A simple, homemade recipe for soft, long fermented, sourdough berry sweet rolls made with sourdough starter, mixed berries and a lemon glaze.

Sourdough berry sweet rolls in a baking dish.

Who doesn't love a big, soft sweet roll for breakfast? It's one of favorite ways to bake with sourdough starter!

If you've made our sourdough cinnamon rolls in the past, you'll notice a difference between these two sweet roll recipes.

The original recipe was developed to be used with discarded sourdough starter and uses baking soda and baking powder as leavening agents. It's a great way for anyone that wants to use sourdough discard in a recipe instead of throwing it away.

NOTE: If you'd like to make long fermented sourdough cinnamon rolls, use this dough recipe with the cinnamon sugar filling from our sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe.

However, in this recipe, active sourdough starter is the only leavening agent, which in turn requires a bit more planning.

More sourdough breakfast recipes: sourdough english muffins / sourdough crepes / sourdough bagels / sourdough pancakes / sourdough granola

Sample Baking Schedule

For convenience, here is a sample baking schedule to make it easy for you to adjust to your own schedule.

Day 1

7 AM: Feed the sourdough starter.
7 PM: Mix dough ingredients.
8 PM: Knead dough in the bowl for 1 minute until smooth. Cover and let rest overnight on the counter.

For a longer ferment, place the dough in the fridge after the first rise for up to 2 days.

Day 2

6 AM: Make the filling. Shape rolls and let rise for 2 hours.
8 AM: Bake the sweet rolls. Make lemon glaze and serve.

For reference, my kitchen is 68°F (20°C). Warmer kitchens will need less rising times and cooler kitchens will need longer rising times.

How to make sourdough berry sweet rolls

A woman pouring feeding a sourdough starter.

1. Feed your sourdough starter. To a clean jar add 15g starter, 50g all-purpose flour and 50g water. Let it sit for 10-12 hours or until doubled.

NOTE: We use a ratio of 1 part starter to 4 parts water/flour so that the starter can slowly rise over a 12 hour period. If you need a quicker rise, use a higher ratio of starter to water/flour.

2. Mix the dough. Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and toss it with the butter.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until there are no dry bits left in the bowl. Cover the dough and allow it to rest on the counter for 1 hour for the flour to absorb the liquid.

After the hour is up, knead the dough on the counter for one minute or until it becomes smooth.

3. First rise. Cover the bowl with plastic or a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest at room temperature for 8-10 hours. It should double in size.

Two photos showing the dough doubled in size.

NOTE: After the first rise, you can move forward to the next step, or place the dough in the fridge until you are ready to bake. The dough will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 days.

4. Make the filling. Place the sugar, flour and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

5. Second rise. Roll the dough out into a 12" x 18" rectangular shape. Spread the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border along the edges. Sprinkle the frozen berries over the top.

Starting on the long end, roll the dough into a log shape. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into 12 equal portions.

Arrange the rolls in a greased, 9" x 13' baking dish and cover with a clean kitchen towel. You can also put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking.

Allow the rolls to come to room temperature and the berries to release their juices. This should take about 2 hours. The rolls will only expand a little bit as they relax.

Sourdough berry sweet rolls cut out in a baking dish.

6. Bake. Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C) and bake the sweet rolls for 30 minutes. The tops should be a light golden brown and the juices will be bubbly.

7. Glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, melted butter and milk in a bowl. Pour the glaze over the sweet rolls while they are still warm.

Sourdough berry sweet roll on plate with fork.

Substitutions

Mixed berries: The filling can be made with either mixed berries, single berries or any combination berries. Use your favorite flavor!
All-purpose flour: Bread flour, ancient grains or wheat flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour. Because these grains absorb liquid differently, you will need to adjust the amount of milk used in the dough.
Sugar: Honey, maple syrup, light brown sugar or agave are good substitutes for sugar in this recipe.
Milk: Any type of dairy based or plant based milk can be used.
Powdered sugar: Make your own homemade powdered sugar by pulsing sugar in a blender until it is an ultra fine consistency.

How to store and freeze

Store the sourdough berry sweet rolls in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container. Reheat in the microwave for 30 second intervals on 50% power.

The sweet rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

The dough can be made 1 to 2 days in advanced and kept in the fridge until you are ready to bake. However, because the berries release so much juice as they thaw out, we do not recommend shaping the rolls for the long ferment.
Cut larger berries such as strawberries or blackberries into small pieces. This will make the dough easier to roll up and cut into portions.

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