By Made with pantry staples, these high protein dinner rolls pack in 6g of protein per roll as opposed to the standard 2g. Not only that, but they have the same amount of calories as your grandma's rolls, but with the most insanely delicious, fluffy texture, making them, dare I say, better? Let's roll!
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I'm a baked goods snob. I only like the best of the best, but I do very much love a good pastry, roll, or coffee shop treat. Honestly, I would rather eat my calories than drink them in a sweet latte.
After spending many days developing my cottage cheese high-protein cinnamon rolls, I realized that making a healthy bread roll recipe is actually very, very doable and very, very good. These cottage cheese dinner rolls are perfect for the holidays or just dinner alongside our high-protein Tuscan chicken (you already have cottage cheese so why not have a cottage cheese dinner too?).
Jump to:
- how do these cottage cheese dinner rolls compare?
- why no protein powder?
- the best resting place
- key ingredients & swaps
- the right bowl and spoon
- step by step: tips to nail this high protein rolls recipe every time
- my thoughts on cold rising
- can I use full fat cottage cheese?
- customize your dinner rolls
- can I freeze homemade dinner rolls?
- this + protein dinner rolls = the perfect meal!
- Recipe
how do these cottage cheese dinner rolls compare?
So what makes these cottage cheese dinner rolls different from the standard rolls? Well, besides tasting AMAZING, here's a breakdown of the nutrition differences:
| Dinner Roll | Protein | Calories | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| These cottage cheese rollsOur RecipeNo powder | 6g | 135 | 25g | 1g |
| Typical homemade dinner roll | 2g | 106 | 18g | 2g |
| Pillsbury crescent rolls | 3g | 160 | 25g | 5g |
Nutrition is per single roll. Homemade roll data based on a standard yeast roll recipe. Pillsbury data from package label.
That's 2x the protein from Pillsbury dinner rolls and 3x typical homemade dinner rolls. The secret? Cottage cheese and egg whites pack in the protein instead of chalky protein powder!
why no protein powder?
You might notice other high-protein roll recipes out there that use protein powder or protein flour to pump up the numbers. We don't do that here - and there's a good reason.
Protein powder changes the texture of baked goods. It makes bread dense, dry, and crumbly. We wanted dinner rolls that actually taste like dinner rolls: soft, pillowy, and something you'd be proud to put on a holiday table.
Instead, we use cottage cheese and egg whites as our protein base. These are whole food ingredients that have been used in bread baking for decades. Cottage cheese adds moisture and tenderness (similar to how ricotta works in our lemon ricotta rolls), while egg whites provide structure and protein without any grittiness.
the best resting place
When you leave bread to rise in a warm resting place, it can be troublesome to find the perfect temperature. Here's where I find bread dough likes best:
- In the oven with the oven off but the light on
- In the microwave with the door ajar and the light on
- Underneath the overhead microwave light (sitting on the stove top)
- Or, leave it overnight in the fridge, but then it needs to come to room temperature before rolling out, so the dough can relax
key ingredients & swaps
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Yeast: Be sure to use active dry yeast or Instant yeast. If the yeast doesn't bloom when added to the warm water, then it's not good anymore. Yeast will keep for a long time when kept in the fridge, but at room temperature, it can lose its power quickly.
- Sugar: Be sure to use white sugar or honey so the yeast has something to feed on just like in our lemon ricotta rolls.
- Egg whites: These add protein and help with a super-tender crumb. We also need an egg for the egg wash top.
- Cottage cheese: Blend this with your egg whites before adding. Any fat level will work.
- Flour: Feel free to use all-purpose flour or bread flour. A 1:1 gluten-free flour works well.
- Salt: The biggest miss with rolls is not enough salt! We need what seems like a lot of salt to flavor the whole batch of rolls.
- Honey butter: For extra deliciousness, serve these with honey cinnamon butter. Just butter mixed with honey and cinnamon.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
the right bowl and spoon
Some metals will react with the yeast and kill it. To avoid this, use stainless steel, wood, silicon, ceramic, or glass bowls and utensils.
step by step: tips to nail this high protein rolls recipe every time
- Warm tap water is the perfect temperature. We are looking for around 110 degrees, which for me is the temperature of my hottest tap water. No need to heat it in the microwave.
- Let the yeast do its thing by combining it with the warm water and sugar. You will notice the top of the mix getting foamy - that means it's active! It should take only 5 minutes.
- Blend the cottage cheese and egg whites well. We don't want curds in our rolls!
- Mix with a spoon first, then knead. You want to form a shaggy dough and then knead the rest of the flour in. With a dough hook on a stand mixer, knead for 3-4 minutes (not too much, otherwise it gets tough), and by hand knead for around 8 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
- Lightly oil your dough so it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl while it rises.
