Strawberry Roll with fresh Strawberry filling. A soft and fluffy roll that is perfect anytime of the year, but if Strawberry are in season, make the most of it and use fresh Strawberry to make this. Nothing beats fresh produce when in season.

Let’s be honest here. How many pieces of cinnamon roll can you eat in one seating? 2? 3? I’ll be really impressed if you can eat 4 pieces of cinnamon roll in one seating. We are talking about real cinnamon roll with thick creamy cream cheese frosting on top, well because cinnamon roll without the frosting is not real cinnamon roll. I like making variations of cinnamon roll, but I wouldn’t say I am head over hills with it. For me, it’s just satisfying my craving for it, just enough serving portion that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed just looking at it. Cinnamon roll is one of those bread that I never made in big batch. The most that I would make is 6 pieces and that’s because I was sharing it with my friends. But on the average, I make 4 pieces minimum or 2 pieces large which is like this recipe.

Perfect portion – Makes 4 small or 3 medium or 2 large pieces

Although this roll is Strawberry Roll, for me the same concept applies. I just want a decent portion more than enough to keep me full, maybe few slices leftover for later or for sharing. This why this recipe is perfect for me. This can make a maximum of 4 small pieces of roll, or 3 pieces medium and 2 pieces large, whichever portion you choose it will be more than enough to share it with a friend. My ideal is 3 pieces which I can share with two of my friends, but if you want to be really generous for breakfast to share, 2 huge pieces it is.

How to Make it 3 or 4 pieces

There’s going to be a slight change in the process on how you divide and roll it depending on how many pieces you are making. The instructions below is when you are making 2 large pieces. If you want to make 3 or 4 pieces, the process is a lot simpler, it is just like when making Cinnamon Rolls. Here’s how you do it

• Make 4 pieces: roll the dough into approximately 8 x 21-inch. The important thing here is making sure you have the short side to 8-inch, because to get for equal portion, you will cut the rolled bread dough into 4, which means 2-inch each piece. The longer side doesn’t have to be exact, if you can roll it even more, that would be better as you will get more layers. The shorter it is, the less layer you will have. Once me rolled in the desired size, spread the jam across the top, then starting from the shorter side close to you, roll end to end until you get a log shape dough that is 8-inch long. Cut into 4 pieces and arrange in a parchment lined baking sheet. If you have 5 or 6-inch square pan, that would be the preferred pan. If you do not have one, a bigger pan will work too just arrange the 4 prices close together 2×2 row. You can also use a cookie sheet and arrange it close together or far apart if you do not want the sides touching each other.
• Make 3 pieces: Apply the same concept as when making the 4 pieces. Roll the dough into approximately 6×25 inch, spread jam across then roll into a 6-inch log. Cut into 3 pieces and arrange in a parchment lined baking sheet or a rectangular pan. Arrange in one row, either close together far apart to avoid the sides touching.

The Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Now we get to the even more delicious part of this recipe, the frosting. Not a regular cream cheese frosting but a Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. This is a easy one to make, no mixer needed because it is a super small batch. The important thing is making sure the cream cheese is in room temperature so that it is easy to mix.

How To Make Overnight Strawberry Roll

There’s basically 3 stages in making this roll.  Stage 1 and 2 can be made ahead of time, 3-5 days in advance.

Stage 1: Make the Strawberry Spread/Jam

I made my own Strawberry spread but, store-bought strawberry Jam will work too. But if you have extra time, I encourage you to make your own because it is really not difficult plus you can have more chunks of strawberry on the spread which adds a nice texture in the bread itself. The consistency of the strawberry spread should be really thick and not runny at all. This is why I suggest that you make this a day ahead then store it in the refrigerator so that it will have enough time to thicken and solidify.  The step is pretty simple. Just bring all the ingredients for the strawberry spread into boil until the sauce is reduced and the consistency is thick, that simple. Then leave it in the refrigerator to cool. the longer it stays chilled, the better the consistency will be.

Stage 2 – Make the Cream Cheese Spread

This is one easy breezy step. I did not use any raw eggs to mix with the cream cheese. It’s basically just softened cream cheese and sugar, that’s it. You can make this ahead of time as well, when ready to use, bring to room temperature and mix until smooth and soft.

Stage 3 – Make the Bread Dough

Don’t run, making your own bread is not as difficult as it sounds, so stay with me. This is a yeast bread, which means you will be using a yeast to make the dough rise and fluffy. I used active yeast in the recipe which means it needs to be “proof” or activated by mixing it into a warm liquid, in this case it’s the milk. You can also use water, but I strongly suggest milk for a tastier creamier bread. The bread dough needs to rise 2x, the first one is for 1 hour and then another 30 – 60 minutes after rolling it an before baking it.

This recipe is a small batch which for me is always the perfect portion. 4 small size or 3 medium size or 2 large size rolls are enough portion for sharing between 3 -4 people.

