Homemade Blueberry Rolls
This website contains affiliate links.
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, Bread By Elise may earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.
Introducing my mouthwatering Blueberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting! Pillowy soft dough swirled with bright, flavorful blueberry jam and topped with delicious cream cheese frosting. These Blueberry Rolls are the perfect treat for any occasion.
Table Of Contents
Blueberry Rolls w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Though they may look like Cinnamon Rolls, these blueberry rolls are in a league of their own. Picture this: juicy blueberry jam nestled and swirled with a pillowy, buttery dough and baked to golden perfection. But the magic doesn’t stop there—each roll is generously topped with cream cheese frosting, adding a creamy, tangy finish that perfectly complements the sweet, blueberry filling.
I added a sprinkle of blended freeze-dried blueberries on top of each blueberry roll. Totally optional.
What is tangzhong, and how do you make it?
This recipe incorporates a Tangzhong. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, don’t be deceived. It’s pretty simple.
Tangzhong is a technique used to help create soft and fluffy bread and pastries. It involves cooking a portion of the recipe flour and liquid into a pudding-like paste, which is then cooled to room temperature and finally added to the main dough. Tangzhong helps to retain moisture in the dough, resulting in extended shelf life and softer texture in the final bake.
To make tangzhong for the Blueberry Rolls:
- Combine 20 grams of bread flour and 100 grams of milk in a small pot.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Once the tangzhong has thickened, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a bowl.
- Cover the tangzhong with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. This step is to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature before adding it to the main dough mixture.
Simple enough, right?
Shop the Tools
Blueberry Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Sharp Knife or Floss
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 100 g whole milk
- 20 g bread flour
Main dough
- 360 g bread flour
- 50 g sugar
- 7 g instant dry yeast
- 5 g salt
- 1 large egg at room temp
- 130 g whole milk at 25℃/77℉
- All the tangzhong
- 85 g unsalted butter softened at room temp
Filling
- 250 g frozen blueberries
- 125 g granulated sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 100 g cream cheese full fat
- 25 g unsalted butter softened at room temp
- 100 g powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
- 1 *tiny* pinch salt
Instructions
Prepare Tangzhong
- In a small pot, combine the ingredients listed for Tangzhong.100 g whole milk, 20 g bread flour
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- Once the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, remove it from the heat.
- Transfer the tangzhong to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the tangzhong. This is to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow the tangzhong to cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
Prepare the Main Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all the ingredients listed for the main dough, excluding the butter, including the tangzhong.360 g bread flour, 50 g sugar, 7 g instant dry yeast, 5 g salt, 1 large egg, 130 g whole milk, All the tangzhong
- Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes.
- Gradually add the cubed butter to the dough, one cube at a time, while continuing to knead.85 g unsalted butter
- Continue kneading for another 10-20 minutes or until the dough passes the window-pane test – it should be smooth, elastic, and able to be stretched thinly without tearing.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough proof for about 90 minutes, ideally at around 77 °F (25°C), until it doubles in size.
Prepare the Blueberry Filling
- In a pot, combine the ingredients listed for the blueberry filling.250 g frozen blueberries, 125 g granulated sugar, 2 tsp lemon juice
- Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens to a jam-like consistency.
- Stir occasionally and mash the blueberries with your spatula as they cook. The filling should become thick and cohesive. It's important to let it simmer until it reaches this point. You can test it by tracing a line with your spatula along the bottom of the pot—when it's thick enough, the line should stay visible for at least a few seconds.
- Allow the blueberry filling to cool to room temperature.
- Optional: For an even smoother blueberry filling, press it through a fine mesh sieve with the back of a metal spoon, ensuring you extract all the filling and leave only the seeds behind in the sieve.
Shape and Bake
- Roll out the proofed dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring approximately 16×16 inches (40×40 cm).
- Evenly spread the cooled blueberry filling over the dough.
- Starting from one edge, tightly roll up the dough into a log.
- Using dental floss or a sharp knife, slice the log into 9 even pieces.
- Arrange the rolls in a greased 9×9-inch (23×23 cm) baking pan.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to proof for 30-45 minutes, ideally at around 77 °F (25°C).
- Preheat your oven to 350 ℉ (180℃)
- Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F (95°C).
Prepare the Frosting and Assemble
- Using a hand mixer, whip together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, which should take about 5 minutes.100 g cream cheese, 25 g unsalted butter
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla paste to the cream cheese mixture, continuing to whip until smooth and fluffy. In the end, mix in a tiny pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting.100 g powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla paste, 1 *tiny* pinch salt
- Once the blueberry rolls have cooled slightly, drizzle the frosting over the top of the rolls.
- Serve and enjoy!
Amazing
Thanks so much, Helen!
Would it work to make this recipe up to the point of the final, shaped proof and then refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning?
If you need to do an overnight proof, I recommend a shorter first proof of about 45 minutes, letting the dough rise to about 60% (not fully doubled), before placing it in the fridge for 8-12 hours. The following morning, you can shape the rolls and do the final proof before baking. Happy baking!
Can these be prepped the night before and baked the following morning?
Hi, Elise! Did you use a gas oven or convection Oven? I have a convection one but my buns turns very dark quickly (170°c for 20 min)
Thanks
Hi Laura! I use the top/bottom heating setting (no fan) and place the baking pan on the middle rack.
Hi, Can you tell me the replacement for eggs?
Hi! If you’re not able to use eggs, I’d recommend finding a recipe that’s specifically developed to be egg-free.
The best rolls that I have ever experienced! It just as soft, if not softer than Cinnabon rolls. I’ve struggled with flour-to-milk ratios and techinque for tangzhong, but this is actually perfection.
Made this using fresh picked huckleberries instead of blueberries and it was to die for.
I would strongly recommend starting making the compote several hours in advance. Takes quite a while to simmer and cool, and it’s very easy to over proof your dough if you started it too early.
These came out amazing!! I actually doubled the amount of blueberry filling (I can never get enough when it comes to blueberries) and added just a tad of lemon zest. Everything was perfect…from the pillowy dough…delicious filling…and perfect cream cheese topping…this is such a great base recipe. Next time I think I may want to incorporate some cardamom in the dough and maybe a lil splash of orange blossom water in the filling. I love blueberries and citrus together. Thank you!
Love this recipe, swapped out the blueberries for strawberries and it’s just as good. Would like to try an apples and cinnamon one.