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These high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls are soft, fluffy, and have about 10g of protein each, with no protein powder. A full tub of blended cottage cheese and a scoop of dry milk bring the protein, and a quick tangzhong keeps the inside pillowy and pull-apart soft. They taste like classic buttery dinner rolls, and nobody will guess there’s cottage cheese in them!
Quick Look: High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
- 🍞 What it is: Soft pull-apart dinner rolls where blended cottage cheese replaces most of the liquid.
- ⭐ Why it works: Dry milk adds protein and softness, and a tangzhong locks in moisture.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: They taste like real buttery dinner rolls, with the protein coming from real food.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Pull the tangzhong off the heat early, or it turns dry and pasty.
- 🍳 Pan notes: One 9×13 pan makes 16 small rolls or 12 large ones.
Why This Recipe Works
- About 10g of protein per roll (or 13g if you make 12 bigger ones), with zero protein powder
- Nonfat dry milk adds protein while making the crumb softer, where protein powder tends to make bread dense and dry
- A tangzhong (a quick cooked paste of flour and milk) holds onto moisture so the rolls stay soft, the same trick behind my brioche cinnamon rolls
- It uses one full 16 oz tub of cottage cheese, so there’s no half-used container sitting in your fridge
- Tested over several rounds: my early batches had way more vital wheat gluten and came out chewy like bagels, so this version uses just 2 tablespoons for a soft, fluffy roll that still has enough gluten development to get that delicious chew of a dinner roll
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
- Why This Recipe Works
- Ingredients You’ll Need (and Why)
- Substitutions and Additions
- How to Make High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
- Expert Tips
- High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls FAQs
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need (and Why)
- Cottage cheese: Blended completely smooth, it replaces most of the liquid in the dough and brings most of the protein. It’s the same trick behind my high protein cottage cheese biscuits and my cottage cheese queso. I use 2%, and the recipe uses one full 16 oz container.
- Nonfat dry milk powder: This is my secret protein boost. It’s about 36% protein, it’s cheap, and you can find it in the baking aisle. Unlike protein powder, it makes yeast rolls softer and more tender, which is why bakeries use it in soft sandwich bread.
- Vital wheat gluten: Just 2 tablespoons. Cottage cheese makes the dough heavier, and a little extra gluten helps the rolls rise tall instead of squat. More is not better here (trust me, I tested it and ended up with bagels).
- Bread flour: It has more protein than all-purpose flour, which adds to the total and gives the rolls enough structure to hold up to the cottage cheese.
Full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card.
Substitutions and Additions
- Skip the vital wheat gluten: The rolls will rise a little less tall and have about 1g less protein each, but they’ll still be soft and fluffy.
- All-purpose flour: It works, but the rolls will be a little softer and slightly lower in protein. If the dough feels too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour.
- Full-fat cottage cheese: Use 4% for richer rolls. The protein stays about the same.
- Ultra-filtered milk: Use it in the tangzhong for a small protein bump.
- Sugar instead of honey: Use the same amount of granulated sugar.
- Active dry yeast: Use the same amount and whisk it in with the dry ingredients. The rises will just take a little longer.
- Topping ideas: Right after baking, brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (my favorite) or everything bagel seasoning. The butter helps it stick!
How to Make High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
- Make the tangzhong and blend the cottage cheese. Whisk the flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Take it off the heat the moment it thickens to a pudding consistency and the whisk leaves lines, about 1 to 2 minutes. It keeps thickening as it cools, so pulling it early stops it from turning dry and pasty. While it cools, blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth with no curds left.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the warm tangzhong, cottage cheese mixture, egg, and honey until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the bread flour, dry milk, vital wheat gluten, yeast, and salt. This keeps the milk powder and gluten from clumping.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl.
- Mix and rest. Mix on low until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. The dough may look a little dry at first, and that’s okay! The rest gives the dry milk time to soak up moisture.
- Knead in the butter. Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter a little at a time, letting each piece mix in before adding the next, then keep kneading for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly tacky.
- First rise. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 80 minutes.
- Shape. Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Divide the dough into 16 pieces (about 77g each), roll each one into a tight ball, and arrange them in 4 rows of 4.
- Second rise. Cover and let rise until puffy and touching, 40 to 55 minutes. Preheat the oven to 340°F during the last 20 minutes.
- Brush with egg wash. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and gently brush it over the rolls.
- Bake and top. Bake for about 22 minutes, until golden brown and the center reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Brush the hot rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt or everything bagel seasoning. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before pulling apart.
