Scallion Dinner Rolls (w/ Vegan Option)

Fluffy dinner rolls topped with savory mayonnaise and scallion are the perfect savory snack or side dish!

Who doesn’t love a good dinner roll? They’re pillowy soft and great by itself or paired with other foods. Step up your dinner roll game with these Chinese bakery-style rolls that are topped with mayonnaise and scallion. The mayonnaise melts like butter and the scallions roast in the oven. Your entire home will smell so fragrant from the roasted scallions.

Raw scallions have a sharp and pungent flavor that may be unpleasant, but they lose the sharpness and become quite sweet once they’re cooked in the oven. The combination of fluffy bread with the scallion topping is an East Asian classic. The best part is, these dinner rolls are quick and easy to make and can be kneaded in a stand mixer or by hand. If kneading by hand, the knead time is slightly longer, which I have included below. Hand kneading time may vary, so you may use the windowpane test to test if the gluten in the dough has developed enough.

The rolls are small so I enjoy making sliders with them. I recommend burger patties, meatballs, cheese and jams, and ham and cheese. They also serve as great side dishes for entrees, especially those with sauces.

This recipe yields 18 small rolls in an 11 x 7 in pan. You can make 15 larger rolls instead in the same size pan. The recipe can easily be made vegan, for which I have included the instructions for as well. If you are making this recipe in cold weather, the water temperature will need to be about 85-88 F. In hotter weather, the water temperature can be around 80-83 F. Do not overheat the water, as it can kill the yeast.

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Scallion Dinner Rolls

yield: 18 rolls (11 x 7 in. pan)

Ingredients:

For bread:

• 300 g. or 2 c. + 3 tbsp. bread flour
• 22 g. or 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3 g. or 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 g. or 1 1/4 tsp. active yeast
• 112 g. or 1/2 c. minus 1 tsp. room temperature water
• 90g. or 1/3 c. + 1 tbsp. warm milk (any fat percentage) (use plant-based for vegan)
• 30 g. or 2 tbsp. butter, softened (use plant-based for vegan)

For topping:

• 100 g. or 1 1/3 c. green onions/scallions, chopped
• 20 g. or 4 tsp. oil
• 2 g. or 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 g. or 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 42-56 g. or 3-4 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 beaten egg for egg wash (use plant-based milk for vegan)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine bread flour, sugar, and salt and mix with a spatula. Add yeast, water, and warm milk and knead on medium speed (setting 4) for 8 min (15 min. for hand-knead). Add softened butter in and knead for an additional 5 min (8 min. for hand-knead).
2. Roll dough into a smooth ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hr to double in size.
3. Punch the dough to remove air and divide dough into 18 equal pieces using a scale. Dough should be about 30 g. each. Roll each dough into a ball and place them about 1 cm. apart on your work surface. Cover with cloth and rest for 10 min.
4. Place the rolls in baking pan lined with parchment paper in 6 x 3 formation and cover and rise for 45 min in a warm place.
5. Meanwhile, to make the filling, combine green onions, oil, salt, and white pepper. Place mayonnaise in a small piping bag.
6. Preheat oven to 375 F.
7. Once the bread has doubled in size, lightly brush the top with egg wash. Then use a pair of scissors to cut a slit on top of each bread roll. Slit should be about 1 cm. deep. Pipe a strip of mayo into the slit and top with green onion mixture.
8. Bake bread for 25 min. or until golden brown at 375 F. If the top is browning too quickly, you may put foil on top.
9. Remove from oven, cool for 5 min, and enjoy!

*Nutrition facts are estimates.