This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Fresh milled strawberry sweet rolls are a delicious treat for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! Tender sticky rolls are filled with a gooey strawberry filling and topped with homemade cream cheese frosting for a decadent and irresistible whole grain pastry.
Breakfast just got a lot tastier! These freshly milled strawberry sweet rolls are so fresh yet comforting, and packed with berry flavor.
They like a combination of cinnamon rolls and Danishes, bringing together some of the best features of each pastry.
They’re rolled up with a sweet strawberry filling and topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. But rather than the fluffy lightness that you’ll find with cinnamon rolls, or my freshly milled Hawaiian rolls, these strawberry rolls are flat, sticky, and soft.
Whatever you think they resemble, they are sure to delight strawberry lovers and anyone who appreciates a sweet treat.
Make them for a cozy weekend brunch or a fun dessert. Any way you serve them, fresh milled strawberry rolls will be a hit!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Strawberry twist: Don’t get me wrong, I love cinnamon rolls (like my protein cinnamon rolls), but sometimes I want to mix it up from the usual. These strawberry rolls are similarly comforting and nostalgic, but with a fun berry twist!
- Family favorite: There’s nothing like a warm, gooey strawberry roll with melty creamy cheese frosting. The whole family will adore this recipe.
- Cream cheese frosting: A good frosting really sets sweet rolls apart! This cream cheese frosting is tangy, decadent, and not too sweet. I use a similar frosting on my freshly milled gingerbread loaf and in my freshly milled pumpkin roll, and it is such a game-changer.
Ingredients
- Fresh milled flour: I used freshly milled hard white wheat flour for these soft and tender rolls, but hard red wheat works well, too.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar makes moist rolls with a touch of caramelized flavor.
- Butter: Some for the dough and some for greasing the pan! It gives the rolls an irresistible buttery flavor.
- Yeast: For a nice rise and deliciously tender rolls.
- Milk: Whole milk is best.
- Salt and vanilla extract: These subtle yet powerful ingredients make a flavorful and well-balanced pastry dough.
- Eggs: Eggs are a binder that gives the dough a good structure and a lovely, tender texture.
For the strawberry filling
- Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries! We’re cooking them down into a sort of compote, so it really doesn’t matter which you use.
- Sugar: It doesn’t take much because the strawberries are sweet on their own. But a little sugar does reduce any tartness from the fruit.
For the cream cheese frosting
- Cream cheese: Makes the most delicious frosting that is both rich and tangy.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and gives the frosting a nice structure.
- Milk: Just a little bit to give the frosting the perfect spreadability.
- Vanilla extract: A dash of vanilla is always a good idea!
How to Make Fresh Milled Strawberry Sweet Rolls
Step 1. In a saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar, and butter. Heat over low heat, stirring often, just until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
Whisk in the yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until light and foamy.
Step 2. Add the flour, salt, eggs and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir till fully incorporated. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Step 3. While the dough is rising, add the strawberries and sugar to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the berries soften and release their juices. Let the mixture thicken slightly, then remove from heat and cool.
Step 4. Once your dough is done rising, tip it out onto a lightly dusted countertop. Use a rolling pin or the palm of your hands to flatten to about 1/4″ thick.
Step 5. Spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the dough.
Step 6. Roll up the dough and cut into 8 slices.
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the skillet inside. Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the skillet using oven mitts. Add a small amount of butter or oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Gently place the rolls into the hot skillet. Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 7. Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool slightly. While they cool, prepare the icing by using a hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
Step 8. Spread the icing evenly over the warm rolls and serve.
Tips + Notes
- You’ll notice that your rolls are not tall and fluffy like a cinnamon roll; this is normal! These strawberry sweet rolls are more similar to a Danish — flat, sticky, and wide, but they are rolled with a filling and frosted like cinnamon rolls. If you want a fluffy cinnamon roll, check out my freshly milled cinnamon roll recipe!
- Once the strawberries are soft, you can use a fork to gently mash them. My daughter prefers them left whole, so that’s how we make them, but feel free to mash them before spreading the filling over the dough.
- You can make this with hard red wheat with an even 1:1 ratio swap.
- New to freshly milled flour? You can learn everything you need to know to get started in my beginner’s guides for how to mill your own flour and baking with whole grains!
- For really good whole grain baked goods, I recommend investing in a high quality grain mill. I tried a few with less-than-ideal results before I got my Mockmill professional grain mill. The texture of the pastries is drastically different with a good mill!
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is intended to produce a flatter roll that is dense but tender. It shouldn’t be fluffy and airy like a traditional cinnamon roll. But if your dough didn’t rise at all, there’s definitely something wrong. Make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired. If that’s all good, it was likely your milk temperature. High temperatures can kill the yeast completely, so it’s important to let your milk mixture cool to lukewarm (around 100-110°F) before adding the yeast.
Leftover strawberry sweet rolls should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They are best served warm, so reheat them in the microwave or oven before enjoying them again!
I haven’t tested this recipe with other fruits, but I would say you can safely substitute other berries! Try it with blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, and let me know how it turns out!
This has been such a fun recipe to make! My daughter and I were talking while making these about whether we could pull this off with cranberries.
We already have a freshly milled cranberry orange scone recipe, but with all the leftover cranberries from the holiday season, we think it would be fun to try it here, too. So stay tuned!
Related Recipes
- Blueberry Bread With Freshly Milled Flour
- Long John Donuts With Fresh Milled Flour
- Freshly Milled Puff Pancakes
- Homemade Pancakes with Freshly Milled Flour
- Cinnamon Sugar Muffins With Fresh Milled Flour
If you tried these Fresh Milled Strawberry Sweet Rolls or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Fresh Milled Strawberry Sweet Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter cut into large chunks (Plus more for greasing the pan)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups freshly milled hard white wheat (590g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling
- 2 1/2 cups strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup sugar
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar, and butter. Heat over low heat, stirring often, just until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
- Whisk in the yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until light and foamy.
- Add the flour, salt, eggs and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir till fully incorporated. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, add the strawberries and sugar to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the berries soften and release their juices. Let the mixture thicken slightly, then remove from heat and cool.
- Once your dough is done rising, tip it out onto a lightly dusted countertop. Use a rolling pin or the palm of your hands to flatten to about 1/4″ thick.
- Spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the dough.
- Roll up the dough and cut into 8 slices.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the skillet inside. Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the skillet using oven mitts. Add a small amount of butter or oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Gently place the rolls into the hot skillet.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool slightly. While they cool, prepare the icing by using a hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the icing evenly over the warm rolls and serve.
Video
Notes
- You’ll notice that your rolls are not tall and fluffy like a cinnamon roll; this is normal! These strawberry sweet rolls are more similar to a Danish — flat, sticky, and wide, but they are rolled with a filling and frosted like cinnamon rolls. If you want a fluffy cinnamon roll, check out my freshly milled cinnamon roll recipe!
- Once the strawberries are soft, you can use a fork to gently mash them. My daughter prefers them left whole, so that’s how we make them, but feel free to mash them before spreading the filling over the dough.
- You can make this with hard red wheat with an even 1:1 ratio swap.
- New to freshly milled flour? You can learn everything you need to know to get started in my beginner’s guides for how to mill your own flour and baking with whole grains!
- For really good whole grain baked goods, I recommend investing in a high quality grain mill. I tried a few with less-than-ideal results before I got my Mockmill professional grain mill. The texture of the pastries is drastically different with a good mill!
Oh, this would be good for Valentine’s Day?!!
Could not agree more!
I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Let me know how you love it!