Italian Bacon and Cheese 'Snail' Rolls

First of all, let me tell you that these delicious rolls were a 'labor of love'! I first saw the charming, snail-shaped rolls called "Lumachelle of Orvieto" on Chiara's Italian blog La Voglia Matta in January. Lumaca means snail in Italian and Oriveto is the city in Umbria where they are popular. I immediately put the recipe to the top of my stack of recipes to try. And, try and try I did, with the first real success coming today after two previous attempts.

For the first attempt, I made the dough in my bread machine and made the rolls in muffin tins.  I used smoked ham instead of pancetta and used sharp cheddar cheese. While they looked good and had a nice crumb while warm, they hardened too much after cooling.

For the second batch, I used another recipe that I found on the internet that didn't call for any butter or lard as the first recipe did but use more olive oil.  I kneaded by hand, as the recipe states, and used cooked bacon and grated, aged Pecorino Romano cheese.  These also hardened way too much after they cooled.  Little hockey pucks! I could have given up then and just posted a nice picture and kept my fingers crossed that you had better luck than I - but I just couldn't do that. 

It was then that I decided that the hardening was likely due to using American flour instead of fine, Italian flour.  It's also possible that I didn't add enough water to the dough as it is very dry in the house here in winter. The other factor could be that the original Italian recipes call for uncooked bacon or pancetta which could add additional fat while they bake and make them more tender.  However, I was afraid of using uncooked bacon. 

Whatever the reason, I decided to switch gears and try a totally different dough recipe because I still thought the idea sounded delicious.  I picked the famous Jim Lahey recipe for No-Knead bread dough that ferments on the kitchen counter overnight for 12-18 hours.  It was an Aha! moment when I tasted the first of these rolls!

The rolls were crusty on the outside and tender on the inside, just like a good baguette!  Hours later, I tasted one again and the interior was still soft and delicious (even though I got distracted and baked them a couple of minutes longer than I should have).

A soft and delicious crumb in the center and crusty goodness on the outside with bits of bacon and sharp cheddar cheese.  Yum! They would be delicious for breakfast with an omelette or as an on-the-go breakfast or lunch.  As is true with most delicious rolls, they are best eaten the same day.

All three attempts were formed in the same way by rolling small 50 oz balls of dough into ropes and then wrapping them around and around one end to make the snail shape. Here's a video if you'd like to see how an Italian bakery makes them. 

Whenever I make a European recipe I'm always so glad I have a digital kitchen scale so I can convert ounces to grams!

I think these two are going to love them ♥

If you'd like to try making your own Lumachelle of Orvieto using the original recipe follow the links to Chiara's Blog and the blog that was her inspiration below. 

Italian Bacon and Cheese Rolls

"Lumachelle of Orvieto" - Original Recipes found on La Voglia Matta, and Anice and Cannella, which I adapted using Jim Lahey's No Knead Dough

Printable Recipe

Note: This is the original dough recipe cut in half and it yielded 9 rolls.  You can follow the link to the original Jim Lahey recipe above and use half the dough for these rolls and half for a small loaf of bread - great idea!

1-1/2- cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 rounded teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup diced lean bacon

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended.  The dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest on the kitchen counter at least 12 hours and preferably 18, at room temperature, about 70 degrees. The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.  Pat the dough out into a rectangle and add the cooked bacon and shredded cheese. Sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself several times until the bacon and cheese are incorporated. Form a ball with the dough and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope.  Make a spiral shape with the ropes but do not roll too tightly.  Place spirals on a silicone or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet dusted with a little flour. Dust surface of rolls with a little bit of flour and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rest at least 1 hour or up to 1-1/2 hours. 

About 20 minutes for the resting time in finished, preheat the oven to 450F. 

When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap from rolls and place in hot oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.