These twisted blueberry rolls are pillowy soft, fluffy, and full of a sweet, blueberry filling. There is truly nothing better than a homemade sweet roll, especially when it's covered in cream cheese frosting.
2 ½cups(313grams)all purpose flourplus more for kneading
1packageinstant yeastmust be instant! 1 standard package of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoons.
¼cup(50grams)granulated sugar
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonground nutmeg
¾cup(180mL)whole milkroom temperature
1eggroom temperature
¼cup(57grams)unsalted buttermelted and cooled
Blueberry Filling
1 ½cups(230grams)fresh blueberries
⅓cup(67grams)granulated sugar
½tablespoonlemon juice
Egg Wash
1egglightly beaten
Cream Cheese Frosting
½cup(4oz)cream cheeseroom temperature
½cup(60grams)powdered sugar
¼teaspoonvanilla extract
1pinchsalt
Instructions
Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if kneading by hand), whisk together the flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, salt and nutmeg.
Add the milk, egg and melted and cooled butter.
Kneading
If you are using a stand mixer, using the hook attachment, mix on low-medium speed until the dough comes together, scraping the flour off the sides of the bowl if necessary. Once the dough forms, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for an additional 8-10 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the bottom/sides of the bowl, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 4-5 tablespoons of flour. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky but smooth.
If you are making the dough by hand, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Lightly flour your work space (and your hands) and begin to knead the dough. If the dough is super sticky, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an additional 4-5 tablespoons of flour so it is not super sticky. Knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky but smooth.
The dough is done kneading when it passes the window pane test. Rip off a small piece of dough and place it in between your fingers. Carefully, spread your fingers apart to stretch out the dough. If the dough stretches easily without ripping AND you can see light passing through it, it does not need anymore kneading. Additionally, if you press your finger into the dough and it bounces back, it is ready to go!
First Rise
Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm environment (in the microwave/in the oven - both OFF) for 1 ½ hours. It should double in size.
Blueberry Filling
While the dough is rising, make the filling. Over the stove on medium heat, combine the blueberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice, constantly stirring until the blueberries get softer, about 2-3 minutes
Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the blueberries so that they release their juices. Let the mixture simmer, while stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool while the dough completes its first rise.
Once the dough has finished its first rise, grease a muffin tin or line a baking sheet with parchment paper (both work) and set aside. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 16x20 inch rectangle.
Spread the filling on the right ⅔ of the rectangle.
Then, take the left ⅓ that is not covered in filling, and fold it towards the center.
Then, take the right side and fold it over towards the center. It is like you have a piece of paper and you are folding it to get three equal-sized parts.
Preparing the rolls
Trim the edges of the log because they do not have much filling on it. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the dough horizontally into 12 equal pieces.
Working piece by piece, make a slit in each piece of dough, but not cutting it completely in half.
Weave the two pieces together and lie it flat on your work surface.
Starting from one end, roll the dough up onto itself to create one big bun. Place the roll into your muffin tin/on your baking sheet, and repeat this process with the rest of the dough.
Second Rise
Cover the pan with a towel and leave the rolls to rise for another 35-40 minutes. They should fluff up.
Baking
When the dough has 5-10 minutes left to rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Lightly whisk an egg to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the edges of the rolls using a pastry brush or your finger.
Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 14-15 minutes until slightly golden on top.
Cream Cheese Frosting
While the rolls are baking, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until super smooth. Once the rolls are cooled, spread the frosting on top of the rolls. Enjoy!