Hello… we meet again. Yes, I’m still alive and playing with my food over here!
In light of the madness we all currently find ourselves surrounded by, I figured a recipe fit for a weekend project is something you all might appreciate right about now. I modified my trusty overnight cinnamon roll recipe to create a morning treat that feels a littler more spring-y in flavor, but still just as ooey-gooey and comforting as the classic cinna bun.
Enter these here strawberry cheesecake morning rolls. A soft, buttermilk yeast dough is filled with a homemade strawberry filling and topped generously with a graham cracker cream cheese frosting — AKA these are seriously yummy.
A few notes about this recipe before you dive in:
- If you can’t find fresh berries (or just don’t want to make the filling from scratch!), by all means, go grab your favorite strawberry (or raspberry…. yum) jam and use that as the filling instead. It’ll still taste great!
- Don’t have buttermilk? You can use whole milk in its place (the recipe will still work!), or make your own buttermilk substitute by mixing 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar into 3/4 cup milk and let it stand for about 5 minutes until it’s a bit curdled.
- I always give my dough a jumpstart to proofing by letting it rise in a warmed oven. To do this, preheat your oven to the lowest temperature (the lowest my oven goes is 170ºF) and after a minute or two, shut it off. Then, put your dough in the oven and let it rise without risk of killing the yeast due to a temperature that’s too hot.
- The method of shaping these rolls deviates from what I’ve done in the past and see in most recipes for morning rolls. Instead of rolling the filling-covered dough into a giant log and slicing into individual rolls, I cut the filling-covered dough into twelve equal strips and then roll each one up individually. You can shape these either way, but I’ve found the latter method yields rolls with a taller and fuller spiral once baked.
- If ingredients you need for the frosting aren’t available where you’re located, don’t fret — you can still have delicious berry rolls tomorrow morning! If you can’t get your hands on heavy cream, just leave it out and sub in some coffee creamer or milk. If you can’t find cream cheese, then nix the cream cheese frosting altogether and make a simple-but-tasty glaze using milk (or water) and enough powdered sugar to reach a pourable consistency to drizzle over the baked rolls.
Strawberry Cheesecake Morning Rolls
Makes: 1 dozen large rolls
For the strawberry filling:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved/quartered
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (optional)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
For the graham cracker crust crumbles:
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons salted butter
For the dough:
1/4 cup warm water (between 100º and 110ºF)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup warm buttermilk (I just microwave it in a glass measuring cup for 30-60 seconds to get the chill out)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 egg, room temperature
4 – 5 1/2 cups flour
For the graham cracker cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Graham cracker crust crumbs (recipe above)
Directions:
To make the strawberry filling: Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a heat-safe spatula to avoid burning. After the berries break down and release their juices, continue to gently stir as the mixture comes to a low boil.
Once it reaches this point (it’ll be bubbling, but not aggressively so), continue to cook for one minute (still stirring). The filling should be well-thickened and more translucent by this point. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Jar while still hot (or move to a heat-safe container). I usually store in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.
To make the graham cracker crust crumbles: Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Dump onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten into a thin layer, about 1/4-inch thick. Bake at 350ºF for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Then break into small pieces and set aside until the cream cheese frosting is made.
To make the dough: Mix the water, yeast and 1 Tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl; allow to proof by covering with plastic wrap and setting aside in a warm spot for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Once foamy, add the remainder of the sugar and the salt and whisk to combine for about 15-20 seconds. In a separate bowl or in a large measuring cup, whisk the butter, buttermilk, vanilla bean paste and egg together until well-mixed; add to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine, about 20 seconds.
Using a rubber spatula, mix in 2 cups of the flour. Mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. (At this point, the dough will be tacky, but not terribly sticky.) Knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour a Tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and elastic. Allow to rise in a lightly greased bowl covered in plastic wrap and/or a large kitchen towel until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and dump onto a lightly-floured workspace. Roll the dough into an 18 x 26 inch rectangle (or as close to those dimensions as possible). Evenly spread the strawberry filling all over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top length of the rectangle.
Using a sharp knife with a smooth blade, cut the berry-covered dough into twelve strips of equal width (along the longest side of the rectangle). One by one, roll the strips into a spiral, ending with the end that has one inch of free space between the filling and the edge of the dough. Once rolled, place into a parchment-lined 9 x 13-inch baking pan (3 rolls along the width, and 4 along the length).
[If choosing to bake immediately, cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours. Bake and frost the rolls according to the instructions detailed below.]
At this point, if you wish to make these overnight-style, then cover the pan with plastic wrap that has been lightly greased and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. (I like to turn the oven on to 170ºF for a couple of minutes, then turn it off; place the pan in the warmed oven with a kitchen towel covering the top.)
Once doubled in size, remove from the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until the rolls are lightly browned and a knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
To make the frosting: While the rolls are cooling, in a medium-sized bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in the the heavy cream and the powdered sugar until fluffy, adding more or either to reach the desired consistency. Mix in half of the graham cracker crust crumbs and dollop and spread over the warm rolls. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker crust crumbs over top, then enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Laura’s Latest (for the dough)
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