These cacio e pepe sourdough bread rolls are based on the Roman pasta dish, “cacio e pepe,” which is made with two simple ingredients: cheese and black pepper. For this bread, grated pecorino Romano cheese and ground black pepper are folded into the dough to make a batch of simple crusty bread rolls that pack a flavorful punch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bread Flour: I used King Arthur bread flour for this recipe. You can use any plain white bread flour that contains around 11-13% protein.
- Water: Plain, unchlorinated tap water is best. Use filtered water or bottled spring water if your city’s tap water contains harsh ingredients or has a bad taste.
- Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a 100% hydration sourdough starter for this recipe. You can feed your starter directly and don’t need to create a separate “levain.”
- Salt: I used Kosher salt for this recipe, but sea salt or plain table salt will also work well.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: Get a block of pecorino Romano cheese and grate it yourself with a very fine cheese grater. If you find pre-grated pecorino Romano cheese, that will work too, but try to find one without any additional fillers.
- Black Pepper: Ideally, you want to use course, freshly ground black pepper for this recipe. Grinding the black pepper yourself will give you the most flavorful result.
Note: See recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
Ingredient Amounts
Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
- Water – 50 grams
- Bread Flour – 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour – 450 grams
- Water – 325 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active – 100 grams
- Salt – 10 grams
Inclusions
- Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated – 50 grams
- Black Pepper, ground – 1/2 tsp (1 gram)
Suggested Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (Day 1) | Feeding the Sourdough Starter |
| 6:00 AM (Day 2) | Mixing the Dough |
| 6:30 AM | Stretch and Folds – Adding Cheese and Black Pepper |
| 7:30 AM | The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) |
| 12:30 PM | Dividing and Shaping |
| 12:45PM | The Second Rise (Final Proof) |
| 2:45 PM | Baking |
How to Make Cacio e Pepe Sourdough Bread Rolls
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
Take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed your starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour. Mix the flour, water, and starter around until it has a pancake batter consistency. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and cover the top loosely with a lid. Let the starter rise at room temperature overnight, for around 6-8 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Mixing the Dough
Place a mixing bowl on a stand mixer and add the 325 grams of water and 100 grams of active and risen sourdough starter. Stir the starter into the water with a spoon to dissolve it into the water. Then, add 450 grams of bread flour and 10 grams of salt. Mix the dough together for about 1-2 minutes until there aren’t any dry clumps of flour left. At this point, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Folds – Adding the Cheese and Black Pepper
You will perform three sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes of rest in between each set. During the second and third set of stretch and folds you will incorporate the cheese and ground black pepper.
For the first set of stretch and folds, stretch and fold the dough 10-20 times to start developing the gluten structure of the dough. Stop folding when the dough starts to resist being stretched. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the second set of stretch and folds, pour half of the total amount of grated pecorino Romano cheese and half of the total amount of ground black pepper on top of the dough. Press the pepper and cheese into the dough with your fingertips until everything sticks to the dough. Give the dough four folds to slowly incorporate the cheese and pepper into the dough in layers. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the last set of stretch and folds, pour the remaining half of the cheese and the remaining half of the black pepper on top of the dough and press down until they stick. Give the dough another four folds to incorporate the remaining ingredients. Now the cheese and pepper should be locked into the dough and the dough is ready to rise.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the dough seam-side-down and smooth-side-up into an oiled glass bowl with a lid. Close the air tight lid or cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 3-5 hours, or until the dough is puffy, risen, and about doubled in size.
Dividing and Shaping the Cacio e Pepe Sourdough Bread Rolls
To divide the dough, dust the top of the dough and divide the dough into eight equal pieces with a bench scraper or a chef’s knife. If you want to weigh out the pieces of dough exactly, they should each weigh about 116 grams.
Dust the dough with more bread flour if they feel sticky and then stretch and fold each piece of dough into a ball, and then roll the ball on the un-floured kitchen counter to hide the seam underneath the roll. Arrange the eight rolls onto a metal baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper, keeping the pieces of dough separated on the pan so that they don’t bump into each other while they are rising or baking. (Keeping them separated will make crustier rolls.)
The Second Rise (Final Proof)
Cover the shaped rolls with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until they almost completely double in size. After two to three hours, the rolls should be puffy, doubled, and ready to bake.
Baking the Cacio e Pepe Sourdough Bread Rolls
30 minutes before the dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) with the middle rack free for your rolls. Place a 9×13″ metal cake pan (or similar metal pan) onto the bottom rack of your oven to preheat along with the oven. This metal pan will serve as a steam tray.
