If you read my instagram post last night you would hear a bit of panic in my voice that in true Michigan fashion strawberry season is nearing it’s close. The extreme amounts of rain pretty much ruined the berries right on the bushes cutting the season short a week or two early. I was at the Holland farmer’s market this week and there was still one vendor selling the tiny red strawberry jewels at their booth. Once it caught on they were the only ones at the market with fresh strawberries a line quickly formed.
I bought what sadly, might be the last four quarts of the season. I didn’t have the time to do anything with them last night so tonight i’m going to be whipping up some desserts for the weekend and maybe one more round of freezer jam.
I made strawberry syrup for margaritas and cocktails with half of my flat and freezer jam (here is another great strawberry quick jam recipe if you need it!) with the other half. The extra berries I used to add to these strawberry cinnamon rolls.
If you haven’t had Michigan Strawberries, mark your calendar for next June and come visit us. (ps berries might still be available the further south you go). The flavor is so sweet and fragrant they’re irresistible and you’ll never look at another Costco berry the same again.
Extra berries.. let’s talk about it.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and one of the first things I noticed about the recipe was how nice the dough rose and how fast it rose. I used instant rise dry yeast this time which cut the wait time that my cinnamon rolls normally take to rise in a third.
Next time I make these I think I am going to add a bit of butter to the filling rather than just the jam to give it more of a true cinnamon roll flavoring. Also I think I prefer frosting vs. Icing. Stay tuned these roll’s gonna evolve over time.
Here is what you need. I specified room temperature for a lot of the ingredients because not only do the ingredients come together better, it will rise better.
Ingredients for the Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
- 3/4 cups of Milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup of butter, room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups of flour
- 1 packet or 2 tsp of instant yeast
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 cup of strawberry jam
- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- handful of sliced strawberries
- Icing:
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp milk
- Heat the milk (but do not boil!) and whisk in the butter until melted and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. You don’t want it too hot or it will kill your yeast.
- In a bowl combine 21/4 cup of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.
- Stir in egg and 1/4 cup of water into the dry ingredients and then slowly add the mill mixture turning over in the bowl until a dough forms. It will feel wet, add in the remaining cup of flour, mix until the dough is firmer and not too sticky. Lightly flour the surface of a dough board or counter and knead the dough about ten minutes until it’s smooth.
- Place the dough ball into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and then a damp towel. Leave in a warm space for 20 minutes to let it rise.
- Once the dough has expanded roll out again onto the floured counter to a large rectangle (about 10×15). Spread your jam evenly around the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon. Add a couple handfuls of sliced strawberries and roll. You are going to roll from the longest side of the rectangle. I find it helpful to roll from the bottom to the top. It will create a nice dough log. Give it a light squeeze to seal it together.
- Cut the log into 12 slices then you will have your 12 rolls boom.
- Place the rolls cut side up into your pan (10×13). Cover again with the plastic wrap and the damp towel. Rise for another 30 minutes and heat your oven to 375F.
- Bake for about 20-30 minutes as soon as the tops are browned. After they’ve cooled a bit whip up the icing (powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1 – 2 tbsp milk) drizzle and serve!
Original Recipe is from the lovely and talented A Few Short Cuts
