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A simple, homemade recipe for soft, long fermented, sourdough berry sweet rolls made with sourdough starter, mixed berries and a lemon glaze.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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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Sourdough Berry Sweet Rolls
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make 100g (½ cup) of active sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (cold)
- 4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 g) milk
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
Berry Filling
- 2 ½ cups (387.5 g) frozen or fresh berries (chop larger pieces )
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) melted butter
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (30 g) milk
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed your sourdough starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the dough and first rise
- Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into a mixing bowl. Add the flour and use a fork to toss with the butter. Add the active sourdough starter, milk, sugar and salt. Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are well incorporated and there are no dry bits in the bowl. Use your hands to help bring the dough together. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.
- Knead the dough on the counter for 1 minute or until it is smooth. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter for 8-10 hours. The dough should double in size.
Shape and second rise
- Place the sugar, flour, lemon zest and cinnamon in a bowl. Use a spatula to mix and set the bowl aside.
- Flour your work surface and turn the dough onto it. Flour the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12" x 18" rectangle.
- Spoon the sugar mixture evenly over the surface, leaving a half inch bare along the edges. Sprinkle the berries over the top. Starting on one side, roll the dough into a log shape. Use the bench-scraper to cut the log into 12 pieces (approximately 1.5 inches). Arrange the portions in a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.
- Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and allow them to come to room temperature and the berries to release their juices. This should take about 2 hours.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove and allow them to cool while you make the lemon glaze.
Make the lemon glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, melted butter and milk in a bowl. If the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time to avoid over-thinning of the glaze. (If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.)
- Pour the glaze evenly over the top of the sweet rolls and serve warm.
NOTES
- 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.
- 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.
PREVIOUS
Annie says
Wow! This is the second time I’ve made these! So delicious! My grown kids fight over who gets to take some home!!!
Merry Christmas- I love your recipes- they are easy and inspiring. Grateful to you!
Amy says
Thank you so much Annie! 🙂
Jim D says
I want to make this. Can't rate it till then, of course. Looks delicious. Your photos are very good.
Amy says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Susan says
I made the dough recipe and altered the filling to match what I had on hand. I mixed the cinnamon and sugar with cream cheese and spread that then topped with home made black raspberry jam, rolled and cut and let rise 2 hours. The roll is like a buttery biscuit but much softer and the filling was delicious- I plan to try different jams and also to try exactly as written. Wonderful recipe
Teresa says
I look forward to making these! There is lemon zest listed under the berry filling ingredients, however it’s missing when to add it in the instructions. Does it go in the sugar mixture or tossed with the berries? Thank you!
Amy says
It goes into the sugar mixture. I'll make the correction in the recipe, thank you!
Gennifer says
They came out wonderfully. I wish I could post a picture. Made the house smell good. So happy and colorful, I will make these again for family visits.
Maura says
So good! My son's family was visiting and I made this up for a breakfast, they were all gone so fast and all 6 of us agreed they were amazing. I used blueberries and raspberries and followed your recipe and timing exactly. It was perfect! Thank you for sharing
Amy says
That's wonderful to hear Maura! Thank you for the 5 star review! 🙂
Annie says
Ok! Hands down the best sourdough cinnamon/berry rolls ever!!! I have made several other recipes with active starter - yours is a keeper❤️ My family likes a soft roll - I them so they have some structure - this recipe is the perfect combination. I made my dough yesterday early afternoon- it was double by bedtime- put in the fridge overnight. Let it come up to temp for about an hour while I cut up fresh strawberries and blackberries- rolled out like a dream- let it rise about hour+ Until the berries released their juices - (mine did puff up a bit) baked as instructed- just perfect 😍
Kymberlee says
These were incredible!!! I used a mix of fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and placed my dough in the fridge for a day before adding the berries/baking. I love how easy your recipes are to follow!
I will definitely make them again!
Carla Relaxed and Retired says
My family loves Morning Glory Muffins. We buy a muffin locally called Glorious Morning at a cafe in our neighborhood, now I can make my own and freeze them!! I keep my sourdough ready in my refrigerator which, you recommend. This suggestion helps to save time. Thanks
Sally says
I will make these today. They look amazing