About This Recipe
Everyone seems so obsessed with Mary Grace Cheese Rolls, so this time, I wanted to give their ensaymada the spotlight. I searched for the components Mary Grace uses in their ensaymada and recreated it using a rich brioche dough, but with my own touch I added mashed potato for an extra soft and pillowy texture. Finished with generous butter, sugar, and Edam cheese, this is my Ensaymada à la Mary Grace.
Ingredients
- 200g Bread Flour
- 162g All-Purpose Flour
- 150g Mashed Potato (boiled until tender, mashed until smooth, and completely cooled)
- 170g Milk
- 6g Instant Dry Yeast
- 30–60g Sugar
- 5g Salt
- 50g Butter
- 1 Egg
Filling
- 225g Cheddar Cheese (cut lengthwise into 15g sticks)
Topping
- Unsalted Butter (softened, for brushing)
- 4 tbsp Powdered Milk
- 2 tbsp Sugar (combined with powdered milk)
Instructions
- Combine bread flour, all-purpose flour, milk, instant dry yeast, sugar, salt, and egg. Mix until no dry patches of flour remain.
- Add the cooled mashed potato and knead until fully incorporated and the dough begins to develop strength.
- Add the softened butter and continue kneading until completely absorbed and the dough becomes smooth, soft, and reaches the elastic, stretchy stage.
- Shape into a ball, cover, and allow to ferment until doubled in size. Once doubled, gently degas the dough.
- (Optional but Recommended): Cover the degassed dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. This firms up the soft potato dough for easier handling.
- Divide the dough into 55g portions. Keep them covered while working to prevent drying.
- Flatten each portion, place a 15g cheese stick in the center, wrap the dough securely around the cheese, and pinch the seams tightly. Arrange seam-side down on the baking tray.
- Cover and let the rolls ferment for the final proof until noticeably puffy. Use the fingertip poke test to check if they are ready.
- For Conventional Ovens: Preheat and bake at 175°C (Bottom Heat) / 150°C (Top Heat) for approximately 18 minutes. The goal is a soft texture with white to very pale tops (avoid browning).
- For Convection Ovens: Preheat and bake at 150–160°C for 14–15 minutes, watching closely near the end as fan forced heat colors the surface faster.
- While the rolls are still slightly warm, brush the surfaces with softened unsalted butter and coat evenly with the milk-sugar topping mixture.
Tips
- Follow the mixing order: main dough ingredients → mashed potato → knead → butter → finish kneading.
- Make sure the mashed potato is completely cooled before adding it to the dough.
- Some stickiness is normal because this is a soft potato dough. Avoid adding too much additional flour.
- Complete the first fermentation until the dough doubles in size, then degas before refrigerating.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for easier handling. If you prefer, you can shape immediately after degassing.
- Use only a small amount of flour while shaping if the dough feels sticky.
- Keep the dough covered while handling, portioning and shaping to prevent the surface from drying.
- Portion at 55g dough per roll and use 15g cheddar cheese per roll.
- Cut the cheese lengthwise. The length of your cheese stick will help determine how long you shape each cheese roll.
- Use the poke test for the final fermentation instead of relying only on a fixed proofing time.
- For conventional baking, use 175°C bottom / 150°C top for around 18 minutes.
- For convection baking, use 150–160°C for around 14–15 minutes, adding more time only if necessary.
- The goal is soft cheese rolls with white to very pale tops.