Sesame pull-apart rolls on a white surface with a round white bowl of dipping sauce in the center (with logo overlay)

Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls

If you’re looking for bread with a lot of seasonings and great for a crowd, try making sesame pull-apart rolls for your next gathering.

Jump to Recipe

While this isn’t the quickest recipe, we really enjoyed these Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls. I found a recipe online for Benne pull-apart rolls, but we didn’t have Benne seeds. The rolls looked too good, though, so I made some substitutions to the recipe.

Another big change I made was to make this a dairy-free recipe. I found out early this year that I am allergic to dairy, so I’ve been working on taking recipes that I love and making them without dairy.

Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls take quite a while to make, but most of that is in letting the dough rest. As with any other dough recipe, it needs time to rise.

The rolls were best when first taken from the oven. We served them with marinara sauce but they would also be good with gravy. Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls would be perfect for a holiday meal. They have a lot of flavor and would go with everything else typically on your plate.

I liked eating the rolls for breakfast the following morning by adding a small amount of butter and warming them just slightly.

Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls Step by Step

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3 3/4 cup flour
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp thyme
  • 1/2 tbsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tbsp sage
Ingredients for sesame pull-apart rolls in stainless steel bowls on a grey surface

Preparation

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and sugar over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until just warm.

Pour the milk and sugar into a large mixing bowl and gently stir in the yeast then let stand for 5 minutes.

Warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl on a grey surface

Add 1 cup of flour, butter, 2 eggs, and salt, beating at low speed until smooth.

Slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a sticky dough forms.

Sesame pull-apart rolls dough in a mixing bowl on a grey surface

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is just slightly sticky.

Sesame pull-apart rolls dough turned out onto a grey surface

Place the dough in a generously greased bowl and turn to coat.

Cover and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, until almost double in size.

Dough in a greased stainless steel bowl on a grey surface

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a large plate to draw a circle about 12 inches in diameter.

Flip the parchment paper over so the dough doesn’t touch the side that was drawn on.

After the dough has risen, punch it down then turn it out on a lightly floured surface and cover to rest for 10 minutes.

Risen dough turned out onto a floured bamboo work surface on a grey surface

Divide the dough into 6 pieces, then divide each piece into 6, forming 36 pieces of dough.

Dough pulled apart into pieces on a floured bamboo tray on a grey surface

Roll each piece of dough into a ball and line the circle on the parchment paper with 20 pieces of dough, almost touching, on the outside then a small ring of 16 pieces on the inside.

Dough formed into balls placed in two circles on a piece of parchment paper on a baking stone on a grey surface

Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 egg with 1 tbsp water to create an egg wash.

Brush the egg wash over the rolls then sprinkle immediately with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and seasonings.

Balls of dough in two circles covered with sesame seeds on a piece of parchment paper on a baking stone on a grey surface

Bake 15-18 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.

Serve warm with marinara sauce if desired.

Sesame pull-apart rolls on a white surface with a round white bowl of dipping sauce in the center (vertical)

Leftovers

Leftover Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls can be stored in an airtight container on the counter.

Recipe

Originally Published On: December 15, 2021

Sesame pull-apart rolls on a white surface with a round white bowl of dipping sauce in the center

Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls

If you're looking for bread with a lot of seasonings and great for a crowd, try making sesame pull-apart rolls for your next gathering.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
American
Diet
Vegetarian
Keyword:
bread
|
dough
|
rolls
|
sesame seeds
Dietary Needs:
Dairy-Free
|
Nut-Free
Servings: 36 rolls
5 from 6 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3 3/4 cup flour
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter (softened)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp thyme
  • 1/2 tbsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tbsp sage

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, heat the milk and sugar over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until just warm
  • Pour the milk and sugar into a large mixing bowl and gently stir in the yeast then let stand for 5 minutes
  • Add 1 cup of flour, butter, 2 eggs, and salt, beating at low speed until smooth
  • Slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a sticky dough forms
  • Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is just slightly sticky
  • Place the dough in a generously greased bowl and turn to coat
  • Cover and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, until almost double in size
  • Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a large plate to draw a circle about 12 inches in diameter
  • Flip the parchment paper over so the dough doesn’t touch the side that was drawn on
  • After the dough has risen, punch it down then turn it out on a lightly floured surface and cover to rest for 10 minutes
  • Divide the dough into 6 pieces, then divide each piece into 6, forming 36 pieces of dough
  • Roll each piece of dough into a ball and line the circle on the parchment paper with 20 pieces of dough, almost touching, on the outside then a small ring of 16 pieces on the inside
  • Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes
  • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1 egg with 1 tbsp water to create an egg wash
  • Brush the egg wash over the rolls then sprinkle immediately with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and seasonings
  • Bake 15-18 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown
  • Serve warm with marinara sauce if desired
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Nutrition Facts
Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls
Amount Per Serving (1 roll)
Calories 77 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 120mg5%
Potassium 40mg1%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 71IU1%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls FAQs

Why are these called “pull-apart” rolls?

When you bake the rolls, you’ll have them close together, but not tight. When they expand during baking, they’ll form a ring. But, since the dough wasn’t touching to begin with, they can easily be pulled apart.

Do I have to use vegan butter and almond milk?

No, these would work just as well with regular butter and milk. Since I am trying to avoid dairy, I was able to use those as a substitute to keep it dairy-free.

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18 thoughts on “Sesame Pull-Apart Rolls”

  1. This looks lovely but I’d love to see if this could be made vegan and omit the eggs- it’s so close and just think it could be amazing. Maybe Aquafaba could work potentially? What do you think?

  2. 5 stars
    I am a big fan of pull apart rolls. They make great appetizers and you can add them as sides to different dishes too.

  3. Sesame Pull Apart Rolls are a good idea. I have some sesame seeds to use up so I can refill the container, what better way than these?

  4. 5 stars
    My family loves bread and my kids can eat it morning, noon and night so adding your recipe into my todo folder and I bet they would enjoy the experience of eating this pull apart bread

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