Strawberry Sweet Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze

 

Ingredients:

For the Dough1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus up to 1/4 cup additional, to be added only if necessary)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum)
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1/2 cup milk (I used Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk in a can; try buttermilk, cow, goat, almond, soy)
For the Filling2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft - let it sit out while dough rises
about 3/4 cup strawberry preserves or jam (or try another flavor; blueberry, raspberry, peach, apricot)
For the Cream Cheese Glazeabout 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. For the Dough - To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or make and knead by hand using a large mixing bowl; plan to knead for about 10 minutes), combine all ingredients other than milk; set aside. For now, use 2 1/4 cups flour. Note - Use all-purpose flour, or bread flour as a substitute. Do not use whole-wheat, white-whole wheat or any 'wheaty' flours. When people have issues with dough not rising, it's usually because they used whole wheat flour. This recipe was not tested or developed for whole wheat flour.
2. Add milk to a glass measuring cup and warm to temperature, about 45 seconds on high power in the microwave. (Based on the type of yeast used, milk temperatures will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower temperatures, about 95 to 105F. Warm milk according to manufacturer's recommendations on the packaging. Taking the temperature with a digital thermometer is highly recommended, but if you're not, make sure the milk is warm, not hot. Err on the cooler rather than hotter side so you don't kill the yeast.)
3. Pour the milk over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and knead on low speed for about 7 minutes (10 minutes by hand).
4. If after 5 minutes dough is very sticky and it seems more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl, but sticking to the bottom is okay. The dough is sticky and tacky, although not excessively so. Don't be tempted to over-flour it. It's supposed to be loose and moist; that's normal. The more flour you add now, the less fluffy and more dense the rolls will be. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer while kneading but sticking to the bottom is fine. If you're kneading by hand, you'll likely need more flour than if kneading via stand mixer. With all bread-making, evaluate your dough and if you deem it necessary to add more flour than I called for given my dry San Diego climate, then do so.
5. After kneading, turn the dough out into a large, greased bowl, cover with plasticwrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Create a warm environment by preheating your oven for 1 to 2 minutes to 400F, then shutting it off. This creates a 90F-ish warm spot. Slide the bowl in and wait while the yeast works. Just make sure your oven is off.
6. After the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a floured surface or Silpat and knead it for about 3 minutes.

To get directions for the filing as well as to see step by step photos please go to Averie Cooks