Andy Montoya
Porto's Bakery Cheese Rolls are a popular pastry item from Porto's Bakery in LA. They are made of puff pastry filled with sweet cream cheese and topped with sugar. You can buy them frozen to bake at home or try making them from scratch. The baking process involves making the cream cheese filling, preparing the puff pastry, assembling the cheese rolls, and baking them. The key steps include cutting the puff pastry into strips, piping the cream cheese filling, sealing the pastry, applying an egg wash, and sprinkling sugar on top.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Pastry | Puff pastry |
| Butter | European-style |
| Filling | Cream cheese, butter, salt, sugar, egg, vanilla |
| Baking | 18-20 minutes at 400°F |
| Additional Steps | Apply egg wash, sprinkle sugar crystals on top, brown tops under broiler |
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What You'll Learn
Preparing the puff pastry
Firstly, dust your work surface generously with flour. This step is important as it creates a non-stick surface and helps in handling the sticky nature of the pastry dough. Place one sheet of puff pastry on the floured surface and dust more flour on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry into a thin sheet, aiming for a size of 12 inches by 12 inches. The thin layers of butter in the pastry are what give it its flaky and crispy texture when baked, so it's important to get an even and thin sheet.
Next, cut the rolled-out pastry into three even strips, each measuring 4 inches by 12 inches. You can use a ruler or a measuring tape to ensure accuracy in your cuts. Now you will have three long strips of pastry ready for the filling. It is important to work with cold butter and dough when making the pastry to achieve the flaky layers that characterise Porto's cheese rolls.
At this stage, you will fill and shape the pastry. Take a piping bag filled with the cream cheese mixture and snip off the tip to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe the cream cheese filling lengthwise down the centre of each strip. Be generous with the filling, as this is what makes the cheese rolls so delicious! Once filled, carefully fold one side of the pastry over the filling. Apply an egg wash along the edge of the other side and fold it over to seal the roll. Ensure you don't overlap the pastry too much, as you want to avoid a doughy bottom.
Finally, flip the filled and sealed pastry over and trim the ends diagonally for a neat finish. Then, cut each strip into two pieces diagonally, resulting in two individual cheese rolls from each strip. Place these onto a baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between each roll. Repeat this entire process with another sheet of puff pastry to make more cheese rolls.
By following these steps, you will have prepared the puff pastry for Porto's cheese rolls, creating the perfect base for the signature cream cheese filling.
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Making the cream cheese filling
To make the cream cheese filling, start by placing the cream cheese—at room temperature—in a mixing bowl. Use regular cream cheese, not whipped. Next, cream together the cream cheese, butter, salt, and sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add an egg and vanilla and mix well. Place the mixture in a pastry bag or ziplock bag for easy filling later. Refrigerate the mixture for 2–3 hours before using it to fill the pastry.
For the pastry, dust your work surface with flour and place one sheet of puff pastry on it, also dusted with flour. Roll out the pastry to 12 inches by 12 inches, then cut it into three even strips, each 4 inches by 12 inches.
Snip the tip of the piping bag with the cream cheese filling so that there is a half-inch opening. Pipe the cream cheese filling into the center of each strip lengthwise. Fold over one side, add egg wash along the edge of the other side, and fold over to seal. Be careful not to overlap the pastry too much, or the bottom will turn out doughy.
Flip the strip over and trim the ends diagonally. Then cut each strip in half diagonally, so that you have six pieces. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry, so that you have 12 cheese rolls in total.
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Assembling the cheese rolls
To assemble Porto's cheese rolls, start by dusting your work surface generously with flour. Then, lay out a sheet of puff pastry and dust the top with more flour. Roll out the pastry to a size of 12 inches by 12 inches. Cut the pastry sheet into three even strips, each measuring 4 inches by 12 inches.
Next, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, combine room-temperature cream cheese, butter, salt, and sugar. Mix until the mixture is smooth, then add an egg and vanilla extract and mix well. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or a ziplock bag. Cut a small opening (about 1/2 inch) at the tip of the bag.
Pipe the cream cheese filling onto the centre of each pastry strip lengthwise. Fold one side of the pastry over the filling, then brush the edge of the other side with an egg wash and fold it over to seal. Be careful not to overlap the pastry too much, or the bottom of the cheese roll will become doughy.
Flip the pastry over and trim the ends diagonally. Then, cut each strip into two pieces diagonally to create individual cheese rolls. Place the cheese rolls onto a baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between each roll. Repeat the process with any remaining puff pastry sheets.
Before baking, brush the tops of the cheese rolls with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar crystals or granulated sugar. This will give the cheese rolls a sweet, crispy topping.
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Baking the cheese rolls
To bake Porto's Cheese Rolls, you will need to prepare the puff pastry and the cream cheese filling in advance. For the puff pastry, you can either make it from scratch or use store-bought pastry. If you want to make it from scratch, you will need to follow a recipe for puff pastry, which involves laminating the dough by repetitively folding and rolling to create hundreds of thin layers. This process gives the pastry its flaky texture. You can also add butter to the dough to enhance the flavour.
Once you have your puff pastry ready, dust your work surface generously with flour. Place one sheet of puff pastry on the floured surface and dust the top with more flour. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch or 12 inches by 12 inches. Cut the pastry into strips, each measuring 3-4 inches wide. If you rolled the pastry into a 12-inch square, you should have three strips, each 4 inches by 12 inches.
Now it's time to fill and shape the cheese rolls. Prepare the cream cheese filling by mixing room temperature cream cheese with butter, salt, and sugar until smooth. Add an egg and vanilla extract and mix well. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or a ziplock bag. Snip a small opening at the tip of the bag, about 1/2 inch wide. Pipe a line of the cream cheese filling onto the centre of each strip of pastry. Fold one side of the pastry over the filling, then brush the edge of the other side with an egg wash and fold it over to seal. Flip the pastry over and trim the ends diagonally. Cut each strip diagonally into two pieces, so you have six pieces in total from each strip. Place the shaped cheese rolls onto a baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between each roll. Repeat this process with the remaining puff pastry and filling.
Before baking, prepare an egg wash by mixing an egg with a small amount of water. Brush the egg wash onto each cheese roll, then sprinkle the tops with sugar crystals or granulated sugar. Preheat your oven to 400°F and allow it to heat up completely. Once preheated, let the oven continue to heat for another 5-10 minutes. Place the cheese rolls in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Keep an eye on the cheese rolls after the 15-minute mark, as oven temperatures may vary, and your rolls may be ready earlier. The cheese rolls are done when they are golden brown. If desired, you can turn on the broiler for about 60 seconds to brown the tops further.
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Adding the finishing touches
Now that you've made your Porto's cheese rolls, it's time to add some finishing touches! Here are some tips and tricks to make sure your cheese rolls look and taste their best:
Firstly, if you want a golden brown crust, consider using an egg wash. This is made by mixing together egg and water. Apply the egg wash to the cheese rolls before baking. This will give them a glossy, golden finish. You can also use the egg wash to help seal the pastry when shaping your rolls.
Secondly, sprinkle some sugar on top of the cheese rolls. You can use sugar crystals, granulated sugar, or baker's sugar. This will give your cheese rolls a sweet and crispy finish.
If you're using pre-made puff pastry, look for one with a higher butterfat content. This will ensure that your cheese rolls have that signature Porto's buttery flavour. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even try making your own puff pastry from scratch by laminating the dough with thin layers of butter. This will give you an even flakier and more buttery pastry.
Finally, don't forget to let your cheese rolls cool slightly before serving. This will help them set and ensure that the cream cheese filling is nice and creamy. Enjoy your homemade Porto's cheese rolls!
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