Homemade Sweet Rolls with Blueberries

Homemade sweet rolls recipe with blueberries and frosting! Best breakfast pastry or dessert everyone will love. From scratch for Christmas or the weekend with Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter is Old Fashioned comfort food.

I just love the way that the dough doubles in size by the time I’m ready to bake them. Homemade sweet rolls as is or with added flavors like our Peanut Butter Sweet Rolls are some of my favorite sweets to eat. 

Sweet Rolls Recipe with Blueberries

The great thing about sweet rolls is that you can really change up the flavor easily. Some have the sweetness from the brown sugar while others are sweetened by a glaze that you pour on top. 

We added blueberries to ours but blackberries like in our strudel pastry are good too. Just want crushed nuts? Add those inside instead. I mean the possibilities are endless.

Sweet Rolls with Frosting

The great thing about cooking dessert rolls is that they’re pretty versatile and easy to make. You can easily make a wide variety of bread and rolls with a basic homemade white bread recipe. 

Before you even start to make the rolls, be certain to check your yeast that it’s active and good to use. If you mix a little bit of warm milk with some yeast, you’ll know within a few moments of time if the yeast is good or not to bake with. 

Yeast is still active when it starts to produce a foam almost immediately. If there is no foam after several moments of time, you need to buy some new yeast for your easy roll recipe. 

What pan is best for sweet rolls?

You do want to allow for some room in between them so they can widen a bit and rise, rise, rise. Because of this I do not use anything smaller than a 9×13″ pan that is non stick. If you don’t have this then break them in half and use two 9×9″ pans instead. Let. Them. Breathe!

How do you prep dough to make homemade sweet rolls?

When it comes to prepping and making the dough, there are a few things to keep in mind. One of the biggest factors in how the rolls are going to turn out is how well you make and mix the dough.

This is why I recommend using a dough hook on your stand mixer as it’s the easiest way to mix the dough. (and keep your hands clean!) I also like to add in the flour by 1/2 cups when making the dough as this helps it not get too thick or hard to mix in the process. 

Once you have the dough mixed and ready, it’s time to move on to the next phase of creating these delicious homemade rolls. 

How to make sweet rolls 

If you’ve used a bread machine to make your dough, the following tips will still apply. Start by taking the dough out of the mixer or machine and added it into a greased bowl. The point of this is that you’re going to want to let the dough rise until doubled so that it makes the yeast rolls really get big and fluffy.

How long does it take to proof dough?

We do have the option of how to proof dough in Instant Pot too that is a bit faster but timing all really depends on the temperature and altitude of where you are as to how long it will take the dough to rise. It’s going to take longer than 20 minutes and even 30 minutes of time, so plan accordingly if you’re trying to make these for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

What is the best way to roll out dough to make sweet rolls?

Once the dough has raised, sprinkle some of the remaining flour on the counter. (and save a little bit to sprinkle into the baking pan, too) Take the dough and put it on the floured counter and start to knead the dough. 

You can then use a rolling pin to roll the dough so that you’re ready to start cutting out the biscuits. When it’s time to cut the dough, there are a few other tips to know. 

There are a lot of people that actually use biscuit cutters for their roll recipes. I’m not always one of those people. I do like them, don’t get me wrong. But I also think that using the rim of a glass works just about the same.

Can you add fruit to the middle of sweet rolls?

Yes but there is a trick. You do want to toss them in some sugar and cornstarch first to coat the outsides. When adding fruit to muffins you do this with flour, in this case you want something sweet and starch will thicken it so the middle has a bit of a sweet sauce. Then spread out evenly and it’s ready to roll up.

How to cut homemade sweet rolls

When you’re cutting the rolls, just be certain to press down hard so that the roll gets cut out completely. The last thing that you want to happen after doing all of your hard work is to have your rolls tear and not be a circle. 

The other big thing to keep in mind when you’re adding the biscuits to the baking pan is that they’re going to continue to rise. Putting them close together means that as they bake, they’re going to stick together, too.

This is fine for recipes such as cinnamon roll and sticky rolls but you might not want all your roll recipes to do that. 

Sweet Roll Toppings

Last, but not least, don’t forget about the toppings. Some recipes have toppings and glazes that are to be added while others leave it up to the person who is baking the bread on what to do. I’m all about adding sweet glazes and lemon glazes to the top of any and all the rolls. I’m also totally fine with adding butter and honey as well. 

How to Make Chocolate Sweet Rolls

You could swap out chocolate chips for the blueberries if you wanted to change it up to even sweeter if you wanted. 😉 I prefer semi-sweet but a mixture of peanut butter and milk chocolate would be another winner winner for sure!

As long as you take your time and give the rolls a chance to raise and plump up, you really can’t go wrong with however you decide to make them. The great part about baking these rolls is that every recipe is going to be unique and delicious. 

They’re perfect to pair with a cup of coffee or easy enough to just grab and go as you’re walking out the door. You’d love our Instant Pot coffee cake and Easter egg bread too.

Here are quick directions, there is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post as well:

How to Make Homemade Sweet Rolls

• In a mixing bowl, combine 1.5 c flour and yeast. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the milk, ⅓ cup butter, sugar, and salt until 120 F.
• Remove from heat and stir until the butter is melted. Add to the flour and yeast. Mix on low using a regular paddle. Add the eggs in one at a time.
  • Change the mixer attachment to the dough hook.
• Beat the dough at low speed, add the remaining flour a little at a time. Increase speed to medium until a soft dough forms. This will take approximately 3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat both sides.

How long should you allow dough to rise?

Cover with a clean dish towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size. This will take about 1.5 hours. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a floured surface. Cover and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

• Combine the filling ingredients. Roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 20 inches by 10 inches. Sprinkle with the filling mixture, leaving a 1-inch space on one long edge without filling.
• Starting on the long side, roll the dough up, working it tightly but without pulling the dough too much.
• Seal the long edge by pinching it shut. Cut the dough into 12 even slices by cutting the dough in half, cutting those halves in half and then the quarters into three slices each.
• Place each roll in a large bar pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, allowing about one inch between them.

Why do you need to let dough rise twice?

The first rise (bulk rise) allows the yeast to produce carbon dioxide, creating gas bubbles that make the dough expand. After punching it down and shaping it, the second rise helps refine the crumb structure, resulting in a softer, more even texture. In this step you will cover and allow to rise in a warm place about 40 minutes or until doubled.

What is the best temperature to bake sweet rolls?

Now bake at 350 F degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. While the rolls bake, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla, stirring until well blended. Stir in the flour and then add the milk a little at a time until reaching the desired consistency. Remove rolls from the oven and spread with icing. Serve!