After the dough has proofed for 2-3 hours, it will be ready to bake. Before you place your rolls into the oven to bake, bring one cup of water (240 grams) to a boil on the stove or in an electric kettle. Place the sheet of rolls into the middle rack of your oven and pour the boiling water into the metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Steam will release from the pan on the bottom rack and help your bread rolls rise to their full potential during the first half of the baking time.
Bake the rolls for 15 minutes at 450°F (232°C) with steam. After 15 minutes, remove the steam tray and continue baking the rolls without steam for another 10-15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. This may take more or less time depending on your oven.
Allow the rolls to rest on a cooling rack for 20 minutes or so, and then enjoy these crusty cacio e pepe sourdough bread rolls with butter, alongside your favorite pasta dish, or sliced in half to make a delicious breakfast egg and cheese sandwich.
Cacio e Pepe Sourdough Bread Rolls
These cacio e pepe sourdough bread rolls are based on the Roman pasta dish, “cacio e pepe,” which is made with two simple ingredients: cheese and black pepper. For this bread, grated pecorino Romano cheese and ground black pepper are folded into the dough to make a batch of simple, crusty, sourdough bread rolls that pack a flavorful punch.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover - 25 grams
- Water - 50 grams
- Bread Flour - 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour - 450 grams
- Water - 325 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active - 100 grams
- Salt - 10 grams
Inclusions
- Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated - 50 grams
- Black Pepper, ground - 1/2 tsp (1 gram)
Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
Take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Feed your starter 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour. Mix the flour, water, and starter around until it has a pancake batter consistency. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and cover the top loosely with a lid. Let the starter rise at room temperature overnight, for around 6-8 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Mixing the Dough
Place a mixing bowl on a stand mixer and add the 325 grams of water and 100 grams of active and risen sourdough starter. Stir the starter into the water with a spoon to dissolve it into the water. Then, add 450 grams of bread flour and 10 grams of salt. Mix the dough together for about 1-2 minutes until there aren’t any dry clumps of flour left. At this point, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Folds (and Adding the Cheese and Black Pepper)
You will perform three sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes of rest in between each set. During the second and third set of stretch and folds you will incorporate the cheese and ground black pepper.
For the first set of stretch and folds, stretch and fold the dough 10-20 times to start developing the gluten structure of the dough. Stop folding when the dough starts to resist being stretched. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the second set of stretch and folds, pour half of the total amount of grated pecorino Romano cheese and half of the total amount of ground black pepper on top of the dough. Press the pepper and cheese into the dough with your fingertips until everything sticks to the dough. Give the dough four folds to slowly incorporate the cheese and pepper into the dough in layers. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the last set of stretch and folds, pour the remaining half of the cheese and the remaining half of the black pepper on top of the dough and press down until they stick. Give the dough another four folds to incorporate the remaining ingredients. Now the cheese and pepper should be locked into the dough and the dough is ready to rise.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the dough seam-side-down and smooth-side-up into an oiled glass bowl with a lid. Close the air tight lid or cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 3-5 hours, or until the dough is puffy, risen, and about doubled in size.
Dividing and Shaping
To divide the dough, dust the top of the dough and divide the dough into eight equal pieces with a bench scraper or a chef’s knife. If you want to weigh out the pieces of dough exactly, they should each weigh about 116 grams.
Dust the dough with more bread flour if they feel sticky and then stretch and fold each piece of dough into a ball, and then roll the ball on the un-floured kitchen counter to hide the seam underneath the roll. Arrange the eight rolls onto a metal baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper, keeping the pieces of dough separated on the pan so that they don’t bump into each other while they are rising or baking. (Keeping them separated will make crustier rolls.)
The Second Rise (Final Proof)
Cover the shaped rolls with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until they almost completely double in size. After two to three hours, the rolls should be puffy, doubled, and ready to bake.
Baking
30 minutes before the dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) with the middle rack free for your rolls. Place a 9×13″ metal cake pan (or similar metal pan) onto the bottom rack of your oven to preheat along with the oven. This metal pan will serve as a steam tray.
After the dough has proofed for 2-3 hours, it will be ready to bake. Before you place your rolls into the oven to bake, bring one cup of water (240 grams) to a boil on the stove or in an electric kettle. Place the sheet of rolls into the middle rack of your oven and pour the boiling water into the metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Steam will release from the pan on the bottom rack and help your bread rolls rise to their full potential during the first half of the baking time.
Bake the rolls for 15 minutes at 450°F (232°C) with steam. After 15 minutes, remove the steam tray and continue baking the rolls without steam for another 10-15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. This may take more or less time depending on your oven.
Allow the rolls to rest on a cooling rack for 20 minutes or so, and then enjoy these crusty cacio e pepe sourdough bread rolls with butter, alongside your favorite pasta dish, or sliced in half to make a delicious breakfast egg and cheese sandwich.