Yield: 12 blackberry lemonade rolls // Total Time: 2 hr. 55 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
I absolutely love incorporating blackberries into my bakes. I mean, they just have such a pretty color! These are perfect for the warmer weather and for summer coming up. Soft and fluffy brioche dough gets filled with a homemade blackberry lemon jam, and topped with a lemon cream cheese frosting. These are bright, light, and delicious!
Blackberry lemonade rolls recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Kneading the dough
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer takes me ~20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
Room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg and butter at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe.
Ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Instant yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast, you will just need to make some slight adjustments to the recipe. Those adjustments are listed later in this post!
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising. We will use a little bit of sugar in the brioche as well as the blackberry lemon jam.
Eggs: for binding and adding moisture.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is quite variable.
Lemon: to brighten up the rolls. We will use a total of 2 lemons, spread between the brioche dough, blackberry lemon jam, and the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla bean paste: I love using vanilla bean paste because you get to see those nice vanilla bean speckles without paying the crazy cost of vanilla beans. However, you can do a 1:1 swap with vanilla extract. I used this vanilla bean paste. We will use vanilla bean paste in the brioche dough as well as the lemon cream cheese frosting.
Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy.
Cream cheese: for the lemon cream cheese frosting. I recommend using full fat cream cheese, but you can substitute in neufchâtel cheese!
Blackberries: for some freshness to compliment the brioche and cream cheese frosting. You can use frozen or fresh, I used fresh because they happened to be on sale!
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! You can also easily split it in half to make 6 rolls if that is all you need. I can’t emphasize using a kitchen scale enough for especially this recipe already, but if you are going to double or half the ingredients it is even more important that you weigh your ingredients. The dough is very hydrated and slight alterations can change the texture of the dough.
How to store blackberry lemonade rolls
Is there anything better than fresh cinnamon rolls right out of the oven? These will definitely taste the best and be their softest and fluffiest on day 1. If you are going to store them, make sure to leave the ones you want to save unfrosted. The rolls can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature, and the cream cheese frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. When you want to eat them, pop the roll in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before frosting.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is a more accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature.
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you. I use this one.
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes! You will just need to make a few adjustments to the recipe. When heating the milk in the beginning, you will mix the yeast and sugar into the warm milk. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes or until it begins to foam. The foam means that the yeast is alive and ready to be used. If the mixture doesn’t foam, it means the yeast is dead and you need to remake the mixture.
The dough will also take longer to rise. For both rising periods, you just need to wait until the dough has doubled in size. With active dry yeast, it may take 1-2 hours for the first rise, and up to 1 hour for the second rise.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. There are two ways you can go about making these ahead of time:
- Make the dough the night before. This is the method I recommend. Simply knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight. When ready to make the blackberry lemonade rolls, simply take it out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
- Assemble the rolls the night before. After assembling the rolls, they can be covered and placed in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake, simply take them out of the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking.
Tools and ingredients
Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla paste. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla paste can be! This is the one I use.
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make these blackberry lemonade rolls?
If you made these blackberry lemonade rolls I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Blackberry Lemonade Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 120 mL whole milk
- 305 g all purpose flour (2 ½ c.)
- 2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 30 g granulated sugar (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 113 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- zest of ½ lemon
Blackberry Lemon Jam
- 12 oz blackberries
- zest of ½ lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- 2 tbsp. water
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 226 g cream cheese room temperature (8 oz.)
- ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste
- zest of 1 lemon
- 150 g powdered sugar (1 ¼ c.)
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Dough
- In the microwave, heat the milk to ~100°F / 38°C.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add in the heated milk and all of the rest of the dough ingredients.
- Begin kneading on low speed for 1 minute to allow the ingredients to come together. Then, increase the speed to medium and knead for an additional 14-19 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides and lifts from the bottom of the bowl.
- Use your hands to form the dough into a ball, then place it back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled size. Ideally, leave the dough in the fridge to rise overnight. If you are crunched for time, let the dough rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~1 hr.)
Blackberry Lemon Jam
- To a medium saucepan, add the blackberries, lemon zest, sugar, and lemon juice. Place over medium heat. Occasionally mash down the blackberries as they are heating.
- Once the mixture starts simmering, run it through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the seeds. Return it to the heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water. Once the mixture starts to boil, whisk in the corn starch slurry. Continue mixing until the jam thickens.
- Remove from the heat. Place the jam in the fridge to cool until ready to use.
Assembly
- Generously butter a 9 x 13" baking dish and (optional) line it with parchment paper.
- Once the dough has doubled in size or rested overnight, turn it out on to a clean and lightly floured surface. Roll it out until it is about 18 x 20"
- Spread the blackberry lemon jam evenly over the dough. Begin to roll the dough tightly from the longest side.
- Slice the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. Place them evenly spread out in the prepared baking dish. Set a towel over the dish and leave the rolls to rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~30 min.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown. You can also check if they are done by their temperature, which should be at least 180°F / 82°C.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- With a stand mixer or a hand mixer in a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until it has all been incorporated into the cream cheese. Beat in the vanilla paste, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Frost the rolls as you are ready to eat them. Serve, and enjoy!
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