Layered Pastry Rolls

These layered pastry rolls are flaky yeast rolls with a milk and oil dough, soft butter and optional feta, ready in about 2 hours 40 minutes. The recipe makes 16 rolls.

Why This Recipe Works

Spreading soft butter over each strip of dough and rolling it into a log builds the layers. As the rolls bake, the butter melts between the coils of dough and leaves thin, flaky sheets inside.

The chill is what keeps those layers separate. Cold dough holds the butter in place, so it doesn’t smear into the dough when you roll the log out a second time. Use the fridge for an hour, or the freezer for 20 minutes if you are short on time.

Two deep slits across the top give the rolls room to open as they rise and bake. Brush the egg wash around the cuts, not into them. Wash that seeps into the slits glues the layers shut and you lose the flaky look.

Layered Pastry Rolls Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) warm milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 packet (7 g / 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt (a pinch to taste)
• 4 1/2 cups (about 540 g) all-purpose flour

For the layers

• 5 1/4 ounces (150 g) soft butter (about 10 tablespoons)
• Feta cheese, for the filling (optional)

For the egg wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

A note on the measures

• 1 cup = 240 ml (US); the original recipe used 200 ml cups, so the measures above are converted

How To Make Layered Pastry Rolls

Make the dough

1. Mix and knead: Combine the milk, water, 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, sugar, yeast, salt and flour in a large bowl. Knead until the dough turns smooth, so it stretches thin later without tearing.
2. First rest: Cover the dough and leave it for 10 minutes. The flour soaks up the liquid, and the dough is easier to cut.
3. Divide: Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Cover them and rest for 15 minutes, which relaxes the dough before you roll it.

Layer with butter

4. Butter the strips: Roll each piece into a long strip. Spread soft butter over the whole strip. Keep the butter soft, not melted, or it will soak into the dough instead of forming layers.
5. Roll into logs: Roll each strip up like a log and pinch the seam closed so it can’t unroll. Tap the log lightly on the counter to lengthen it.
6. Chill: Set the logs on a tray and cover them. Chill them in the fridge for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 20 minutes. The cold sets the butter and keeps the layers apart.

Shape, proof and bake

7. Roll again: Open each log out crosswise into a flat piece. Add a little feta if you like, then roll it up again.
8. Score: Arrange the rolls on a tray. Cut 2 deep slits across the top of each one so the layers can open.
9. Proof: Let the rolls rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, until they look puffy.
10. Brush with egg wash: Mix the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Brush it on top of each roll and keep it off the cuts, so the layers can still open.
11. Bake: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 10 minutes more, until the rolls are deep golden.

Recipe Tips

• Keep the butter soft: Soft butter spreads in an even sheet without tearing the dough. Melted butter soaks in and you lose the layers.
• Don’t skip the chill: Cold dough keeps the butter between the coils. Skip it and the layers blend together and bake up dense.
• Brush away from the cuts: Egg wash that pools in the slits seals them. Paint only the raised surface and the layers open as they bake.
• Pinch the seams tight: A loose seam unrolls in the oven. Press the edge firmly into the log each time you roll.

What To Serve With Layered Pastry Rolls

Serve the rolls warm, with soup or a soft egg on the side. Tuck feta inside, or serve them plain with jam and butter, or a platter of cheese, olives and cured meats.

How To Store

• Fridge: Keep cooled rolls in a covered container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until hot all the way through. A microwave makes the layers soft.
• Freezer: Freeze baked and cooled rolls for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge before reheating.

FAQs

Can I leave out the feta?

Yes. The feta is optional, and the plain rolls are flaky and buttery on their own. Skip it and roll the logs up again as written.

Can I make the dough ahead?

You can stop after the chill step. The logs hold in the fridge for the hour in the recipe. For a longer wait, use the freezer, then roll, score and proof as written.

Are these pastry rolls vegetarian?

Yes. The dough, butter, egg wash and feta contain no meat or gelatin. They are not vegan or dairy-free, because of the milk, butter, egg and cheese.

Why did my layers melt together?

The butter was probably too warm, or the chill was too short. Soft butter should spread easily without looking oily. Give the logs the full chill before you roll them again.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 16), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 290 kcal
• Total Fat: 18g
• Total Carbohydrate: 26g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 5g

Layered Pastry Rolls

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

2

hours 

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

160

minutes

Flaky yeast rolls with soft butter rolled between the layers and an optional feta filling. A recipe for 16 rolls that bake golden in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• For the dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) warm milk

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 packet (7 g / 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon salt (a pinch to taste)

• 4 1/2 cups (about 540 g) all-purpose flour

• For the layers

• 5 1/4 ounces (150 g) soft butter (about 10 tablespoons)

• Feta cheese, for the filling (optional)

• For the egg wash

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

• A note on the measures

• 1 cup = 240 ml (US); the original recipe used 200 ml cups, so the measures above are converted

Directions

• Mix and knead: Combine the milk, water, 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, sugar, yeast, salt and flour in a large bowl. Knead until the dough turns smooth, so it stretches thin later without tearing.
• First rest: Cover the dough and leave it for 10 minutes. The flour soaks up the liquid, and the dough is easier to cut.
• Divide: Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Cover them and rest for 15 minutes, which relaxes the dough before you roll it.
• Butter the strips: Roll each piece into a long strip. Spread soft butter over the whole strip. Keep the butter soft, not melted, or it will soak into the dough instead of forming layers.
• Roll into logs: Roll each strip up like a log and pinch the seam closed so it can’t unroll. Tap the log lightly on the counter to lengthen it.
• Chill: Set the logs on a tray and cover them. Chill them in the fridge for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 20 minutes. The cold sets the butter and keeps the layers apart.
• Roll again: Open each log out crosswise into a flat piece. Add a little feta if you like, then roll it up again.
• Score: Arrange the rolls on a tray. Cut 2 deep slits across the top of each one so the layers can open.
• Proof: Let the rolls rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, until they look puffy.
• Brush with egg wash: Mix the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Brush it on top of each roll and keep it off the cuts, so the layers can still open.
• Bake: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 10 minutes more, until the rolls are deep golden.