Strawberry Sourdough Rolls

5 from 13 votes

Sweet strawberry rolls, filled with fresh strawberry filling and topped with cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries, these sweet strawberry rolls are incredible. You will love serving these for breakfast or a special brunch. They are sure to become a family favorite. Enjoy!!

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Fermentation Time1 13

Total Time1 14 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: rolls

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Levain

10 grams sourdough starter ripe & active, 2 teaspoons
10 grams granulated sugar about 1 Tablespoon
50 grams all-purpose or bread flour about 6 Tablespoons
25 grams water about 2 Tablespoons

Strawberry Sourdough Roll Dough

90 grams levain all of it, see recipe notes, about 1/3 cup
220 grams whole milk warmed, about 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
55 grams unsalted butter melted, about 1/4 cup
55 grams granulated sugar about 1/4 cup
1 large egg 50 grams
6 grams salt about 1 teaspoon
475 grams bread flour about 3 1/2 cups

Strawberry Roll Filling

55 grams unsalted butter, very soft 4 Tablespoons
85 grams granulated sugar scant 1/2 cup
10 grams freeze-dried strawberries, crushed about 2 Tablespoons
6 grams all-purpose or bread flour about 2 teaspoons
150 grams strawberries, diced about 1 cup

Strawberry Roll Frosting

55 grams unsalted butter 4 Tablespoons
30 grams cream cheese about 2 Tablespoons
125 grams powdered sugar about 1 cup
15 grams heavy cream about 1 Tablespoon
3 grams vanilla extract about 1/2 teaspoon
pinch of salt to taste

Strawberry Topping

150 grams strawberries, diced about 1 cup
20 grams granulated sugar more or less depending on how sweet you like your berries, about 1.5 Tablespoons

Instructions

Mix Levain (10-12 hours, overnight at 78ºF)

Mix together ripe sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and water. Knead the levain until it forms a cohesive ball. Set in a liquid measuring cup and cover for 10-12 hours until the levain has doubled in size and the top is rounded.

Strawberry Sourdough Rolls

Mix Dough: Warm the milk in the microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes full power) or on the stove. It should be around 90-100ºF, no warmer than that. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the ripe levain, warmed milk and melted butter. Add the sugar, egg, salt and most of the bread flour. Turn on the dough hook and knead for a few minutes. Add the remainder of the bread flour as needed. The dough should be tacky, not overly sticky and should all cling to one side of the bowl (or away from the edges depending on your mixer). Knead for a total of 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth. If mixing by hand, knead for 10-15 minutes.
Bulk Fermentation: Put the dough in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 78-80ºF place for 4 hours. Take the temperature of the dough as needed to make sure the dough temperature stays right around 78-80ºF. This temperature is optimal for fermentation.
At the end of about 4 hours, the dough should be puffed up and feel very elastic. If it doesn't feel this way, let it bulk ferment for another half hour and check again.
Overnight Refrigeration: At this point, after the bulk fermentation has finished, cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator. Proceed with the recipe the next day, shaping and proofing the rolls before baking. This allows you to time the rolls for breakfast or brunch if desired. If you prefer to shape the rolls and bake them the same day, skip the overnight refrigeration and proceed with the recipe or see the recipe notes for other make-ahead options.
Mix up the Filling: Use a rolling pin to crush the freeze-dried strawberries into a fairly fine powder. To a small bowl, add the melted or very soft butter, granulated sugar, freeze-dried strawberries and flour. Mix together until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
Prepare Strawberries: Wash and dice strawberries until you have about 300 grams worth. Take half of the diced strawberries, about 150 grams worth, and place in a small bowl. Add 20 grams of granulated sugar and mix together. Cover and refrigerate for after the rolls are baked. The remaining 150 grams of strawberries will be sprinkled on top of the strawberry rolls before being rolled up.
Shaping: Prepare 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick pan. Roll the dough out into an approximate 16 by 12 rectangle. Spread the strawberry filling all over the dough with your fingers, making sure to spread right to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle diced strawberries over the dough. Starting with the dough closest to you, roll up the strawberry rolls and pinch together the seam. Flip the roll over, seam side down. Cut the long log of strawberry roll dough into 8 equal pieces. Place the rolls in the baking pan with two in the middle of the pan and three on each side of the pan, snuggling all 8 rolls together.
Proofing: Cover the pan and let rise in an 80-85ºF place until puffed up and risen, about 3-4 hours. Do not bake these rolls if they have not risen.
Baking: Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Bake for about 28-30 minutes until baked all the way through.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Using a hand mixer, whip together softened butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Whip together for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The frosting should be light and fluffy.
Spread frosting over the tops of the strawberry rolls while they are still warm. Take the sugared strawberries from the fridge and top each strawberry roll with about 2 Tablespoons of strawberries. Enjoy!

Notes

Levain: Use all of the stiff sweet levain in this recipe. It may be a bit under or a bit over 90 grams, this is normal depending at what point during the fermentation cycle you use the levain.

Milk: Whole milk is best if you have it, but 2% also works well, warmed.

Freeze-dried strawberries: Using crushed freeze-dried strawberries gives these rolls sweet strawberry flavor. Crush them into a fine powder before using.

Bread Flour: I always think it’s wise to use the best possible flour for a great product. Bread flour creates dough with more elasticity thanks to the higher protein content, and I prefer the texture of strawberry rolls made with bread flour. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour and substitute some vital wheat gluten to increase the protein content of the flour.

Make-Ahead Options: Typically I shape the rolls the morning I want to bake them and let them rise so we enjoy them for a later brunch. If you want to bake them right when you wake up, you have a few options. These options really depend on the TEMPERATURE of your dough and managing fermentation for them to work well.

Mix the dough in the early evening. Let it rise for 4 hours, keeping the dough temperature around 78ºF. Shape the rolls and let them rise overnight (about 8 hours) at 76ºF. If you shape them at 10:00 PM and keep them at these temperatures they should be ready around 6:00 AM to bake. If your dough is warmer, they may overproof and have a more sour flavor.
Make the rolls all the way through the recipe, shaping and letting them rise. Before they are just about risen, place the rolls in the refrigerator. Let them cold ferment in the refrigerator overnight. When you pull the strawberry rolls out of the fridge, notice how much they have risen. Let them rise a little more if needed and come to room temperature. Rolls should be puffy, doubled and fluffy before baking. A little liquid may seep out of the bottom of the rolls, but will be fine once they are baked.

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