Cheesy Breakfast Sausage Pinwheel Recipe
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This Sausage Pinwheel Recipe is perfect for the holidays with family and friends, and it’s a fantastic breakfast to go!! Soft and tender bread is filled with your favorite fixin’s. Breakfast pinwheels are like a little piece of heaven, rolled up with smoky bacon, pork sausage, scrambled eggs, and ooey gooey cheese!
Sausage Pinwheel Recipe
This has to be the most fun I have ever had developing a recipe! Munchkin has been working with me in the kitchen since she was little, but it was a game changer once she hit the age of wanting to make the recipes, not just watch.
I put together a sweet and tender milk and honey bread dough.
Then, I rolled it out and let Munchkin go to town with 2 kinds of cheese, sausage, bacon, and eggs. Roll, slice, and bake — in a snap it was ready to eat, start to finish in an hour!
We love them so much that I came up with a pizza version for dinner too.
The best part is you can make breakfast sausage pinwheels ahead of time, so they are perfect for back to school.
Have fun making them with the kids on the weekend, then heat them up and grab one as they are heading out the door!
Between these sausage breakfast pinwheels, freezer burritos, and crockpot overnight casserole, our mornings are covered!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Active Dry Yeast – Check the package carefully! Active yeast needs to be activated first, whereas instant dry yeast is ready to use.
The dough won’t come out the same if you try to use instant. - Milk – Warm this on the stove or in the microwave to between 110 and 115°F — use a thermometer to be sure.
If it’s cold, the yeast won’t activate, but if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast instead. - Honey – You need some kind of sugar to feed the yeast, but granulated sugar makes breakfast pinwheels taste too sweet.
Honey does the job and adds a nice flavor to the dough instead! - Flour & Salt – Regular all-purpose flour and kosher salt are all you need to form the dough.
- Unsalted Butter – Melt this first, let it cool, then divide it — some for the dough, some for greasing the baking sheet, and the rest for brushing over the top of the pinwheels to help them brown.
- Bacon & Sausage – Grab your favorite! I like Jones Dairy Farm, especially since they have fully cooked sausage links.
It saves me an extra step when making this sausage pinwheel recipe! You will, however, need to cook and chop the bacon strips ahead of time. - Scrambled Eggs – Cook these up real quick in a skillet so they have time to cool. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper!
- Cheese – I like a mixture of Pepper Jack cheese and mild or sharp cheddar in my breakfast sausage pinwheels.
Feel free to use all cheddar (divided), or swap the Pepper Jack for something less spicy like Colby or Monterey Jack. - Scallions – Also known as green onions, these add a bit of freshness to sausage and cheese pinwheels. Chives are a great alternative.
Tips and Tricks to Make Perfect Breakfast Pinwheels
- Have all the filling ingredients prepped and ready.
Cook and chop everything before starting the dough — the bacon and eggs will need that time to cool.
Once you get the dough going, you’ll need to move quickly to get your pinwheels assembled, so there’s no time for multitasking!
- Get perfectly round slices.
There’s a lot of filling in these sausage and cheese pinwheels, so take your time and roll as tightly as possible.
Also, be sure to leave a 1-inch border at the top edge of the dough, plus about a half-inch on the other edges.
The filling will push out as you roll, and then you’ll need that extra dough at the top to seal the roll.
When you’re ready to slice, start in the middle. Cut the log in half, then the halves in half, to get 4 equal pieces. Then, slice each one into thirds, leaving you with 12 pinwheels total.
- Butter is your friend!
Grease your baking sheet with melted butter, then brush more melted butter over the top of your sausage breakfast pinwheels.
Obviously, greasing the pan prevents sticking, but buttering both sides of the rolls also helps them brown all the way around!
Prep Ahead
- Scramble eggs
- Cook and chop bacon
- Shred cheese
- Chop scallions
- Slice sausage links
- Preheat oven to 350°F
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Stand Mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment
- Baking Sheet – Used for anything from cookies to roasting, a good baking pan will last for years.
- Skillet – Use this to scramble the eggs and cook the sausage ahead of time.
- Cheese Grater – Fresh cheese makes this recipe even better! Skip the bagged shreds and buy a block to grate yourself.
- Basting Brush – I like this one over the silicone ones.
