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A close-up of a sourdough berry sweet roll on a plate, showing the airy texture of the roll and the vibrant berry filling topped with a layer of creamy frosting.
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5 from 2 votes

Sourdough Berry Sweet Rolls

These rolls combine the unique tang of sourdough with the sweetness of bursting berries, topped with a rich cream cheese frosting for a decadent breakfast or dessert treat.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Rise Time1 day
Total Time1 day 1 hour
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Sourdough Berry Sweet Rolls
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 531kcal
Author: Katie

Ingredients

Sourdough starter

  • 1 tablespoon 15 g sourdough starter
  • ½ cups 50 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon 10 g whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup + tablespoon 60 g water

Dough

  • ½ cup active sourdough starter 100 g
  • 1 cup milk 225 ml, warmed to 90 degrees f
  • ¼ cup sugar 50 g
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter 57 g, melted and cooled slightly
  • 4-4 ½ cups all-purpose flour 480-540g
  • ½ teaspoon salt 1 g

Filling

  • 3 cups berries frozen or fresh 540 g
  • 1 cup sugar 200 g
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch 20 g
  • 2 tablespoon water 30 ml, 30 g

Frosting

  • 1 8 oz block cream cheese softened (226 g)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar 460 g
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 9 g

Instructions

  • Activate your starter 8-12 hours before making the rolls. Combine 15g of sourdough starter in a clean jar and add 50g of all-purpose flour, 10 g of whole wheat flour, and 60g of water to the jar. Stir to combine the flour, water, and sourdough starter until it’s well combined. Allow to sit covered at room temperature for 12 hours. (However you want to activate it is fine, but you will need ½ cup or 100 grams bubbly and active starter for this recipe.)
    Bowl of milk with visible fermentation bubbles, next to bowls of flour and a wooden spoon on a marble surface.
  • Mix the dough. In a large mixing bowl add the activated sourdough and warmed milk. Stir to combine. Next add the sugar, melted butter, and salt. Stir to combine. Once the wet ingredients have been combined, slowly add the flour by adding ½ cup at a time. Stirring to fully incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. Repeat this process until the flour is added and you end up with a slightly sticky dough. The dough should release easily from the sides of the bowl but remain slightly tacky.
    Three-step sequence showing the addition of melted butter to milk, followed by mixing in flour, and stirring to form a sticky dough in a glass bowl.
  • Let dough rest briefly. Allow to sit for 30 minutes covered with a plate, towel, or plastic wrap.
  • Stretch and fold. After the dough has set for 30 minutes it’s time to stretch and fold the dough. This will strengthen the dough without having to knead it. Pick up one side of the dough and stretch it up and fold it over the dough. Turn the bowl ⅓ of a turn. Pick up another side of the dough, stretch it up, then fold it over. Turn the bowl ⅓ of a turn, and pick up the last section of the dough that hasn’t been stretched and folded yet. Stretch that section up and fold it over. Turn the dough over, cover it, and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Repeat this process 2 more times for 3 stretch and fold sessions total.
    Three-step sequence of dough being manually stretched and folded in a glass bowl on a marble countertop.
  • Start the berry filling. You want the berry filling to be cooled before using it as it can melt the dough, making the dough hard to roll up, so start it now!) In a saucepan add the berries and sugar. Place it over medium heat and stir so the sugar and berries are combined. Continue to stir the mixture until the berries become a sauce. This process takes about 3 minutes if using fresh berries or about 8 minutes if using frozen berries.
    Two-step sequence in a cooking pot, showing frozen berries mixed with sugar before and after cooking down into a thick sauce.
  • Add slurry to help thicken the filling. Combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry to the berries. Stir so the slurry and berry sauce come together. Continue to stir allowing the mixture to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl Allow to cool and then place it in the fridge to fully cool down.
    Three-step sequence showing the making of a cornstarch slurry, adding it to the berry sauce, and the thickened final berry mixture.
  • Bulk rise. After the final stretch and fold, cover the dough and allow it to bulk rise for 12-16 hours.
    Two-step sequence of dough after proofing, first sticky and shaggy, then smooth and elastic.
  • Assemble rolls. Prepare your 9x13 baking dish by spraying a small amount of baking spray. If food tends to stick to your pan you can place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom. Once the dough has finished its bulk rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch by 18-inch rectangle. Spoon the berry mixture onto the dough and spread it out so there’s an even layer coming to the sides.
    Two-step sequence showing the dough rolled out on a marble surface, then spread with the thickened berry sauce.
  • Roll and slice. Roll up the dough to create a log, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, and place them in the prepared 9x13 baking dish.
    Overhead view of rolled dough slices arranged closely in a white baking dish, showing the swirls of berry sauce before baking.
  • Bake. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Allow the oven to come up to temperature before placing the rolls in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before topping with frosting and serving.
    Overhead view of the baked sourdough berry sweet rolls in a white dish, showing the baked rolls with crispy edges and vibrant berry swirls.
  • Make frosting. Add the room-temperature cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and the vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix the ingredients until they come together. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar.
    Two-step sequence of preparing cream cheese frosting, from combining ingredients in a bowl to the smooth, ready-to-spread final mixture.
  • Finish and serve. Top the rolls with the frosting and serve.
    Overhead view of a white baking dish filled with freshly baked sourdough berry sweet rolls covered in creamy white frosting, accompanied by a fork and napkin on the side.

Notes

Feed your starter as you normally do. I like to use 1 tbsp of whole wheat flour to feed the sourdough starter.
If you are in a rush to make these, you can add 1 gram of instant yeast to the dough along with the activated sourdough. It will cut your rise time in half.
You can easily substitute berry jam/preserves for the berry filling.
You can skip the stretch and fold process and knead the dough for 3 minutes instead.
Place the milk in a measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds then stir. The milk should be warmed to between 80-90 degrees F. You do not want the milk much warmer than that, it can affect the sourdough starter.
You can substitute the 2% milk for whatever milk you have on hand (1%, skim, or even half and half).
I used unsalted butter for this recipe. You can use salted butter or margarine instead. Reduce the salt to ¼ tsp.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 3mg