One of the best parenting milestones is when the boys have become independent enough to take showers and baths by themselves and get ready for bed. I usually use this new-found time to fold laundry or pick up the rooms nearest the bathroom so I can at least hear if something goes wrong. Which usually results in a lot of yelling conversations between rooms and me not getting anything done at all. Typical.
The day that I made these amazing sweet rolls for breakfast, the bathtime conversation went like this:











Saurus: Mom? Can you get me a towel?
Me, yelling into the bathroom: Have your brother hand it to you. Fox? Hand your brother a towel.
*silence*
Me: Little Fox?
Saurus: He can’t do it. He’s asleep.
Me: What?
Saurus: My brother is sleeping.
Me: What do you mean sleeping? He’s getting ready for bed in the bathroom with you.
Saurus: No, he’s sleeping.
Me: I don’t understand. I thought he was still in the bathroom with you.
Saurus: He is sleeping in the bathroom.
So I walk in there, still confused, but sure enough, Little Fox fell asleep wrapped in a dinosaur towel right on the bathroom rug.
Me: Huh. Would you look at that?
Saurus: Told you.
I’d like to credit these sweet rolls for their magic powers of putting toddlers to sleep but it’s much more likely due to the hard day of playing outside and no naps that did it. Either way, these rolls deserve some space on your breakfast menu.
They’re light and flaky and stuffed with berries and deliciousness that everyone loves. I make basically everything in a large cast-iron skillet (we’ve talked about this) but I also tried making a few of these in individual sizes by placing one roll in a small greased (and oven-proof!) glass dish. (You can see both ways in the pictures.) Both versions turned out SO WELL which leads me to believe there’s no wrong answer on how to make these. Kind of like toddlers and accidental early bedtimes. No wrong answer there, either.

Soft and flaky sweet rolls filled with vanilla liqueur-soaked berries and topped with lemon mascarpone frosting.
dough adapted from lil' luna
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and liqueur.
Stir in berries, cover, and chill while you make the dough.
Baker's note: this soaked berry thing is called maceration so now you can impress your family by telling them these rolls have a macerated berry filling. Big, fancy science words are awesome.
In a small heat-proof bowl, mix together water, buttermilk, and butter. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the butter is totally melted and the mixture feels warm to the touch. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk sugar and yeast into the dairy mixture and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Add in salt, egg, and flour (I do about 2.5 C to start with - it should still be sticky but also come together and hold its shape). Using the dough hook attachment, mix at low speed for 10 minutes.
Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Dump out dough on a well-floured surface and roll out into a square (about 1/2" thick. roughly).
Spread mascarpone evenly across the dough.
Fold dough inwards by thirds into a smaller square, making sure all of the mascarpone is covered up: fold up the bottom third, down the top third, then the right and left over. (Hopefully that makes sense. if not, call me and I'll walk you through it.)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out dough into a large rectangle shape (about 12" x 18").
Spread softened butter across the dough and then sprinkle the sugar on top, making sure it's as evenly distributed as possible.
Spoon the chilled berries on top, distributing as evenly as you can.
Baker's note: My favorite way to do these is to use the berries and the juice but just know it gets MESSY if you use the juice too so do that at your own risk.
Roll dough into a tight spiral from the long edge then cut into slices (about 1-2" thick).
Place in your prepared baking dish and bake at 350F for 18-25 mins or until golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before frosting.
In a medium bowl, whisk together mascarpone and butter until well-combined.
Stir in lemon zest, liqueur, and powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add some milk/cream/buttermilk or more powdered sugar as needed for consistency.
Spread onto rolls and devour!
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and liqueur.
Stir in berries, cover, and chill while you make the dough.
Baker's note: this soaked berry thing is called maceration so now you can impress your family by telling them these rolls have a macerated berry filling. Big, fancy science words are awesome.
In a small heat-proof bowl, mix together water, buttermilk, and butter. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the butter is totally melted and the mixture feels warm to the touch. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk sugar and yeast into the dairy mixture and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Add in salt, egg, and flour (I do about 2.5 C to start with - it should still be sticky but also come together and hold its shape). Using the dough hook attachment, mix at low speed for 10 minutes.
Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Dump out dough on a well-floured surface and roll out into a square (about 1/2" thick. roughly).
Spread mascarpone evenly across the dough.
Fold dough inwards by thirds into a smaller square, making sure all of the mascarpone is covered up: fold up the bottom third, down the top third, then the right and left over. (Hopefully that makes sense. if not, call me and I'll walk you through it.)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out dough into a large rectangle shape (about 12" x 18").
Spread softened butter across the dough and then sprinkle the sugar on top, making sure it's as evenly distributed as possible.
Spoon the chilled berries on top, distributing as evenly as you can.
Baker's note: My favorite way to do these is to use the berries and the juice but just know it gets MESSY if you use the juice too so do that at your own risk.
Roll dough into a tight spiral from the long edge then cut into slices (about 1-2" thick).
Place in your prepared baking dish and bake at 350F for 18-25 mins or until golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before frosting.
In a medium bowl, whisk together mascarpone and butter until well-combined.
Stir in lemon zest, liqueur, and powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add some milk/cream/buttermilk or more powdered sugar as needed for consistency.
Spread onto rolls and devour!
Leave a Reply