By Yossy Arefi
Published Dec. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- About 1½ hours, plus about 3 hours’ rising
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours, plus about 3 hours' rising
- Rating
- 4(132)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A filling made from berry preserves and fresh berries replaces the buttery cinnamon sugar you might expect in a cinnamon roll, for a colorful twist on a favorite. You can use any berry jam you like, but a low-sugar variety will provide the most vibrant fruit flavor. The cream cheese icing is the perfect gooey, creamy topping that gently melts into the tops of the rolls. This dough is adaptable: You can let it rise overnight in the refrigerator, instead of at room temperature, so you can serve fresh, warm rolls for breakfast without getting up at the crack of dawn to make them. If you let the dough rise at room temperature, don’t skip the refrigeration time after the dough rises, as the dough is much, much easier to work with when cold. For the very best texture, these rolls are best served warm, on the day they are baked.
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:12 large rolls
- 1cup/240 milliliters buttermilk
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4¼ to 4½cups/544 to 576 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for the work surface
- ¾teaspoon fine salt
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened, plus more for greasing
- 3large eggs, lightly beaten
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¾cup/250 grams raspberry or other berry preserves (preferably a low-sugar variety, for the brightest fruit flavor)
- 1cup fresh raspberries
- 1lemon, for zesting
- 4ounces/113 grams cream cheese, softened
- ¾cup/90 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 2tablespoons lemon juice, plus more if needed
- Pinch salt
- 1 to 2tablespoons crushed freeze-dried berries (optional), for garnish
For the Dough
For the Filling
For the Icing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
384 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 245 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Make the dough: Gently warm the buttermilk over low heat until it reaches 100 degrees.
Step
2
In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, sugar and yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Step
3
Add 4 ¼ cups/544 grams of the flour and the salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir to combine then add the butter and toss it to coat in the flour. Add the eggs, buttermilk mixture and lemon zest; turn the mixer on low speed to combine.
Step
4
Turn the mixer up to medium and mix the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be soft and billowy and will clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough seems very, very soft and is sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Step
5
Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered large bowl. Turn the dough to coat with butter, loosely cover the bowl with a clean, dry dish towel or a length of plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour, then refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. (Refrigerating the dough makes it much easier to handle and roll. If preparing the dough in advance, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours and proceed with the recipe as written.)
Step
6
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
Step
7
Assemble the rolls: Turn the chilled dough out onto a floured surface and pat or roll it into a rectangle about 12-by-16 inches and ¼-inch thick. Gently spread the preserves over the dough, leaving about 1 inch of dough on the long edge furthest from you. Sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the top of the jam (tear the berries in half if they are quite large), then zest the lemon over the top of the berries. From the long end closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. With the seam side down, use a serrated knife or length of floss to cut the log into 12 even pieces.
Step
8
Place the rolls into the prepared pan, positioning them with the filling showing. Cover and let rise at room temperature until puffy and almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Step
9
Finish the rolls: Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake until the rolls are cooked through and golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.
Step
10
While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, whisk the softened cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and salt until smooth. The icing will be quite thick, but spreadable. Add a little bit more lemon juice if necessary.
Step
11
Let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then spread the icing over the top. Sprinkle with freeze-dried berries, if desired, and serve immediately.
Ratings
4
out of 5
132
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Debbie
The intro states, “This dough is adaptable: You can let it rise overnight in the refrigerator, instead of at room temperature, so you can serve fresh, warm rolls for breakfast without getting up at the crack of dawn to make them.” Hope that helps.
Amanda
Should I make this again, I would try doubling the amount of zest. For the specific preserve I used, it needed more lemony sharpness. I'm also thinking for next time that a lemon curd might be a nice addition with the filling.
Michelle
Respectfully disagree with Amanda. You'll struggle to keep the hand mixer blades engaged with the dough. The dead giveaway is the dough hook. If it were pliable enough for the stand mixer paddle, you could use a hand mixer.Knead by hand and take breaks. It doesn't need to be vigorously kneaded within a specific time frame. No knead dough is a thing, after all.
A. Lucey
I have a cool kitchen so skipped the refrigeration step and went straight to shaping. The dough was manageable but would be sticky if making when warmer particularly with the jam filling. Refrigerated shaped buns overnight then let them rise for about 50 min on the counter to bulk up before baking. Raspberries and lemon did make for a filling on the tart side but everyone enjoyed. I love cardamon this time of year so also added a 1/2 tsp to dough.
Alicia
This is a good recipe. It's easy and has lots of potential for different flavors, like cardamom or cinnamon as well as other fruits and perhaps some chopped nuts. My preference is mascarpone instead of cream cheese, and be sure to add extra lemon zest and juice to the frosting/glaze.
Gwen
These were excellent, did the overnight rise in the fridge and WOW. So great!
Amanda
Does anyone have tips on cutting the roll into smaller buns so they go farther? I suppose it would at the very least make them cook faster? Any other fallout from doing that?
Dougs Mom
I’ve made the recipe twice as written with great results. This time, I added extra lemon zest and vanilla bean paste to the dough and filled the rolls with homemade lemon curd and blueberry compote. I made extra frosting and used only half the powdered sugar because the lemon curd was on the sweet side. Incredibly delicious. This recipe is a keeper! I’ll be making this again and experimenting with different fillings.
Sara R
I used strawberry jam and a cup of diced strawberries in place of the raspberries. I also added a teaspoon of strawberry emulsion to the dough for a little extra berry flavor. Baked in metal non-sick pan so the baking time was too long (would be fine for glass) and I had to shorten.
Emily W.
Use frozen berries, in a dark cake pan. Cooked for 35 minutes. Got brown on bottom. Cook less, try a glass dish, and/or cook on middle rack more next time
Claire
I mixed it by hand with a wooden spoon and it turned out fine. It was mildly laborious, totally do-able.
Amanda
Should I make this again, I would try doubling the amount of zest. For the specific preserve I used, it needed more lemony sharpness. I'm also thinking for next time that a lemon curd might be a nice addition with the filling.
NK
How can the dough be made a bit more airy \ less dense akin to a croissant? Otherwise this was a big hit.
KJ
very nice to work with
A. Lucey
I have a cool kitchen so skipped the refrigeration step and went straight to shaping. The dough was manageable but would be sticky if making when warmer particularly with the jam filling. Refrigerated shaped buns overnight then let them rise for about 50 min on the counter to bulk up before baking. Raspberries and lemon did make for a filling on the tart side but everyone enjoyed. I love cardamon this time of year so also added a 1/2 tsp to dough.
Hannah
Lovely! The raspberry lemon combination made it more tart than sweet, but my husband loves that flavor and the cream cheese was enough sweet to balance it out. My next attempt will be blueberry with orange zest. The base is flexible. I prepped the dough the night before and then made the next day which saved on time.
Delicious Alternative to Cinnamon Rolls
5/5 stars - made the dough the night before, let it rise, then put it in the fridge overnight. The dough was amazing!- accidentally used a whole 8 oz block of cream cheese, but we went with it and reversed the frosting ratio - 8oz cream cheese to 3/4 cup confectioners sugar some fresh lemon juice. It was a delicious mistake.- omitted the zest from the filling because the lemon flavor did come through in the dough. It was the right choice for us. Will definitely make this again!
Frogprof12
Not everyone has the money or space for a stand mixer -- can a hand mixer be used, or can the dough be mixed by hand?
Amanda
I imagine you could do it with a hand mixer, but you better have some serious stamina if you try to do it by hand.
Michelle
Respectfully disagree with Amanda. You'll struggle to keep the hand mixer blades engaged with the dough. The dead giveaway is the dough hook. If it were pliable enough for the stand mixer paddle, you could use a hand mixer.Knead by hand and take breaks. It doesn't need to be vigorously kneaded within a specific time frame. No knead dough is a thing, after all.
Donna
Yes, I think you can assemble the rolls and refrigerate them overnight. I would leave them out at room temperature until they have doubled in size, so perhaps two hours? The introduction also encourages you to refrigerate the dough before assembly to make the process easier.
Susanna
I've refrigerated overnight and had to bake in the morning without sufficient time to allow them to fully come to temp / bulk up on the countertop. They still rose beautifully in the oven. The rich yeast dough is surprisingly forgiving.
Private notes are only visible to you.