- Shape gently, we don't want to overhandle the dough! If we do, the bread can turn out dense and tough from over developed gluten.
- Underbake for the best soft, gooey texture! I like the tops just barely golden brown.
quick recipe video
my thoughts on cold rising
You can definitely let the cottage cheese bread rolls rise in the fridge for the first or second rise. But when you remove it from the fridge, it needs to sit on the counter for at least an hour or two before you can roll it out or bake it. So, it ends up taking more time.
can I use full fat cottage cheese?
Totally! This works just as well as low fat. You can also use Greek yogurt in place of cottage chese.
customize your dinner rolls
These doughs can be turned into so many fun flavors like:
- Garlic & herb: Add dried herbs like rosemary or thyme to the dough, then brush teh top with an egg wash that's mixed with minced garlic, parsley, and salt.
- Cinnamon sugar: Make these into mini bites (like monkey bread) and roll in cinnamon sugar before baking.
- Everything bagel seasoning: Add this to the egg wash.
- Jalapeno cheddar: Add pickeled jalapeno and shredded cheddar to the dough before baking.
can I freeze homemade dinner rolls?
Yes, these freeze great for up to 3 months! You can make them, let them cool, then toss in the freezer until you need them. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in a large batch in the oven or just a few in the microwave or air fryer.
this + protein dinner rolls = the perfect meal!
Of course these are perfect for your holiday table but they are also delicious just with one of your weeknight high protein dinner ideas:
Recipe
Fluffy High Protein Dinner Rolls (No Protein Powder!)
Ingredients
- 1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
- ¼ cup hot water (about 110 °, the hot water from your tap is usually perfect or microwave water for 40 seconds)
- 2 tablespoon white sugar (or honey)
- ⅔ cup egg whites ((7-8 eggs))
- ⅔ cup cottage cheese
- 3 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour or 1:1 gluten free flour)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 egg (whisked for an egg wash)
- See notes for optional honey cinnamon butter
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- In a large stand mixer bowl or other large bowl, stir together the ¼ cup hot water and 2 tablespoon white sugar using a non-reactive utensil like a stainless steel or wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the 1.5 teaspoon active dry yeast and gently stir this in. Let this sit (or bloom) for 5 minutes while you move onto the next step. The yeast mixture will start to bubble!If using Instant yeast, you don't need to let it bloom and can just combine everything.If your hot tap water doesn't seem warm enough, you can also heat the water in the microwave for about 40 seconds. We just don't want it scolding hot otherwise it will kill the yeast.
- While the yeast is blooming, blend the ⅔ cup egg whites and ⅔ cup cottage cheese in a blender until completely smooth.
- Once the yeast is bubbly (after about 5 minutes), pour in the egg mixture and stir to combine. Then, add the 3 cups all purpose flour and 1 ¼ teaspoon salt and mix (still using a wooden spoon) until a shaggy dough has formed (this means the dough looks a bit uneven and messy - it won't be smooth yet).
- Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, or knead by hand on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl or counter and feels elastic, kind of like an earlobe when pinched. Don't over knead!!
- Lightly oil a clean bowl (or rinse and dry the one you used), then place the dough inside and turn it to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size. A great trick is placing the bowl in your oven with the light on. For a slower rise, refrigerate the dough for up to 12 hours-just don't go beyond that, or it may overproof.
- Once risen, punch the dough down to release the air. Shape into 13 rolls gently - don't overhandle. Place the dough balls in a round cake pan, pie dish, or square pan. An 8" or 9" will work.If your dough came from the fridge, let it come to room temperature first-it will be too elastic to roll properly when cold. This can take 1-2 hours.
- Cover the pan with a towel and place the rolls in a warm place for their second rise. Again, I like to put them in the oven with the light on. Let them rise for 30-40 minutes, until puffed and touching. Then take them out of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together your 1 egg to make the egg wash and brush the rolls with it. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until just barely golden brown - underbaked is better. Finish with a little flaky sea salt or serve with honey cinnamon butter. Honey cinnamon butter: ½c salted butter softened, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add more honey as desired.
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
These are really good!
Your mom, Kelly, made these to go with our lasagna the other night and they were SO delicious!!! I can't wait to make more. Recipe seemed very easy and the rolls just melted in my mouth - yes - rolls plural LOL - I could have eaten the whole pan!
I'm not a fan of cottage cheese but hese turned out great! Can't even tell they have cottage cheese in them.
I'm curious to try these but would prefer to use whole egg. Is there a reason you're using whites only besides presumably calories? I'm wondering if I sub with whole eggs (perhaps 2?) if it would still turn out similar.
The calories is a big one although the egg whites actually make for a lighter and fluffier roll. I would recommend doing just 1 whole egg and making up the rest of the moisture lost with additional cottage cheese to keep them from being too dense.