Homemade Strawberry Sweet Rolls Recipe

While cinnamon rolls will always have a place on my table, this Homemade Strawberry Sweet Rolls Recipe brings a bright and cheerful twist that's perfect for spring and summer. Soft, pillowy dough is layered with sweet strawberry preserves, rolled into spirals, and baked until golden and fragrant.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

rising time2 15

Total Time3 10

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: afterschool snack, bread recipe, breakfast recipe, sweet rolls, sweet snack

Servings: Servings

Calories: 367kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kitchen Essentials

Aluminum Cake Pan

Kitchen scale

Country Bowls

Ingredients

For the Dough

¾ Cup Whole Milk (180 grams)
2¼ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (one ¼-ounce packet)
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar (50 grams)
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter melted and cooled (57 grams)
1 Large Egg room temperature
1 Large Egg Yolk room temperature
3 Cups Bread Flour 360 grams, plus more as needed
¾ Teaspoon Salt
Olive oil or cooking spray for greasing the bowl

For the Strawberry Filling

4 Tablespoons Salted Butter softened (57 grams)
1 Cup Strawberry Jam thick, chunky or preserves
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

For the Vanilla Butter Glaze

1½ Cups Powdered Sugar sifted
1 Tablespoon Butter melted
2 Tablespoons Milk
¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Activate the Yeast. Warm your milk to about 100°F. It should feel like a warm bath on your wrist, not hot coffee. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it gets foamy on top. This foam is proof your yeast is alive and ready to work. No foam means your milk was too hot or your yeast is dead. Start over if that happens.
¾ Cup Whole Milk, 2¼ Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast, ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
Add the Wet Ingredients. Whisk in the melted butter, egg, and egg yolk until everything's smooth and combined. The egg yolk adds richness and keeps the dough tender even after baking.
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1 Large Egg Yolk
Mix the Dough. Add the bread flour and salt. Use a dough hook or a sturdy spoon and mix until you've got a shaggy, slightly sticky dough. It won't look pretty yet. That's fine.
3 Cups Bread Flour, ¾ Teaspoon Salt
Knead. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky. If it's clinging to your hands like glue, add flour one tablespoon at a time. You want dough that can stretch thin enough to see light through it without tearing. That's the windowpane test, and it means your gluten is fully developed.
First Rise. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or cooking spray. Drop the dough in, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours until it doubles in size. If your kitchen is cold, turn your oven to the lowest setting for one minute, turn it off, then stick the bowl in there. This rise is forgiving. If you need an extra 20 minutes, the dough won't care.
Olive oil or cooking spray for greasing the bowl
Prepare the Filling. While the dough rises, stir together the strawberry jam and cornstarch in a small bowl. The cornstarch thickens the jam so it doesn't leak out everywhere when you slice the rolls. You want chunky preserves here, not smooth jelly.
1 Cup Strawberry Jam, 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Roll Out the Dough. Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle about 12 x 15 inches and roughly ¼-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back, let it rest for 5 minutes. It's not being difficult, the gluten just needs to relax.
Add the Filling. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving about an inch bare along the top long edge. Then spread the strawberry mixture over the butter, making sure the strawberry chunks are evenly distributed. This is messy. Embrace it.
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
Roll and Cut. Starting from the long side closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a tight log. The jam will try to escape. Let it. Pinch the seam closed as best you can. Use a serrated knife, dough scraper, or unflavored dental floss to cut the log into 12 equal rolls. Floss works because it slices clean without squishing the dough.
Second Rise. Arrange the rolls in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. They should be close but not touching. Cover and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes while your oven preheats to 350°F. They should puff up and look soft and pillowy.
Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are lightly golden and the center of the rolls hits about 180°F on an instant-read thermometer. If the tops start browning too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes. You want golden, not burnt.
Make the Glaze. While the rolls bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth. If you want a thinner glaze that drips into every crevice, add a little more milk.
1½ Cups Powdered Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Butter, 2 Tablespoons Milk, ¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Glaze and Serve. Let the rolls cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze generously over the top while they're still warm. The heat helps the glaze melt slightly and soak into all the swirls. Serve warm and watch people lose their minds.

Your Own Private Notes

Click here to add your own private notes.

Notes

Tips from the Kitchen

Don't skip the thermometer check. Underbaked rolls taste doughy in the middle, and nobody wants that. The center of the rolls should read about 180°F when done.

Use Bread Flour, Not All-Purpose: Bread flour has more protein, which means more gluten, which means chewier, sturdier rolls that still stay soft. All-purpose flour works, but your rolls won't have the same structure or shelf life.
Weigh Your Flour: If you have a kitchen scale, use it. Measuring by weight is way more accurate than cups, especially with flour. Too much flour makes dense, dry rolls. Too little makes sticky, flat ones.
Don't Rush the Rises: Yeast needs time to create flavor and texture. If you rush it, your rolls will taste flat and one-dimensional. If your kitchen is cold, give the dough extra time. It's not a race.
Use Dental Floss to Cut Rolls: Slide a piece of unflavored dental floss under the dough log, cross the ends over the top, and pull tight. It slices clean without squishing the dough or dragging the filling everywhere. Knives work, but floss is cleaner.
Brush the Tops with Butter Before Baking: This isn't in the recipe, but if you want shiny, golden tops that taste even richer, brush melted butter over the rolls right before they go in the oven. Game changer.

Nutrition