are soft, fluffy rolls layered with cinnamon sugar, swirled with a homemade triple berry compote, topped with cream cheese frosting and a buttery streusel crumble.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 ½ cups lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t worry if it’s too sticky it will be firm up.
½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 120g, 3 large eggs room temperature, 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g, ½ cup unsalted butter softened 113g, 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.
Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out. While the dough is rising, make the triple berry filling.
For the triple berry compote
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine all the berries, sugar and ¼ cup water. Stir until combined. Let it continue cooking until the berries start to open and it creates a sauce consistency.
1½ cup mixed berries fresh or frozen, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup water
Make a slurry by combining the ¾ cup water and the cornstarch. Make sure your berry compote is hot and bubbling, add the slurry (the heat helps activate the corn starch). Stir until it starts to thicken. When you first add the slurry, it will be a light purple. Cook it until it darkens in color. This means you are cooking out the flavor of the corn starch.
¾ cup water, 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Set aside and let it come to room temperature. As it cools down, it will thicken even more. Press plastic wrap on the top to help prevent a skin from forming.
You can put it in the fridge, if you desire, to speed up the cooling process.
Filling and Shaping Instructions
Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting later. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches in size. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.
Then spread ¾ of the berry filling on top of the cinnamon sugar filling.
Starting with the long edge farthest from you, cut the dough into 12 even strips using a sharp pizza cutter. Each piece should be about 1⅓ inches wide. Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.
Working one at a time, roll each strip into a not too tight, spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.
Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan. 3 across and 4 down. They should have a little space between them — they’ll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm spot, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size. While the bread is rising, make the streusel.
Cinnamon Streusel Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pour in the cooled melted butter and mix with a fork or spatula until clumps form. You want crumbly clusters, not dough. If it looks too sandy, squeeze some together with your hands.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
Spread evenly on the prepared pan and bake for 8–10 minutes, until golden and set.
Let cool completely, then break into large pieces.
Baking Instructions
Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Warm the heavy whipping cream just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15–20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the risen rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.
If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
While the rolls are cooling making the cream cheese frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.
4 oz cream cheese softened, ½ cup unsalted butter softened
With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar, then vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.
3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1-2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, Pinch of salt
Increase speed to medium-high and beat 2–3 more minutes until light and fluffy. If too soft to pipe, chill for 10–15 minutes.
Assembly
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread or pipe the cream cheese buttercream evenly over the tops of the rolls.
With a spoon, drizzle the rest of the mixed berry sauce on top.
Generously sprinkle the prepared streusel crumble evenly on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.