OVERNIGHT STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE SWEET ROLLS

Yields 24 Rolls

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups (22.5 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons instant yeast

• 1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 4 large eggs (7 ounces)

• 1 1/4 cup hot water

• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, melted

Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar

• Zest of a lemon (about a teaspoon)

• 1 to 2 cups strawberry jam, depending on how jammy you want them

Glaze:

• 1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 2 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed

• Splash of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl (to allow for about 7-8 cups of dough to double in bulk), whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

2. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and pour them into the well. Use the same measuring cup for the hot water. Pour it around the edges of the well (not directly on the eggs) and then add the melted butter to the bowl. Use a large spoon to mix the ingredients together until a soft, rather wet dough is formed. It won’t look like traditional cinnamon roll dough; it will be much softer and it’s ok if it looks a bit lumpy. Magic happens overnight, I promise.

3. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 8-10 hours.

4. When ready to roll out the rolls, prepare the filling: in a blender or with an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon zest together until smooth and creamy.

5. Using about 1/4 – 1/3 cup flour (more or less), dust a clean countertop. Lightly punch down the chilled dough and roll it out on the floured counter to a long, skinny rectangle (about 24-inches long and 7 or 8-inches wide).

6. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the rectangle, spreading evenly with an offset spatula or knife. Dollop spoonfuls of jam across the top and spread into a somewhat even layer – the exact amount of jam you use will depend on how luscious and jammy you want the filling. The more jam you use, the messier the rolls will be to twist but it can be done.

7. Fold one long edge of the rectangle up to meet the other long edge so the dough is folded in half – it may want to slip and slide around because of the jam, just do your best. Use a pizza cutter or knife and cut the dough into 1-inch strips. With each strip, hold an end in each hand and twist it up several times and roll it around the center into a circle (see pictures and video in this post for a visual). Place the rolls on a large, rimmed baking sheet (11X17-inch) lined with parchment paper (about 12 per tray). The filling might be a little messy and want to squeeze out as you twist – don’t stress about it; if it oozes out, just pat it back in or on top of the rolls after they are shaped.

8. Cover the trays with greased, plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until puffy and doubled, an hour or so.

9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until just barely golden on top (don’t overbake or they’ll be dry).

10. For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Add more milk as needed until the glaze is thick but pourable. Let the rolls cool for 5 or so minutes before drizzling with glaze.

Notes:

If you want to have these ready even faster on a given morning, simply start a day ahead of time. Make the dough the morning before, refrigerate it for 8-10 hours, take out and follow the directions to shape and place on the baking sheet. Cover the shaped rolls with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate until the next morning. Take out in time to come to room temp and rise and then bake as directed.

For the jam, I really recommend using jam that has strawberries as the first ingredient (instead of sugar or corn syrup) so that delicious fruit taste will really shine through.

#bread