Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls with Raspberry Icing
MAKES
9 rolls
TAKES
Prep time: 11 hours 35 minutes - 15 hours 35 minutes (includes rise times)
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total: 12 hours - 16 hours
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
One of my favorite combinations for breakfast pastries is cream cheese and some kind of fruit. These sweet rolls hit that craving exactly right: a tangy cheese filling wrapped in a super soft yeasted dough, all topped with bright pink raspberry glaze. Enjoy these warm fresh from the oven, or let them cool completely - just remember, they’re best within the first 24 hours after baking.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
173 g / ¾ cup whole milk
75 g / ⅓ cup water
450 g / 3 ¾ cups bread flour
28 g / ¼ cup dry milk powder
25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 g / 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
7 g / 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
56 g / 1 large egg
28 g / 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
30 g / 2 tablespoons sour cream
Cream Cheese Filling
113 g / 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
28 g / 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
21 g / 1 large egg yolk
15 g / 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
85 g / ¾ cup powdered sugar
Raspberry Glaze
340 g / 12 ounces raspberries (no need to thaw if frozen)
66 g / ⅓ cup granulated sugar
113 g / 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed
3 g / ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
15 g / 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus more as needed
Bake This Recipe with Me:
METHOD
1. The day before you want to make the cinnamon rolls, make the dough. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and water to about 110°F / 45°C over medium-low heat (you can also do this in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave). Remove from the heat.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the flour, milk powder, sugar, and salt to combine, 30 seconds. Add the yeast and the warm milk mixture, egg, butter, and sour cream, and mix on low speed for 4 minutes, or until a soft dough forms.
3. Scrape the bowl well, then mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes more, until the dough is very smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased medium bowl. Use both hands to gently turn the dough around so it’s coated lightly on all sides, then gently tuck it under itself to slightly round it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until visibly puffy and almost double in size.
4. While the dough rises, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and unsalted butter until well combined. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the powdered sugar and mix until the mixture forms a spreadable filling. Set aside at room temperature.
5. When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands and/or a rolling pin to pat/roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 12 inch / 30 x 30 cm in size.
6. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving ½ inch / 1 cm uncovered on one side.
7. Begin rolling up the dough from the side opposite to the uncovered portion, so that when you roll it up, you can form a clean seal using that exposed dough. Roll up the dough into a tight spiral. Gently pick up the spiral and stretch it to increase its length to 14 inch / 36 cm.
8. Use a serrated knife or bench knife to score the dough log into nine even 1 ½ inch / 3 cm wide pieces. Use a piece of kitchen twine to cut the rolls cleanly—slide it under the log and then cross the ends of the twine until it slices the cinnamon roll. (You can also use the knife or bench knife to portion the rolls.)
9. Grease a 9 x 9 inch / 23 x 23 cm pan with nonstick spray. Arrange the rolls in three rows of three rolls inside the baking dish, leaving a small amount of space around each one. Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
10. Let the rolls rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes until slightly puffy, then transfer to the refrigerator to continue to slowly rise for 8 to 12 hours (overnight).
11. The next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature until visibly puffy, 1 hour to 2 hours (it will take less time in a warmer space, and more time in a cooler one). Towards the end of this time, preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with an oven rack in the center.
12. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the sweet rolls are lightly golden on top, 20-24 minutes. If desired, you can check the internal temperature of a dough section of a roll towards the center of the pan, it should read at least 200°F / 93°C on a thermometer. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 to 15 minutes (or, cool completely).
13. While the rolls cool, make the icing: combine the berries and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit starts to break down, 12 to 15 minutes.
14. Crush the fruit with a potato masher or large fork, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup to remove any seeds, skin, or fibrous bits. Take note of the quantity of liquid—it will help you determine how much it still needs to be reduced by. Return the juice to the pot and simmer over medium heat until it is reduced to about 80 mL / ⅓ cup.
15. Transfer the juice to a medium bowl, and whisk in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt, and cream, and whisk until well combined. Adjust the consistency to create a thick, spreadable icing by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or cream to thin the mixture.
16. Spoon the icing over the cinnamon rolls, spreading to generously cover the top of each roll. Serve immediately.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
