The Best Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
User Reviews
4.8
The Best Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Description
The recipe begins with preparing a blueberry sauce by simmering blueberries with sugar and orange juice, thickened with a cornstarch slurry, leaving the berries partially intact for texture. The dough is made with warm milk and butter to activate yeast, then combined with flour, sugar, egg, salt, and water and kneaded to form a smooth dough. The filling blends softened butter with brown sugar and cinnamon for a classic cinnamon roll flavor enhanced by the blueberries. After assembling the rolls with filling and blueberry sauce, they are baked until golden.
The glaze combines powdered sugar with lemon juice and milk to add a bright, sweet finish that complements the blueberry and cinnamon. Substitutions for orange juice in the sauce include lemon, cranberry, pomegranate juices, or water. For regular cinnamon rolls without berries, the filling quantities increase accordingly. This recipe balances citrusy, sweet, and spiced notes in a soft rolled dough suited for breakfast or dessert.
The dough’s temperature and proper yeast activation are important to ensure good rise, with care to keep milk warm but not hot.
Ingredients
For the blueberry sauce:
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2 Tbsp. orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
- 2 Tbsp. water
For the dough:
- 1 cup milk whole
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (.25 oz.) yeast active dry yeast, Platinum brand, package
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 lg. egg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup water
For the filling:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp. butter softened
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and orange juice . Cook until blueberries begin to break down and then add the corn starch/water mixture. Cook until mixture thickens. Blueberries won’t be completely broken down, that’s how it should look! Remove from heat and set aside.
- For the dough, heat the milk in a small saucepan just until it bubbles, then remove from heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Let the milk and butter cool for 5 minutes. (Note: The milk should never get too hot, if it does wait for it to cool to 110°F. If milk being added into yeast gets too hot (120°F+) it can kill the yeast and your dough won’t rise.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer with the flat beater, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add in the milk and butter mixture, water and egg. Beat well.
- Add in the remaining flour (1 cup) ½ cup at a time. Dough will be thick. When dough has pulled together, switch out the flat beater for the dough hook and knead dough for 5 minutes.
- You will know when the dough is ready when it feels tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers. If still sticking, add 1 Tbsp. flour and knead again.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap or a warm cloth and let rise on the counter for 40-60 minutes. Dough will double in size.
- Then on a lightly floured surface (I like to use a marble slab) roll out the dough into 12x9 inch rectangle. I like to use the 9x13 inch baking dish as a guide. Use a pastry brush to slather the dough with softened butter (leave a ¼ inch boarder) and then combine the cinnamon & brown sugar and generously sprinkle on the dough.
- Spread about ½ cup of the blueberry sauce over the dough. Carefully roll the dough up into a log as tight as possible and pinch the edges to seal. Dough is very soft, work gently and carefully. It’s okay if some of the filling oozes out!
- Trim off the uneven edges and cut clean slices with a sharp knife – you will have about 12 cinnamon rolls from this batch. Place then cut side up in your 9x13 inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again for 20-30 minutes. Dough will once again double in size!
- Bake in the oven at 350° F for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool (If you can wait!). Once cooled, you can whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over the top with more of the remaining blueberry sauce.
Notes
- If blueberries are unavailable, substitute filling with 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, and 1/4 cup softened butter for classic cinnamon rolls.
- Orange juice in the blueberry sauce can be replaced with lemon, cranberry, pomegranate juices, or plain water.
- Ensure milk used for dough is warm (around 110°F) but not hot to avoid killing the yeast and affecting dough rise.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
You'll Also Love