Want bigger rolls? Divide the dough into 12 pieces (about 103g each) and arrange them in 3 rows of 4. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the center reads 190°F. Each roll has about 13g of protein. I shared this version on my stories and so many requested that recipe. So I figured why not include both versions here!
Texture note: These bake up soft and tender with a light, pull-apart crumb. They’re just as fluffy as my buttery soft dinner rolls, with about three times the protein.
Expert Tips
- Blend the cottage cheese until it looks like thick sour cream. Any curds left turn into wet pockets in the rolls. I blend it the same way for my high protein cottage cheese wraps.
- Pull the tangzhong off the heat as soon as the whisk leaves lines. I overcooked it in one test and it turned into a dry paste.
- Weigh the dry milk if you can. Instant dry milk is light and fluffy, while non-instant is dense, so cup measurements can be way off between brands.
- Don’t add extra flour. After the 10-minute rest, the dough should feel soft and slightly tacky. If it feels stiff, knead in milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Use a thermometer and pull the rolls at 190°F. Dry milk and honey brown quickly, so tent the pan with foil if the tops get dark before the center is done.
If you’ve made any of my cinnamon roll recipes, this dough will feel familiar. It shapes just as easily and bakes up just as soft.
High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls FAQs
No. Once it’s blended completely smooth, the cottage cheese bakes into these high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls the same way milk would, adding moisture and richness. All you taste is a soft, buttery roll with a hint of honey. The key is blending until there are zero curds left.
These high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls have about 10g of protein each when you make 16, or about 13g each when you make 12 larger rolls. The protein comes from cottage cheese, bread flour, dry milk powder, and a little vital wheat gluten, with no protein powder.
Yes. Without the vital wheat gluten, your high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls will rise a little less tall and have about 1g less protein each, but they’ll still be soft and fluffy. The recipe only uses 2 tablespoons, so it’s the easiest ingredient to skip.
Yes, all-purpose flour works for high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls. They’ll be a little softer and slightly lower in protein, since bread flour has more protein than all-purpose. If the dough feels too sticky, work in 1 to 2 extra tablespoons of flour.
Store high protein cottage cheese dinner rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Warm them wrapped in foil at 300°F for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried these High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments! I love hearing from you!
High Protein Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tbsp bread flour
- 1/3 cup milk plus 1 tbsp
Dough
- 2 cups 2% cottage cheese one 16 oz container
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 3 3/4 cups bread flour spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder plus 2 tbsp; weigh if you can
- 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 2 1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast one packet
- 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened
Topping
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted, for brushing
- flaky sea salt or everything bagel seasoning optional
Instructions
- Whisk the 3 tbsp bread flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat as soon as it thickens and the whisk leaves lines, about 1 to 2 minutes. Cool until just warm.3 tbsp bread flour, 1/3 cup milk
- Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth, with no curds left.2 cups 2% cottage cheese
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the tangzhong, cottage cheese, egg, and honey until smooth.1 large egg, 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- In a separate bowl, whisk the bread flour, dry milk, vital wheat gluten, yeast, and salt.3 3/4 cups bread flour, 3/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder, 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 2 1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast, 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
- Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter a little at a time, letting each piece mix in before adding the next, then knead another 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. If the dough feels stiff, knead in milk 1 tbsp at a time.2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 80 minutes.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Divide the dough into 16 pieces (about 77g each), shape into tight balls, and arrange in 4 rows of 4.
- Cover and let rise until puffy and touching, 40 to 55 minutes. Preheat the oven to 340°F during the last 20 minutes.
- Brush the rolls with egg wash. Bake for about 22 minutes, until golden and the center reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Tent with foil if they brown too fast.1 large egg
- Brush the hot rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt or everything bagel seasoning, if using. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before pulling apart.1 tbsp unsalted butter, flaky sea salt or everything bagel seasoning
Notes
- For 12 larger rolls: divide into 12 pieces (about 103g each), arrange in 3 rows of 4, and bake 25 to 27 minutes. About 13g protein per roll.
- Weigh the dry milk if possible. The cup measurement is for instant dry milk (like Carnation). Non-instant is much denser.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition is an estimate based on 2% cottage cheese and 2% milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I got so many questions about these after sharing them on my stories, so here are my top tips! Blend the cottage cheese until it’s completely smooth, and pull the tangzhong off the heat as soon as it thickens. If your dough feels dry after the 10-minute rest, don’t panic: knead in a little milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. And don’t skip the butter and flaky salt on top right out of the oven 🧈 Let me know if you make the 16 small rolls or the 12 big ones!