Is there honestly anyone out there who doesn’t love cheese and bacon rolls? Salty bacon bits mixed with stringy mozzarella on top of super soft bread…it doesn’t get much better than that. This recipe I am sharing with you is slightly different in that it uses a sweet milk bread instead of the traditional white bread. This gives the rolls a much softer texture which is something that must be experienced!
I have always wanted to make cheese and bacon rolls at home but I just never got around to doing it. That was until the day I was just curious about what they put into them and read the ingredients list on the package. It was surprising to see that something so simple had so many ingredients. A lot of them were things I have never heard before.

The cogs in my head started turning… very very slowly. Is this why the bread is so tasty and stays soft for so long? Is there something going on that I don’t know about? Any normal person would start researching to find answers but I am not that type of guy. So I decided to bypass all that academic stuff and make my own rolls instead!
So here is my version of cheese and bacon rolls with super soft milk bread!

Our Top Tips for Cheese and Bacon Rolls
- I use an electric mixer for this recipe. I haven’t tried and wouldn’t recommend trying to knead these by hand.
- For best results, the dough should have some elasticity to it at the end of the mixing phase. The time needed to get to this point will vary depending on how strong your mixer is. My mother’s mixer is a beast and is able to get good results in 20 minutes on a 3 setting. Mine on the other hand, is nowhere near as tough requires longer on a higher setting. So, make sure you tweak the time and setting to suit your machine.
- Setting the bread rolls 1.5 – 2 cm apart will cause them to touch once the second proof has ended. This will help retain moisture in the rolls and keep them soft for longer after baking.
- Connect the cheese! Yep, put enough cheese on each bread roll so that it connects with all the adjacent bread rolls (refer to picture). This will help keep cheese and bacon on top of the bread roll as it rises in the oven. Plus, can you really have enough cheese????
- Once the rolls are cooked, take them out of the baking tray and onto the cooling rack. Make sure the rolls are well ventilated above and below to avoid your rolls from getting soggy due to condensation.

Making the Cheese and Bacon Rolls
1 2 3 4 5 6
- Squeeze the dough out into a flat circle. Try to pop any air bubbles in your dough.
- Take one side and stretch it out with your fingers to form a point.
- Fold the point back into the centre of the dough.
- Repeat 3 more times.
- With your fingers, pull the edges of the dough into the middle until you form a ball.
- Turn the ball over and put it on the baking tray to proof for the second time.
Recipe Costing
This table shows how much this recipe will cost if you had to go out and buy everything on the ingredients list (“Shop Price”), as well as the value of ingredients actually used in the recipe (“Recipe Cost”).
We haven’t included optional ingredients or small quantities of salt, pepper or sugar as the cost would be negligible. All prices are in Australian dollars and are based off what was published on Coles Online or Woolworths Online as at time of writing.
Ingredient | Quantity Bought | Shop Price | Recipe Needs | Recipe Cost |
Bakers Flour | 5 kg | $10.00 | 500 gm | $1.00 |
Milk Powder | 1 kg pack | $5.70 | 2 tbsp (20 gm) | $0.11 |
Sugar | 1 kg pack | $1.00 | 1/3 cup | $0.10 |
Full Cream Milk | 1 L | $1.29 | 300 ml | $0.39 |
Unsalted Butter | 250 gm pack | $2.80 | 70 gm | $0.78 |
Dried Yeast | 280 gm | $4.40 | 3 tsp (15 gm) | $0.26 |
Bacon | 1 kg pack | $8.00 | 200 gm | $1.60 |
Mozzarella Cheese | 700 gm pack | $6.50 | 250 gm | $2.32 |
Egg | 12 pack | $4.20 | 2 | $0.35 |
Total | $43.89 | $6.91 |
Reheating & Storing Cheese and Bacon Rolls
- The bread rolls are usually good for about 1 – 2 days before they should go in the fridge.
- If you want to save them for longer, then put them in the freezer. Whenever you feel like one, leave it out to thaw and then reheat it in the microwave with a wet kitchen paper towel covering it.
- Store them in freezer bags to prevent them from drying out but only after they have completely cooled.
- When reheating, I have found it easiest to put it in the microwave for 15 seconds with a wet kitchen paper towel covering it. You will require a bit longer if your roll is frozen.

You’ll Also Love…
- My Ultimate Potato Salad
- Bacon and Egg Breakfast Pastries
- Cheap Tuna Melt Flat Bread Sandwich
- Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Linguine
- Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip
This Recipe Features In…
Thank you:
- Daily Mail Australia for featuring this recipe in your Savvy Mum Reveals How to Make 18 Coles Woolworths Classic Cheese and Bacon Rolls For Just $6 article. We had a good long laugh at the comments!
- 92.9FM Tamworth for featuring this recipe in your Top 10 Isolation Recipes. Check out their article for more recipes you can make while self-isolating.
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Scruff

