Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Rolls
This sticky strawberry bun recipe is easy to make and downright decadent. Soft, mellow, oozing with a sticky filling and sweet strawberry and covered with strips of zingy lemon frosting.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
For the filling:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries plus more for after baking
- 1/3 cup butter melted
Also Needed:
- Butter for greasing the pan
- 1-2 tsp vegetable oil for rolling out dough
For the frosting:
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 ounces full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
First, in the bowl of your stand mixer, measure out 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and the yeast. Mix these two together for a few seconds, until they are combined.
Then, melt 1/3 cup butter in a pan on the stove over medium heat. If you plan to cut a corner here and melt your butter in the microwave instead, don't do it! If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Once it is melted and begins to bubble, remove it from the heat and stir in 1/3 cup of sugar and salt until you can see and feel the grains begin to dissolve in the hot butter. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly. You're looking for a mixture of milk and butter at around 105 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it's only slightly warm to the touch (slightly above room temperature), you're ready to go.
When your wet ingredients have reached the ideal temperature, add an egg and break it with a fork in the mixture.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make sure your stand mixer is fitted with the dough hook attachment.
Turn on your mixer at low temperature and watch the ingredients combine. After about a minute, you should see a sticky paste begin to form. If you have to turn off the blender and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, this is your chance.
Slightly increase the speed of the mixer and let the mixture knead the dough for about 3 minutes. The dough should be sticky to the touch, but not so sticky as to be very messy. It should easily move away from the sides of the bowl and the bowl should look fairly clean. If the dough seems too sticky, continue kneading and add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches this sticky texture.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes after mixing the dry and wet ingredients. If you're really interested in cooking and baking, a stand mixer is a great investment. I have had my KitchenAid stand mixer for 10 years and it has paid for itself several times, I'm sure!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and move it to a warm place in your kitchen so that it rises for about 2 hours. It should have doubled in size after about 2 hours.
Once you've noticed that your dough has fully risen, and before you do anything with it, grease a large rectangular pan (at least 9 x 13) with butter.
Turn the dough over on a work surface very lightly greased with vegetable oil. Using a rolling pin, spread the dough evenly until you have a rectangle about 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Brush the dough with the melted butter.
Add the chopped strawberries to a large bowl and mix them with the sugar until they are mixed.
Spread the mixture of strawberries and sugar evenly on the dough rectangle.
Roll the dough on the long side until you have a long roll. Cut the long roll in half, then in half again, then each of these sections into 3 pieces until you have 12 rolls. Try to cut the rolls to a uniform thickness, as this promotes even baking. You don't want some rolls to be overdone and others to be raw in the middle.
Place the 12 pieces in the mold that you have greased. An arrangement of 3 rows of 4 works well in a rectangular pan.
Cover the pan with a clean cloth and set aside to rise. It is also a good idea to preheat your oven at this time. Set the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the rolls have risen for 20 minutes (and no longer), place them in the oven to bake for about 40 minutes, or until they are a nice light golden brown color.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the buns cool in the pan for about 20-25 minutes.
While the buns cool, start frosting by mixing the cream cheese and butter until they are creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix by hand or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
Smooth the frosting over the rolls while they are still slightly warm - this will allow the frosting to flow slightly into the cracks and create a beautiful presentation.
Sprinkle additional chopped strawberries on top and serve!
Happy Cooking Time.
