Southland Cheese Rolls

New Zealand sandwich-bread rolls filled with warm cheesy onion sauce and baked until golden.

Preparation: 20 min · Cooking: 14 min · Total: 46 min · 4 servings

Ingredients

• 360 g soft sandwich bread — 12 thin slices, about 30 g each; check wheat allergens
• 250 g mature cheddar cheese — finely grated
• 50 g onion — one small onion, finely diced
• 150 ml evaporated milk — unsweetened evaporated milk, not condensed milk
• 5 g mustard powder — dry mustard powder
• 20 g butter — melted for brushing
• 16 g onion soup powder — check label for wheat, soy and other allergens

Instructions

1. Prepare bread, onion and cheese

   Lay out 12 soft sandwich-bread slices (360 g total). Finely dice 50 g onion and finely grate 250 g mature cheddar; keep the cheese chilled until the filling is ready.

2. Warm the milk and seasonings

   In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir 150 ml unsweetened evaporated milk with the 50 g onion, 5 g mustard powder and 16 g onion soup powder for 3–4 minutes until steaming and the onion starts to soften. Do not boil hard.

3. Melt the cheese and cool filling

   Remove the pan from the heat and stir in all 250 g grated cheddar until melted into a thick, spreadable filling. Let it cool for about 10 minutes until warm rather than runny or scalding; use a clean spoon to check.

   Cool the filling: 600 seconds

4. Spread and roll the bread

   Divide all the warm cheese filling across the 12 bread slices, about 39 g per slice, in a strip with a little border. Roll each slice firmly around the filling and place seam-side down on a lined baking tray so it stays closed.

5. Preheat and butter the rolls

   Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan) with a rack in the middle. Melt 20 g butter and brush it thinly over the outside of all 12 rolls; do not soak the bread.

6. Bake until golden

   Bake the rolls on the middle rack at 180°C conventional (160°C fan) for 8–10 minutes. Check at 8 minutes and remove when the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese filling is hot and melted, not leaking out.

   Bread golden and crisp; cheese filling hot and melted without heavy leakage.

   Bake the cheese rolls: 480 seconds

7. Rest and serve hot

   Rest the tray for 2 minutes so the cheese is no longer scalding. Serve three hot rolls per person for four people. Contains milk and wheat; check the soup-powder and bread labels for soy and other allergens.

Tips

• Let the cheese filling thicken as it cools before rolling, or it may leak out.

Common mistakes

• Do not use sweetened condensed milk; evaporated milk is unsweetened and makes a savoury filling.

Substitutions

• If mustard powder is unavailable, use 10 g prepared mustard instead and check its allergens; the filling will be slightly wetter.

Storage

Cool cooked rolls promptly and refrigerate covered at 4°C or below within 2 hours; eat within 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat refrigerated rolls in a 180°C oven until the filling reaches 74°C throughout, then rest briefly and serve hot. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

About this recipe

Southland cheese rolls are a New Zealand savoury snack: soft bread encloses a cheesy onion filling before being grilled or baked until crisp. They are sometimes nicknamed “Southland sushi.”

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.