Blueberry and Lemon Sweet Rolls
Makes 11-12 rolls
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
For Filling:
1⅓ cups (225g) frozen blueberries, not thawed
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
For Rolls:
2¾ cups (344g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet yeast (1 packet = 2.25 teaspoons)
½ cup water
¼ cup milk
1½ tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
1 large egg, at room temperature
For Glaze:
Zest from ½ a large lemon
Juice from 1 large lemon
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
For Filling:
Combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Gently toss the ingredients around and let it sit while you prepare the dough.
For Dough:
In a large bowl, combine 2¼ cup flour (you’ll use the remaining ½ cup flour later), sugar, salt, and yeast together. Set aside.
Heat the water, milk, and butter together in a bowl in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch, about 115°F - 120°F.
Slowly, stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved ½ cup of flour to make a soft dough. I needed the full ½ cup, but you may need less.
The dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and gently spread them to cover the entire dough surface. Roll up the dough tightly and cut the log into 11-12 even pieces. Place each one in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. It’s ok to pack the rolls tightly into the pan.
Be aware, cutting the rolls will be very messy and sticky, as the frozen blueberries start to thaw and their juice starts to drip out.
For the next step, following the instruction depending on if you want to continue making the rolls later in the day or if you plan on putting the dough in the fridge overnight:
Later in the Day - loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow the dough to rise in a draft-free place for 2-3 hours. Ovens that are off are great places for this!
Overnight – loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow them to rise in fridge overnight. Take them out and let the rolls rest and warm up for 1 hour prior to baking.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes and cover the rolls with aluminum foil, to avoid over browning. Continue baking for an additional 10 – 15 minutes until the rolls have reached your desired color of golden brown.
For Glaze:
As the rolls are baking, combine the lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, confectioner’s sugar, and milk/half-and-half/heavy cream in a medium bowl. Whisk the mixture together until the sugar has dissolved.
Add more sugar if you want a thicker glaze. If you do this, feel free to add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness.
Add more lemon juice or milk/half-and-half/heavy cream to make it thinner.
Once the rolls come out of the oven, pour the glaze over the rolls.
Enjoy!
