There is a particular kind of morning that calls for a pan of strawberry cinnamon rolls. Christmas morning is one. Valentine’s Day is another. So is the birthday where someone asked for cinnamon rolls instead of a cake.
Shape the strawberry cinnamon rolls the night before, and they go into the oven while the coffee is brewing.
My caramel pecan cinnamon rolls and blueberry cinnamon rolls are two more unique flavors that are over-the-top delicious.
Making Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls The Night Before
Strawberry cinnamon rolls take about three hours from mixing the dough to carrying the pan to the table. Most of that is just waiting on the dough to rise.
- The night before: mix the dough, shape the rolls, and get them into the dish, then cover it and put it in the refrigerator.
- In the morning: set the dish on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes while the oven heats. That rest time truly matters because cold dough does not expand. Rolls that go straight from the refrigerator into a hot oven will bake dense through the middle.
If you would rather bake them start to finish on the same day, nothing about the recipe changes. Either way, the rolls are best eaten warm on the day you bake them.
Ingredient Notes
Strawberry preserves: Look for a thick preserve rather than a runny one. Thin preserves can run out of the rolls as soon as they warm up in the oven. Jam works in place of preserves as long as it is the thick kind.
Fresh strawberries: Ripe berries are the way to go because underripe ones taste sharp against the preserves. Dice them small rather than slicing them, and pat them dry if they are wet.
Instant yeast: My recipe is written for instant yeast, which goes straight into the flour with no soaking step first.
Full recipe, including the complete list of ingredients with measurements, is in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Don’t Lose The Filling While Shaping The Rolls
Most cinnamon roll recipes have you roll the whole rectangle into one long log, then slice the log into rounds. That works beautifully for a dry cinnamon sugar filling.
However, a wet fruit filling is a different matter, because the knife presses down through every layer of the log at once and the strawberry filling has nowhere to go but out the ends.
My recipe skips the log. Cut the flat dough into strips first, then roll each strip into its own roll. Nothing gets pressed, so nothing gets pushed out, and you can be a little unhurried about it.
Leave a gap between the rolls when you set them in. They need somewhere to grow, and rolls that touch each other going in will fuse together as they rise.
One Note On The Dough Itself
If the dough keeps pulling back at you while you roll it out, it is telling you it needs a short rest, not more flour. Give it three or four minutes and it will cooperate. Flour added at this stage makes a tough roll.
Knowing When The Rolls Are Ready To Bake
About an hour after the shaped rolls go into the dish, you will look at them and think nothing much has happened. That is normal, and it helps to know what you are actually waiting for.
Strawberry cinnamon rolls are not meant to double in the pan. Rolls left waiting for that have risen too long, and their spirals slacken in the oven.
Watch the gaps between the rolls instead.
Once the gaps have closed and the rolls are pressing lightly against each other, press one with a fingertip:
- A dent that fills back slowly means they are ready for the oven.
- A dent that springs straight back means they need a little more time.
- A dent that stays where it is means they have gone as far as they should, so get them in now.
How long that takes depends on your kitchen more than the clock does. A cool room takes longer than a warm one.
Rolls that spent the night in the refrigerator are usually ready to go into the oven by the end of their counter rest. Check them the same way before the oven.
When To Spread The Frosting
The strawberry cinnamon rolls come out of the oven smelling finished. Give the rolls a few minutes on the counter before you start frosting them.
Frosting spread on hot rolls melts and runs down into the pan. Frosting spread on rolls that have gone cold sits on top in a lump. Somewhere in between, at about five minutes, the frosting settles into the swirl and stays where you put it.
I spread it thin rather than piling it on, so the red of the berries still shows through the top.
If you would rather have a pink frosting, use my strawberry cream cheese frosting in place of the vanilla one.
Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting and rolling out the dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 0.25 ounce packet (Red Star Platinum brand used)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Filling
- ⅔ cup strawberry preserves, also known as fruit spread (Smucker’s Natural brand used)
- 1 cup small diced fresh strawberries
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
- In a microwave safe liquid measuring cup, heat the milk for 35-45 seconds or just until the milk reaches 105°-110°F on an instant read thermometer. It should feel like warm bath water to the touch.
