A lighter version of a bakery favorite, Blueberry Sweet Rolls are an impressive treat that can be made the day before!
During the holiday season, I’m always looking for breakfast treats that can be made ahead. WE like to splurge for Christmas breakfast, for example, but I want to spend the morning with my family–not in the kitchen all morning.
These blueberry sweet rolls are the perfect make-ahead treat! Perfectly sweet but not too heavy. Unlike some lighter baked good, these are full-sized rolls but only 140 calories. And they have fruit in them, so, you know, health food.
How to make BlueBErry Sweet Rolls
The dough itself is fairly easy to make, especially if you have a stand mixer or food processor. You can definitely knead by hand, though it will take a bit longer to get a smooth dough.
As the dough rests for a few minutes, you put together the blueberry mixture. I like to use wild blueberries because they’re smaller. But use whatever you can find.
Roll out your dough to about a 14″ x 8″ rectangle. Evenly disperse the blueberry mixture, leaving a little bit of dough exposed at the top.
It’s important to use frozen blueberries, as they will release more juice. And you want lots of juice! It creates a sticky syrup on the bottom of the cooked buns. Mmmmm.
Tightly roll the dough from the bottom up, being careful to pack the blueberries in, especially those that fall out from the sides. Spread a little bit of water on the exposed dough at the top to steal the rolls.
Cut the log in half, then cut each half into 5 portions. Disperse evenly in a 9-inch pie tin or other 9×9 baking pan. This will be pretty messy! I suggest putting some parchments paper down before you start making the rolls to help with clean up.
The ends never look as pretty as the center pieces, so you’ll probably have a couple of wonky-looking rolls. Once everything rises and bakes, you won’t see as much imperfection. And, really, who cares in the long run when they are this yummy!
You have two options at this point. You can cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then take out and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. Or you can cover and let them rise right away until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes, and bake them off.
I actually prefer the taste of the overnight version. They get a little fluffier and richer. When you take them out of the refrigerator, they’re going to look kind of sad–somewhat discolored with lots of liquid on the bottom.
You might be tempted to drain the liquid. DON’T! The cornstarch will help make a delicious, jammy sauce on the bottom of the rolls.
The rolls will rise even more in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, Broil for a few seconds if you want the tops a little more on the brown side. Look at these beauties!
All that’s left to do at this point is drizzle with a lemon glaze. Since there isn’t a ton of sugar in the rolls themselves, this is where most of the sweetness comes from. So make sure you are evenly distributing that. Now it’s time to eat!
If you’re looking for a little easier breakfast treat, give my Banana Walnut Crumble Muffins a try!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (+ 2 tbsp for kneading/rolling the dough)
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast (one packet)
- 1 tbsp sugar (can use powdered sugar)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp light butter (I used Earth Balance Whipped)
- 1/2 cup almond milk, warmed
- 1 egg, whisked
FOR THE FILLING
- 2 cup frozen blueberries (wild blueberries are best if you can find them)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tsp almond milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or food processor, add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix. Add in butter and work into the dry ingredients with your fingers until evenly distributed.
- Warm the milk in the microwave for about 30- 45 seconds, or until lukewarm. Add milk and whisked egg to the dry ingredients and mix together until a smooth dough forms. If using a stand mixer, knead for about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. In a food processor, blend on low for about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove dough and cover with damp cloth. Set aside to rest while you make the filling.
- In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together frozen berries, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Flour your work surface. Roll dough into about a 14 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Spread berry mixture evenly over the dough, including the juices, leaving about an inch of dough at the top.
- Tightly roll dough from the bottom up, packing the blueberries that fall out of the side back into the log as you go. Cut log in half, then cut each half into 5 portions for a total of ten rolls.
- Grease a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Evenly disperse rolls (see blog pictures and notes). Cover pan with tin foil.
- If baking the same day, place pan in a warm spot and let rise until rolls are doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes. To create a warm environment during cold month, I let my oven heat for about 5 minutes, then turn it off and place what ever needs to rise in the warm oven.
- If baking the next day, refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, let rolls rise, covered until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Bake at 350F, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes. Rolls will be slightly hard on top and soft in the middle. Broil for a few seconds if you want more color on the top of your rolls.
- For the glaze: In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add milk if you want a thinner consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls.
OMG, can’t wait to give these a try, they look delish!! One question, what kind of yeast are you using, quick acting or regular? TY
Hope you like them! I used rapid rise, but either will do.
Quick acting, but I’ve read that these days both work pretty much the same.
Do you use room temp butter, melt it or cold is fine? Or does it even matter?
Cold is fine!
Tried to make these to use for xmas morning. HUGE FAIL! Something is VERY wrong w/ the dough recipe. It was a sticky mess! I couldn’t roll the rectangle of goo up and ended up with dough-bombs that exploded berries when I tried to lift them into the baking pain. SADNESS!
If your dough is ever sticky, always add little bits of flour until it reaches the perfect consistency and always throw some flour down on your work space before kneading your dough and rolling it out. I always use parchment paper for my workspace and then another sheet on top when rolling out or I try to coat my roller with a layer of flour. The more you do it, the more you will get an idea and feel for what is right. I started with a cinnamon roll recipe and before long I was baking my own bread, pizza crust, etc.
As for me, I can’t wait to try this recipe out because the cinnamon rolls I normally bake are full of so much sugar and when I try her recipe the only modification I plan on making is substituting the egg or just leaving it out… I didn’t even know an egg was part of the recipe, to be honest
These are amazing!! I got 5 points each when I put them into the tracker, but still delicious and worth every point!!
Someone else had the same experience in the tracker, but mine still comes out to 4. It’s driving me crazy! Lol. I’m glad you liked the recipe, though!
these are amazing!! and not too difficult to make. one thing though – i got 5 points each when i entered them into WW for the green plan
So glad you liked them! Mine still come out to 4 in the app. Maybe different product brands? Anyway, 5 SP is still good!
What kind of almond milk should I use?
Unsweetened original of any brand will do.