A Taller Strawberry Roll

Do not be surprised when you get a taller Strawberry Roll, as this could really happen due to the way the strips of dough are rolled. I’ve made this few times and sometimes when I rolled the first strip not evenly, I got the center peaking and tall and so the roll was shaped like a cone after baking. As  you can see the photo shows a tall Strawberry Roll. This can be slightly avoided by making sure that the first strip of rolled dough is flat on both sides. That means you have to guide both side to keep them flat. But don’t get frustrated over this, the bread still taste good whether it is tall or flat. But I think tall looks nice for a change 🙂

Rolling the Dough

The way this is roll is slightly different from making traditional cinnamon rolls. Usually, you roll and flatten the dough, spread the filling and then you roll it into a log shape, then you cut it into pieces. You can of course do that method as well, or try the method I used here.

What I did was rolled the dough, spread the filling on top and then cut the dough into 8 strips of 1-inch each strips. After cutting the strips, I rolled 4 strips connecting each other at the end of each strips. I made two large rolls which I think is just perfect. I Strawberry roll uses 4 strips of 1-inch size dough.

Bread Dough Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon Milk any percentage  (warm 110F)
• 1 1/4  teaspoon Active Dry Yeast 
• 3 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon granulated Sugar (Divided: 1/2 teaspoon for yeast, and 3 tablespoon for the dry ingredients mixture)
• 1 tablespoon flavorless Oil (I used Canola)
• 1 large beaten Egg – room temperature
• 1 cup Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour + 1 tbsp on the side ONLY as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon granulated Sugar
• 2 cups Fresh Strawberry – diced
• 1/2 cup granulated Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Cream Cheese Strawberry Frosting  Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon cream cheese – softened
• 5 tablespoon Icing Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Strawberry Jam

Instructions:

1. Activate the Yeast:  Pour the milk into a mug and microwave it for about 20 seconds until it is lukewarm, NOT HOT (about 105-110 degrees F.). Stir in the active dry yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes until the top of the mixture looks foamy.
   • TIP: Make sure that your yeast is not expired, otherwise it will not activate. If this happens, discard and do not continue. Get a new yeast before proceeding. If you continue using it, the bread will not rise and it will be dense and heavy.
2. Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together milk mixture (with the yeast), oil and and egg.
3. Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt.
4. Wet Ingredients + Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients mixture a third at a time. Using a spoon or a mixer, mix well until thick, sticky dough forms and all the flour is incorporated. Dump the mixture onto a well-floured work surface and knead just until the dough is no longer sticky and forms a ball (about 10 folds). If the dough is too sticky and wet, add 1 tbsp flour, on the other had if it is too dry add 1 tbsp water. You want the dough to be soft, elastic and smooth.
   • Alternatively, You can also make this using stand mixer. Proof the yeast in the stand mixer bowl (step 1), then proceed with steps 2, 3 and 4. This is the easier way if you have a stand mixer.
5. First Rise: Place dough into a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in size.
   • TIP: Pre-heat the oven to 110F then turn the oven OFF. Place the dough inside the oven. The warm oven will help the dough rise faster.
6. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:  In a medium bowl, whisk together softened cream cheese, and sugar until well combined and smooth. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.
7. Shape and Fill: Generously sprinkle flour on the counter where you are going to work on your dough. Sprinkle some flour on your hands too for easy handling of dough. Take the dough out from the bowl and lightly push the dough down with the heel of the palm of your hands. Knead and flatten the dough into 8-inch x 21-inch size (it doesn’t have to be exact). Spread the jam across the rolled dough. Cut the dough lengthwise into 8 strips of 1-inch each. You should end up with 8 strips.
8. Roll and Cut:  Start rolling 1 strip from start to end (like rolling a tape measure). Pickup the rolled piece and lay it on top of another strip in the end close to you. Roll again until it reach the each. Do this 4 times, you should end up with a large Strawberry Roll made from 4 strips of dough. Do the same for the other four strips. When rolling, press side from time to time to have a flatter roll of dough (again like a tape measure). Sometimes the center will protrude, just press it down.
9. Arrange in Baking Pan: Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and transfer the rolled dough, flat side facing up. If you are able to make a perfectly flat not protruding center, then better.
10. Bake:  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. If the top begin to brown too quickly, cover the top with aluminum foil and continue baking.
11. Let Cool: Let the bread cool completely before adding the frosting.
12. Spread the Frosting:  Take the frosting out of the refrigerator to soften. Stir to bring back to smooth soft consistency. Add more chopped fresh Strawberry if desired. Spoon frosting over rolls.

Makes 2 large rolls or 3 medium rolls or 4 small rolls.

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Enjoy! If you make this, share and tag me in Instagram #SweetNSpicyLiving. I would like to see your creations too.

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