Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Pesto Dinner Rolls

Pesto rolls...baked in a cast iron skillet...and served hot from the oven. What could be better? And if there are any rolls left when dinner is done...they make the best sandwich buns!


  • 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 4 Tablespoons pesto

  1. Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with salt, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add oil and warm water to dry ingredients and mix.
  3. Stir in pesto. (Use store bought pesto...or make your own.)
  4. Continue to add flour as necessary to make a soft dough. 
  5. Knead until smooth and elastic.
  6. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk...about an hour.
  7. Divide dough into eight portions.
  8. Form eight rolls and position in a well-oiled cast iron pan. (Or make12 smaller rolls.)
  9. Cover with a clean towel and allow them to rise in a warm place for at least an hour...until doubled in size.
  10. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Note ~ Normally one would let the dough rise before forming buns to put on the pan...as in step 6. One day I was rushed for time...and put them on the pan right after mixing the dough. They turned out great.

9 comments:

  1. What if I don't have a cast iron pan?

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  2. Very nice! Going to have to save this one.

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  3. Do you have to add pesto or can they've plain?

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  4. What is pesto and where can I find it for sale?

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  5. To answer the questions:

    These rolls are fun to serve right out of the cast iron pan, but can be baked on any baking sheet.

    Pesto is a combination of crushed basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil. It can be found in the deli or with the Italian foods and sauces at the grocery store.

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  6. I received your cookbook from my Aunt, who is an avid reader of your blog, as a bridal shower gift and I'm so excited to start using the recipes! My husband comes from a very German background and it will be great to cook some traditional recipes such as Spaetzle for him. This one looks great and will be a good way to break in my new cast iron skillet :). I'm looking forward to seeing future posts!

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  7. These rolls look really nice.
    Will try them.

    Sonya

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  8. I made these last night with the lasagne recipe from a couple of weeks ago. I needed to add a bit more water as I was mixing the buns, because I thought the dough was quite dry. I wondered how they would turn out, but no need to fear, they turned out great. I cant believe how beautifully they rise and bake in a cast iron pan (actually mine is a Le Creuset 6 litre pot). Next time I would only use half the amount of Pesto (one REALLY needs to like the flavour of pesto for this recipe) It was a little too strong for my kids. Nice accompaniment to a supper.

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