Super Soft Cheese and Bacon Bread Rolls
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Dough hook attachment
Ingredients
Dough
- 70 gm butter, softened at room temperature
- 300 ml full cream milk
- 3 tsp dried yeast
- 500 gm bakers flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup white sugar (you can reduce the amount of sugar to suit your taste or add up to 1/2 cup in total to make it sweeter)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 2 tbsp oil
Egg Wash
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp milk
Topping
- 200 gm chopped bacon or to your preference
- 220 gm grated mozzarella cheese or to your preference
Instructions
- Cut the butter into cubes and leave it to soften at room temperature.
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 50 seconds. Mix the milk with a spoon then stir in the dry yeast. Set aside for the yeast to foam.
- In an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt and milk powder. Combine well.
- Add the milk and 1 egg to the mixer on setting 3 until combined.
- Slowly add the cubes of butter to the mixer on setting 3.
- Once the butter is combined, let the dough mix for 5 minutes on setting 3 or 4. Then let the dough rest for 3 minutes and then continue mixing for another 20 minutes. (Note 1)
- After 20 minutes, check the dough's elasticity by pulling on it with your fingers. If the dough stretches roughly 2 cm without tearing then it is ready. If not, then keep mixing until done. Please refer to the picture above for an example.
- Once done, line a large mixing bowl with oil. Oil your hands and remove the dough from the mixer. Pat some oil on the outside of the dough to make it easier to handle and then roll it into a ball with your hands. Place the dough into the large mixing bowl and cover it with a tea towel or cling film. Let it proof in a warm place for 1 hour. (Note 2)
- After 1 hour, take out the dough and weigh out 50 gm portions.
- Oil your hands and shape the dough into balls. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper at roughly 1.5 – 2 cm apart. Please refer to the pictures for an example.
- Cover the dough and let the dough proof for a further 45 mins or until doubled in size. (Note 3)
- Once the dough has finished proofing, preheat the oven at 180 C / 356 F. Then brush each bread roll with egg wash and place the chopped bacon on top. Sprinkle the cheese over each bread roll.
- Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until nice and golden at 180 C / 356 F fan forced.
- Immediately remove the bread from the baking tray and paper onto a cooling rack so that there is air above and beneath the bread rolls.
Notes
- The setting is varies on how strong your electric mixer is. Smaller ones that are weaker should use at least setting 4. Bigger and more powerful ones may only need setting 3.
- If you do not have a warm place to proof your dough, then put it in your oven at 40C or 104 F.
- If you have a shallow baking tray, then loosely cover the dough with cling film without anchoring it to the sides. Do not use a tea towel since it will be too heavy and prevent the dough from rising.
what is bakers flour?
Hi Laura! Bakers flour is just like another type flour like “all purpose” or “plain.” It is commonly used to make breads due to is high protein content. Hope it helps!
you guys are awsome thanks for the tips and recepies i may get fat now yum bacon n cheese rolls
Thank you for your kind words!
Hi recipe looks good. Need to add preheat the oven. Putting them into a cold oven won’t give very good results.
Thanks for the pickup! I have changed it now.
Aaaaaammmmaaaaazzziiiiinnnngggggg!!!!!! I just cannot believe how amazing these were. And not too hard to make either! I am very happy and very impressed. Thank you for sharing!
We are really happy that they worked out for you Zoe! Thank you for your kind words!
Hi,
Any idea how to use the breadmaker to knead the dough?
Janice
These are fabulous…. I’m making them as little mini milk buns (weighing out 20g instead of 50g) so that they’re perfect for school lunches.
Thanks Steph! That’s a great idea! Thank you for leaving us a comment!
My partner and child loved these and I use to enjoy making them! They have since been diagnosed as coeliacs with a dairy intolerance. Do you know if this will work with gluten free flour and almond milk? Thank you.
Can this recipe be made in a bread maker ?
Can this recipe be made without milk powder please?
Hi Keti! I have always added milk powder to this recipe so I am not sure how it will turn out with out it. Sorry!
Thanks so much for this recipe guys, I doubled the recipe & weighed them out as 35-40g rolls for my kids lunches and ended up with 50 rolls!!
Wow! So happy that you enjoyed our recipe! Thank you for leaving us a comment.
Turned out great! I’m Aussie living overseas and was suddenly craving the Woolies bacon and cheese rolls haha. This recipe tastes just like them! I did cut the yeast to 2 tsp and left the dough to proof for longer and I still got the 18 rolls. Will definitely make again!
We are so glad that the recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for leaving us a comment!
Hi why does the recipe need milk powder as well? Can it be skipped?
Hi Danielle! To be honest, this is my mums recipe. I have published it as is since I know it works. I am not sure if you can skip the milk powder but I can’t see why not. Hope it turns out OK!
Hi! So was wondering how to knead the dough if I don’t have a dough hook? I only had a hand held mixer unfortunately!
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, you are going to have to do it manually. Sorry!
Fantastic recipe. I used my bread machine for kneading process and first proving.
I also used a yeast and bread improver mix. The flour mix I replaced 100g of the plain flour with wholemeal s/r flour. I also partially melted butter before putting in bread machine
The results was a lovely fluffy bun I topped it with a mix of tasty and mozzarella cheese with the bacon
Glad it worked out well for you Sheryn!