If you've been making kaiser rolls at home for a while, you may be ready for some variety. Plain, classic kaisers are nice, but it's nice to have something a bit different now and then. The following are three simple ways you can take your kaiser rolls to the next level.

Top Them With Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan cheese makes a lovely topping for kaiser rolls. It gets crispy and crunchy in the oven and adds a lovely, salty, cheesy flavor. After you shape your kaiser rolls, brush the tops with egg, and then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. It works best when it is finely grated. Don't worry if a little bit gets on the pan, as it will just crisp up and stick to the bottoms of the rolls. Parmesan topped kaisers are lovely on their own, but they also make great sandwich rolls.

Top Them With a Mixture of Seeds

You often see kaiser rolls topped with either sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Why not create your own mixture of seeds to use in place of these? Combine equal parts sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and de-shelled sunflower seeds in a bowl. Mix them gently to combine them together, and then use them to top your rolls before baking. The sunflower seeds, especially, get a nice, toasted flavor when baked in the oven.

Add Some Cheddar to the Dough

If you're a fan of cheesy kaiser rolls, then you may want to try this cheddar variety. All you need to do is add some cheddar cheese to the dough. The best time to do this is after you've bulk fermented the dough, before you shape it into rolls. Just spread the dough out into a rectangle, sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, and roll the dough back up. Knead it a few times to distribute the cheddar, and then divide it into rolls and proceed as you normally would. Sharp cheddar works best as it adds the most flavor, but you can use mild cheddar if you prefer it. About 1/2 cup of cheese is enough for a standard batch of 12 kaiser rolls.

With the ideas above, you can take your kaiser rolls to the next level. It's so nice to bite into a kaiser roll and enjoy an additional savory flavor along with the bread. Also, with these ideas as inspiration, you can take things even one step higher and create your own kaiser varieties.