Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Super soft and oh so fluffy, Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls are about to be your new favorite breakfast. Made with yeast dough then filled with a medley of jam and fresh berries, mornings are sweeter eating this treat.

Expectation is the root of all heartache. It’s true today just as it was over 400 years ago when Shakespeare first authored those words. While making cinnamon rolls. Forget that history never mentions Willy baking anything because kitchen intuition tells me otherwise. You write what you know and there’s no greater heartache than expecting cinnamon roll dough to rise when, in fact, it does not.

Cinnamon rolls are to me what Romeo was to Juliet: the epitome of true love. Minus the tragic double suicide, of course. Killing yourself is a sin but, then again, so is killing your yeast. Although my yeast killing it isn’t by intent so I guess that makes it more along the lines of involuntary manslaughter. Or, I should say, cinna-manslaughter.

Forget the spiced felony, the real crime is that my recipe for strawberry cinnamon rolls has gone from no-fail to epic fail in the blink of an eye. And a bag of wasted flour. You see, I live in Florida where the hot, humid days are a yeast-rising dream. But when you make sweet rolls on the first day in 5 years that’s frosty outside, don’t expect the dough to cooperate with the cold.

It ain’t happening.

Trust me, I tried–3 times to be exact. Batch 1 and 2 both ended up in the trash and the third was on its way to getting tossed when, lo and behold, I opened the bin and saw my first two batches rising in the garbage bag of all godforsaken places. My Shakespearean-ending was avoided. And, before you ask, I didn’t eat raw cinnamon rolls straight from the trashcan. Instead, I placed my salvaged dough in a lidded spaghetti pot (because it’s the closest thing to a mock trashcan I could think of) and stood by while it took its sweet old time rising.

It was totally worth the wait. Slathered with strawberry jam then studded with fresh berries, Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls are a slam dunk for breakfast time. Okay, it was actually lunchtime when mine were finally ready but it’s all good–these soft, fluffy rolls are perfect any time of day.

Before sharing the recipe for Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls, here are a few tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips

Quick rise yeast is recommended for this recipe since it does not require proofing or dissolving in liquid before use. Active dry yeast works as a substitute but requires proofing and longer rise times.

The egg and egg yolk need to be at room temperature before making the dough. If you’ve forgotten to take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time then speed up the process by placing them in a bowl of warm water. Don’t use hot water; we want to warm the eggs, not hatch them.

Take care not to overheat the milk. Liquid hotter than 115 degrees will kill the yeast and your cinnamon rolls will not rise.

Overnight and Make Ahead Tips

Strawberry cinnamon roll dough can be made the night before and refrigerated prior to the second rise. Place filled, cut sweet rolls in a greased 9-inch baking pan then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, uncover rolls and let them come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

The dough for strawberry cinnamon rolls can be made ahead and frozen before the second rise. Simply place filled, cut sweet rolls in a greased 9-inch pan and cover first with plastic wrap then with aluminum foil. Freeze for 2 to 3 months, after that thaw overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, uncover rolls and let them come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

How to Store Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Cover strawberry rolls with plastic wrap then store up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Freeze strawberry rolls up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy this Strawberry Cinnamon Roll recipe. Please leave a rating and review below when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like strawberry recipes then you’ll love these Strawberry Shortcake Muffins. Scratch-made with juicy berries, this recipe is a fun way to enjoy shortcake in a muffin form.

Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Heather Wolf

Super soft and oh so fluffy, Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls are about to be your new favorite breakfast. Made with yeast dough then filled with a medley of jam and fresh berries, mornings are sweeter eating this treat.

4.67 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Breads and Rolls

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 1/4 tsp quick rise yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
• 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling

• 3/4 cup strawberry jam
• 1 cup fresh strawberries finely chopped

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

 

Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

• Heat milk in microwave for 40 seconds or until it's warm to the touch (about 110 degrees).
• Pour milk into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle with yeast.
• Add sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Whisk until combined.
• Stir in flour, salt and cinnamon with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form.
• Knead dough by hand on a floured surface for 10 minutes or use an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment on medium speed for 8 minutes.
• If dough sticks to the counter/bottom of the bowl add an additional 2 Tbsp of flour and continue kneading until a soft, slightly sticky ball forms.
• Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dry, warmed towel and let it rise for 1 hour to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough with a rolling pin until it is a 14 x 9 inch rectangle.
• Spread jam over the surface of dough then top with chopped strawberries.
• Tightly roll the dough into the shape of a log starting with the short side. Trim and discard uneven ends then cut dough into ten 1-inch rolls with a serrated knife or non-minty floss. Fishing line also works great.
• Grease a round 9-inch baking pan then arrange strawberry cinnamon rolls in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a dry, warm towel and allow to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove towel and plastic wrap from baking pan then bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Do not overbake or the rolls will be dry.
• Allow rolls to cool in pan for 5 minutes while you make the icing.

Icing

• Add powdered sugar and milk to a mixing bowl and stir with a spoon until smooth and lump free.
• Icing will be thick. If you prefer a thinner glaze, add another tablespoon of milk.
• Spoon icing over rolls and enjoy.

Store

• Cover strawberry cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap then store up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Keyword cinnamon, rolls, strawberry