- Whisk together in a small bowl the warm milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, whole egg and egg yolk until all the ingredients are fully combined.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the all-purpose flour, instant yeast and salt. Stir to combine.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly drizzle the warm milk mixture into the flour until all the liquids have been absorbed by the flour.
- Increase the speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook and is no longer sticky to the touch.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, gently form the dough into a rough ball in the bowl then cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or piece of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in the bowl for 30 minutes. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax making rolling the dough easier.
- Gently turn out the rested dough onto a lightly floured clean work surface or large silicone mat. Gently pat the dough into a rough rectangle (approximately 6×10 inches) being careful not to overwork the dough.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough to a larger rectangle approximately 12×18 inches and ¼ inch thick. If your dough starts to pull back when rolling, stop and allow the dough to rest for 3-4 minutes before proceeding.
Filling and Shaping
- Spread the strawberry preserves evenly over the rolled out dough being sure to leave a ¼ inch around the edges with no preserves.
- Sprinkle the small diced fresh strawberries evenly over the strawberry preserves.
- Stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the strawberries.
- Lightly butter or spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick baker’s spray.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the strawberry coated dough into 12 equal strips (about 1 ¼ – 1 ½ inch wide). For uniform rolls, trim the dough into a straight-sided rectangle before cutting the strips.
- Carefully roll up one strip at a time into a spiral. Place the single strawberry cinnamon roll into the prepared 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until all 12 strips are rolled and placed in the baking dish being sure to allow ¼-½ inch space between the rolls. This allows space for the dough to proof and rise before baking.
- Cover the rolls with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and place into a draft free spot for 1-1 ½ hours. Allow the rolls to rise until they are pressing against each other in the dish. They will not quite double in size at this point. They will continue to rise and expand in size when baked. The time it takes for your rolls to rise depends on the warmth of your home.
- While your strawberry cinnamon rolls are rising in the baking dish, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap, or tea towel, from the baking dish and bake the rolls for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned and the dough reaches an internal temperature of 190°- 200°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Allow the strawberry cinnamon rolls to cool on the counter for 5 minutes before frosting and serving.
Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and unsalted butter for 1 – 2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy using a handheld mixer on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar and beat again until all the powdered sugar is fully incorporated.
- Mix in the whole milk and vanilla extract, beating just until smooth and spreadable.
- Spread the frosting over the slightly cooled strawberry cinnamon rolls and serve while the rolls are still warm for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- For best flavor, be sure to use a high quality strawberry preserve and ripe fresh strawberries for the filling of these cinnamon rolls. Strawberry jam can be substituted for the preserves in this recipe.
- If you do not have a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, you can mix the dough in a large bowl then knead by hand for 6-7 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. When kneading by hand, you may need to add a small amount of flour to a clean work surface to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Do not add more than 2-3 tablespoons additional flour to prevent yielding a tough dough when baked.
- Be sure to use a high quality instant yeast for best results for the rise of your dough. Instant yeast does not need to bloom in warm water before being added to the dough. It can also be labeled rapid rise yeast depending on the brand used.
- This recipe is not written for the use of active dry yeast which must be bloomed before adding to a recipe.
- If your strawberries are very juicy, gently pat them dry with a paper towel before adding to the cinnamon roll filling to avoid making the dough soggy.
- RISE TIME: Rise time depends on the warmth of your kitchen. A warm room takes about 1 hour, a cool one closer to 2. The rolls are ready to bake when they are pressing against each other in the dish. They will not quite double.
- MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE: These are best baked and served the same day. To make them ahead, shape the rolls in the dish, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Set the dish on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes before baking. Store leftovers airtight at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Rewarm a single roll in the microwave for 25 to 30 seconds.
Nutrition
Comments
Ronda says
What kind of bread dough what brand