approximately 40-50 minutes in total.

(But really…just buy a kitchen scale! I promise you won’t regret it!)

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

These dinner rolls are best enjoyed on the day they are made. Store leftovers in a bread bag at room temperature for up to one day.

Homemade bread rolls can also be frozen. Wrap individual rolls in a layer of clingfilm/plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil, and freeze in a plastic storage bag for up to three months.

Other bread recipes you might enjoy:

Everything Bagel Bread
Rustic Cheese and Olive Bread
Blue Cheese Bread
Pear and Hazelnut Bread

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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