Strawberry Sweet Rolls + Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Closeup of Strawberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

5 from 7 votes

Strawberry Sweet Rolls + Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

These Strawberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze are absolutely moist and sticky, made with a homemade tender dough, a sweet strawberry filling with chunks of strawberries tucked away in between, and a sweet + tangy glaze that adds a punch of great flavor to this recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Rising Time:1 15

Total Time2 10

Course: Brunch, Dessert

Keyword: baked, brioche, cinnamon rolls, classic, cream cheese, dessert, easy, fluffy, homemade, indulge, lemon, recipe, southern, strawberry, sweet, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

SWEET ROLLS:

2 cups Organic All-purpose flour
3 cups Artisan Bread flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon finely-ground sea salt
1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
½ cup organic cane sugar + 1 Tbsp (I use Sugar in the Raw)
1 ¼ cup Almond milk (I use Califia Farms; You can also use whole milk if preferred)
¼ cup WARM water
¼ cup unsalted butter (That's 4 Tbsps!)
2 large eggs, room temp.

STRAWBERRY FILLING:

½ cup strawberry preserve/jam
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

LEMON CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

4 oz. organic cream cheese, at room temp (That's ½ a pack!)
3 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened at room temp
3 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon lemon extract or juice of a lemon
1-2 Tbsps organic heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE SWEET ROLLS:

Start by combining the yeast and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and then slowly pouring in the warm water, while stirring everything together. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and the yeast to activate (It'll become foamy when done right!).
Meanwhile, melt the butter and milk together over the stove top on low to medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter has fully melted. NOTE: You don't want the mixture to get too hot or boil! Set aside and let it cool until WARM.
Add lukewarm butter-milk mixture to yeast and mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time and continue mixing on low speed until well combined.
Next, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, sea salt and cinnamon to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined.
Change "mixer head" to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on medium-high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
Once dough ball is perfectly kneaded, add it to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit and rise for 1 hour to an hour + 15 minutes.
In the meantime, you can work on the filling!

STRAWBERRY FILLING:

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of strawberry preserves and lemon juice together and stir until preserve/jam becomes light and easy to stir. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY:

Once the hour has gone by and your dough has risen (about double it's original size), preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, flour a flat surface and place the dough on it and using a rolling-pin, roll it out to a rectangle (approximately 9"x14), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
Then, generously spoon strawberry filling overtop of dough until mostly covered.
Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5" rolls, placing each roll into a large baking dish (lined with parchment paper!).
Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).
Once the rolls have doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, brush the tops of the rolls with a little more melted butter and then bake them for approximately 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven.
While all the baking magic is happening, make the lemon cream cheese glaze and set aside.

TO MAKE LEMON CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

Simply combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer & beat together on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice/extract, and heavy cream, continuing to mix on medium speed until you reach the desired consistency. **Add more heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time if too thick) or powdered sugar (for more thickness).*
Remove the rolls from the oven and wait 5 minutes or so until they are barely cool, and then spread the glaze atop the rolls using a rubber spatula. This allows for the glaze to moisten the rolls even more. Top with fresh strawberry slices, if desired.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

TO STORE: Leftovers can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months.
RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST: If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
OVERNIGHT OPTION: If you don’t want to make your Sweet Rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY COMPOTE: Combine 3 cups diced strawberries, 1 cup cane sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and simmer until the strawberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Now mix together 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch in a small bowl along with 2 Tbsps warm water until combined, smooth, and "milky" in consistency. Add mixture to the saucepan with strawberries and stir until everything thickens.

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