Serving Suggestions
As a grab-and-go option, these are quite filling on their own. I’ll usually add some fresh fruit on the side when I serve breakfast pinwheels on the weekend.
If I’m hosting brunch, air fryer breakfast potatoes are my go-to along with a sweet fruit salad. Sometimes, I’ll leave out the eggs and whip up a quiche or frittata instead!
Storing and Reheating Sausage and Cheese Pinwheels
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Reheat in the oven for 10 minutes at 350°F, or in the air fryer if you like them a little crispy on the outside.
You can also make sausage breakfast pinwheels ahead of time and freeze them for later! Let baked pinwheels cool to room temp, then store them in a freezer bag.
Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Breakfast Sausage Pinwheels FAQ
Yes, but your pinwheels won’t be quite as thick and fluffy. I recommend sheet puff pastry or crescent dough for this sausage pinwheel recipe since they puff up nicely in the oven.
Just be sure to press along the perforations to close them up, otherwise they might burst open when baked.
If you seal the dough properly, they should hold their shape just fine in the oven. The cheese helps to act as a sort of “glue” as well.
Still having trouble? Chill the log before slicing, then stick a toothpick through the side before baking. Make sure to leave it poking out a bit so you can remove it before serving.
Veggies such as bell peppers or sautéed mushrooms would taste great with the other filling ingredients. Just be sure to replace some of the meat so the dough isn’t overstuffed.
You can also play around with seasonings, including dried herbs for flavor or cayenne and red pepper flakes for heat!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Cheesy Breakfast Sausage Pinwheel Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 packets
- 1 1/4 cups warm milk, 110° to 115°
- 1/4 cup honey
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the Filling
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 6 large eggs, scrambled
- 1/2 cup Jones Dairy Farm Dry Aged Bacon, cooked and chopped
- 7 ounce package Jones Dairy Farm Fully Cooked Sausage links, sliced
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; add yeast, milk and honey. Swirl with a spoon to dissolve the yeast. Allow the mixture to rest until the yeast becomes foamy and aromatic, about 3 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 1/2 cups flour, mix on low until smooth. Add remaining flour to form a soft dough. Add salt. Allow to knead for about 3 minutes. Ball of dough should be slightly sticky.
- Meanwhile, grease a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons remaining melted butter. Set aside.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and form into a ball. Roll the dough out into a 12″x18″ wide rectangle. Sprinkle the scallions and pepperjack cheese evenly over the dough leaving a 1″ border on the top edge. Lightly press the scallions and cheese into the dough with fingertips or rolling pin.
- Add eggs, bacon and sausage in alternating rows over the top. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over top.
- Starting at the long edge, fold the edge of the dough on top of itself and begin tightly rolling the dough away, pinching the ingredients into the roll. Use the last 1” to seal the roll. Cut dough roll in quarters. Cut each of those pieces into 3 pieces for 12 pieces.
- Arrange the pinwheels cut side up on the buttered baking sheet, spread them out so they are not touching. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Brush with remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter.
- Serve and enjoy!
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published July 2017. Updated and republished June 2024
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Looks delicious. A bet a person could even used diced ham in place of the bacon
That sounds delicious! Diced ham would be a wonderful addition!
these look amazing and something I may have to try when the grandkids are over—well, not when the one who hates eggs comes but I bet the others will love 'em! I know I would, LOL
Thanks so much @ Linda C Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
Like it
Thoughts on using croissant dough (store bought) or some other quicker substitutefor the dough??
That’s what I’m about to do
I was also wondering about using the can Pillsbury rolled out dough, I can’t exactly think of the name of it.
Can you use frozen bread dough?
My kids love when I make these, they snack on them throughout the day.
I made 2 sets of these one with just cheese and the other the normal way. OMG they were great
Hi Jennifer,
We are so happy you enjoyed them! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Could you freeze them, and then pull them out the night before? Then defrosted in morning and ready for the oven?
I don’t have a stand mixer, what would be a great substitute?
I’m really curious what you did? I have no mixer either
I was wondering if anyone had made them, froze unbaked, thawed and baked? If so how did they come out? Needing to feed 45 people so would have to make ahead of time.
These pinwheels were a hit with my family! So easy to make and super delicious.
Hi Hazel!
We’re so glad you enjoyed.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn