What better way to count down to spring than with a beautiful, brand new sweet roll recipe? After you all fell in LOVE with these Lemon Lover’s Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls, I knew I wanted to add a new berry to the roster.
These deliciously fluffy strawberry sweet rolls have sugar-coated strawberries in the middles, plus a luscious strawberry cream cheese frosting on top for gooey strawberry perfection. They’ll make the perfect treat for sharing with loved ones on Easter, at a baby shower, for Mother’s Day, or just because!
Please be sure to read through the blog post as you bake — I’ve answered TONS of common questions I get about making yeasted rolls so that these turn out perfectly for you.
Ingredients in these strawberry sweet rolls
This recipe uses very similar ingredients to my original cinnamon rolls, but with a few strawberry swaps! Here’s what you’ll need:
- For the dough: to get the perfect, gooey yet fluffy sweet roll dough, you’ll need whole milk, granulated sugar, quick rise yeast (see below for 2 yeast options), an egg and an egg yolk, salted butter, bread flour, and salt.
- For the filling: you’ll rub your rolled out dough with softened butter, then top the dough with frozen strawberries tossed in granulated sugar and a little cornstarch before rolling them up.
- For the frosting: we’re using my new strawberry cream cheese frosting made with freeze-dried strawberries, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
Try a dairy-free version
Simply use a dairy-free milk of choice (I suggest unsweetened almond milk), vegan butter, and dairy-free cream cheese. Easy!
Can I make them gluten-free?
Unfortunately, no, I cannot recommend a gluten-free substitute for the flour in these strawberry rolls.
Which yeast should you use?
It’s important to know that there are two types of yeast to choose from and that BOTH will work in this recipe:
- Quick rise or instant yeast: this type of yeast does NOT need to be activated, i.e. you do not need to “proof” it before adding it to the dough ingredients. I always use this type of yeast in my yeasted bread and roll recipes (including my famous cinnamon rolls!)
- Active dry yeast: this type of yeast DOES need to be activated / “proofed.” This means you’ll want to dissolve it in the warm milk until little bubbles appear before adding the rest of the dough ingredients. The dough may take longer to rise with active dry yeast as well.
My best tips for making yeasted rolls
- Don’t overheat your milk. The milk should be between 105 to 115 degrees F. The yeast won’t activate well if it’s colder, and if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast, both of which mean the rolls will not rise. A simple tip is to dip your finger in the milk — it should feel similar to warm bath water. If you warmed it up too much, simply wait a few minutes until it cools down enough to touch.
- Use room temperature eggs in the dough. Cold eggs could affect the yeast or mix with the melted butter and cause it to coagulate. To bring your eggs to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl of very warm water for a few minutes.
- Use bread flour. Bread flour makes ALL the difference in achieving softer, fluffier rolls because of its higher protein content.
- Flour your work surface and rolling pin. This is to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface or to the rolling pin.
Can I make them without a stand mixer?
Absolutely! Here’s how:
- Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until well-combined.
- Stir in the dry ingredients with your wooden spoon until the dough starts to form.
- Use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface.
The perfect strawberry middles
Instead of creating a homemade strawberry jam for these rolls (like I did with my lemon blueberry rolls), I wanted the strawberry filling to have a little bite of fruit. Two important things achieved the perfect filling:
- Freezing the strawberries
- Coating them with a little cornstarch & sugar
Frozen, coated strawberries result in deliciously jammy strawberries that still have a little bite to them. SO GOOD.
A note on the second rise
Speaking of the strawberry filling, you’ll notice that after you slice your rolls and place them in your pan to rise, this second rise is longer than with my other roll recipes. This is because the dough will be cold from the frozen strawberries!
The strawberries in the filling will release their juices as they thaw during this time. It’s totally fine, and they’ll still bake up beautifully!
Make these strawberry sweet rolls overnight
After placing the rolls into the greased pan (after the first rise), simply cover them, place them overnight in the fridge, and then bake them in the morning as directed. They can sit in the fridge no longer than 18 hours. I like to bring the rolls to room temperature first by leaving them on the counter for 90 minutes before baking (this is known as the second rise). With this recipe, it’s common for the filling of the rolls to leak out because of the juices.
How to store these strawberry rolls
Cover the cooled rolls with plastic wrap and foil or place individual rolls in airtight glass containers or silicone bags and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat rolls individually in the microwave in 15-second intervals until warm.
Strawberry sweet rolls FAQ
As always, please read through the entire blog post and the recipe for answers to many common questions.
- Can I use all-purpose flour? The recipe will still work with all purpose flour, but I highly recommend sticking with bread flour so that your strawberry rolls are extra fluffy and delicious.
- Why did the middles pop out? This can happen if you roll them a bit too tightly or if your pan is too small. Be sure to cut the dough off the ends of your dough log so that the rolls all fit in your pan (or use a larger pan if you want to bake the end pieces).
- Can I double the recipe? Yep! Just remember to use a larger pan.
- What can I do if my dough is too sticky while kneading? Simply add a little more flour, about a tablespoon at a time, until it’s easier to work with.
- Can I use a bread maker? I haven’t tested this recipe using a bread maker, but readers have made my famous Cinnamon Rolls using one, so I think it should work!
Freezing sweet rolls: 2 different ways
- To freeze before baking: the dough should be frozen after the first rise (once it’s rolled up with the filling in and cut). Place into a pan and cover well, then place in the freezer. When you are ready to bake, let the dough thaw in the fridge — preferably overnight — then put in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to activate the second rise. Bake the rolls as directed.
- To freeze after baking: allow the strawberry rolls to come to room temperature after baking, then you can choose to either freeze the entire pan, making sure they are well wrapped or covered in an airtight container, or you can choose to freeze individual rolls. When ready to eat, defrost the rolls at room temperature, then warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or you can warm them up individually in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (once defrosted). I prefer to freeze them before they are iced, and then frost them when ready to eat. The icing is also freezer-friendly!
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my kitchen essentials here!
More brunch treats
Get all of my brunch recipes here!
I hope you love these strawberry sweet rolls! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
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Ambitious Kitchen
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125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Strawberry Sweet Rolls with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Beautiful, fluffy strawberry sweet rolls filled with fresh strawberries and topped with a perfectly sweet, homemade strawberry cream cheese frosting. These strawberry rolls are a fun, spring take on my famous cinnamon roll recipe, and would make an incredible brunch treat for Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, and more!
Ingredients
- Strawberries
- 12 ounces fresh strawberries, stemmed and diced (about 1 ¾ cup diced strawberries)
- Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup (180g) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (from 1 (1/4-ounce) package yeast)*
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- Dry ingredients
- 3 ⅓ cups (400g) bread flour, plus more as needed
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Filling
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting
- ½ cup (11 grams) freeze dried strawberries
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup (150 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, to make creamy
Instructions
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Place the diced strawberries on a large plate or in a large shallow bowl then place in the freezer. It is important you do this first so that the strawberries are frozen enough by the time you are ready to roll up the dough.
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Mix the wet ingredients: In a small microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup, warm the milk by microwaving it for 1 minute, until it registers 120°F on a thermometer and feels like very warm bath water (but it shouldn’t be too hot!). Add the warmed milk into the bowl, then add the sugar, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Wait 2 minutes to activate the yeast; you will know it is activated when it starts to bubble and foam on top, then add the egg, egg yolk, and melted butter. Mix on medium speed until well combined, 30 seconds. (Alternatively, mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.)
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Add the dry ingredients: Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour and salt until a dough begins to form (this will prevent flour from flying everywhere!).
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Knead the dough: Place the dough hook on the stand mixer and return the bowl to the mixer. Knead the dough on medium speed, 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes on a well-floured surface.) Please know that this is supposed to be a slightly sticky dough, but if measured properly they will bake up beautifully!
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (This may be more or less time depending on the time of year, the humidity, and the temperature in your home.) You will know the dough has risen enough when you poke your finger into the dough about an inch without the indentation bouncing back immediately.
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Generously dust a clean surface with flour. Transfer the risen dough to the surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 10×14-inch rectangle.
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Prepare the filling: Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch margin at the far shorter side of the rectangle. Remove the strawberries from the freezer and add in the sugar and cornstarch, stirring well to combine so the strawberries are well-coated in the mixture. Use your hands to sprinkle the coated strawberries over the butter.
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Roll up the dough: Working quickly and starting from the short side (the 10-inch side) without the margin, very tightly roll up the dough. Seal the far edge of the dough as best you can by pinching the dough together just slightly, then make sure the dough log is seam-side down. Cut a ½ inch off each end of the dough, as the ends won’t have enough filling; feel free to discard (or bake separately as yummy extras). Use your hands to give the dough log a gentle push inwards on both ends so that it compacts slightly, as it may have stretched out a bit during the rolling process.
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Cut the rolls: Using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife, cut the dough into nine 1-inch slices.
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Line a square 9×9 inch square pan or 11×7 inch pan with parchment paper. Place the rolls in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise again until the rolls have puffed up, and touch each other in the pan, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. (The dough will be cold so it will be a slightly longer second rise and the juice from the strawberries will being to leak out on the bottom of the pan. This is totally fine and they will still bake up beautifully.)
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Preheat the oven: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Once the rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and towel and bake until just slightly golden brown on the edges, about 23 to 28 minutes, until the temperature of the dough reads 185 to 190 degrees F. Not overbaking the rolls ensures that they will stay soft in the middle.
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Make the frosting: While the rolls bake, prepare the strawberry frosting: In a small high powered blender: add the freeze dried strawberries and process on high for 30 seconds until they resemble a fine powder.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and cream cheese, and beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until fluffy and well combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Next add the freeze dried strawberry powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and beat on low speed to start, then increase to medium-high speed and mix until smooth and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, to make the frosting a little more creamy. (Alternatively, whisk the frosting by hand.) Immediately spread the frosting over the rolls so the frosting gets into every little nook and cranny of the roll and then serve. ENJOY while they are warm and gooey!
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To store: Cover the cooled rolls with plastic wrap and foil or place individual rolls in airtight glass containers or silicone bags and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat rolls individually in the microwave in 15 second intervals until warm. For freezing instructions, see the blog post.
Recipe Notes
*If you use quick rise or instant yeast, you do not need to “proof/activate” it before adding it to the dough ingredients. If you use active dry yeast, you’ll want to dissolve it in the warm milk until little bubbles appear before adding the rest of the dough ingredients. The dough may take longer to rise with active dry yeast as well. Either will work.
To make overnight strawberry rolls: After placing rolls into the greased pan (after the first rise), simply cover, place them overnight in the fridge, and then bake them in the morning as directed. I like to bring my rolls to room temperature first by leaving them on the counter for 90 minutes before baking (this is known as the second rise).
See the full post for tips, tricks & FAQs!
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
