Blueberry Sweet Rolls With Lemon

Prep these the night before and bake the next morning for an ooey, gooey, delicious start to the day!

By The Good Housekeeping Test KitchenPublished: Apr 21, 2020

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Mike Garten

Yields:

Total Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Can you think of a more delicious start to the day than this Blueberry Sweet Rolls recipe? Nope, we can’t either. Sticky sweet rolls, a juicy, blueberry-cinnamon filling, and a lemony cream cheese frosting that you’ll be licking off the plate is the ultimate Saturday morning breakfast or Sunday brunch star.

The 4-ingredient filling combines cinnamon sugar with fresh blueberries for a sweet-tart contrast. The plump berries burst a little bit in the oven, creating jammy, violet-hued juices that flavor each layer of flaky dough. And because the best blueberry cinnamon rolls (or any dessert, really!) boast a classic cream cheese frosting, we developed an easy, sticky spread to top off these fluffiest-ever rolls. Bonus: you can prep the sweet rolls a day ahead, keep them in the refrigerator overnight, and bake them when you wake up for the easiest make-ahead breakfast treat. Good mmmorning!

How to bake with yeast:

Yes, this is a yeasted roll recipe, but we promise it’s easy as err … sweet rolls! Plus, once you nail the technique of this recipe, you’ll feel more confident working with other yeasted baking recipes. One thing will always be guaranteed: the sweet reward at the end of your baking project.

For this recipe, we mix the yeast right into the bowl with all of the other ingredients and knead everything together until just combined. First, you’ll let the dough rise for a few hours before rolling it out and forming the rolls. Then, you’ll let the rolls rise again until they’re ready for the oven. This double-rise is key to creating airy, perfectly puffed pastries that’ll make your breakfast-in-bed wayyy better than going out to brunch.

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Ingredients

For Dough

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temp
1 1/4 oz. pkg. (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temp
2 large eggs, divided
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for surface
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For Filling

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries

For Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp juice
poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Step 1Make Dough: In large bowl, place butter, yeast, granulated sugar, milk, and 1 egg. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, poppy seeds, salt, and baking soda. Using hands, bring ingredients together to form cohesive dough. Sprinkle some of remaining 1/4 cup flour on work surface and knead dough until soft but not sticky, adding a little extra flour if necessary. Transfer to clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hr. or up to 12 hr.
2. Step 2Make Filling: In bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
3. Step 3Make Frosting: In bowl, place cream cheese and sift confectioners’ sugar over top. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. Leave at room temp up to 3 hr. or refrigerate up to 12 hr.
4. Step 4Lightly dust work surface with flour. Roll dough into 12- by 16-in. rectangle. Spread with cinnamon mixture and scatter blueberries on top. Starting from long end, roll dough into tight log. Cut log into 8 pieces and transfer to 9- by 13-in. baking dish; let rise at room temp until rolls touch and are puffed and no longer cool to the touch, 1 1/2 hr.
5. Step 5Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly beat remaining egg and gently brush all over tops and sides of rolls. Bake until rolls are light golden brown inside, 30 to 35 min., covering with foil if outer parts begin to brown too quickly. Transfer to wire rack. Spread with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.