A month or so ago, I was invited to a Strawberry Soirée hosted by California Strawberries and Society Culinaria, of which I am a member, and it was exactly as it sounded. Decadent, fancy and amazing!
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Every detail of this soirée was deliberate, from the venue, to seating area, glorious linens, spotless glassware & place settings, radiant, yet un-intrusive centerpieces, and beautifully written place cards. Redbird, their staff, CA Strawberries, and Society Culinaria pulled out all the stops, and we aren’t even talking food yet!
Exquisite strawberry margaritas on rooftops, anyone?
The most complex dish of the night was an almond ricotta atop a bed of velvety muhammara, golden raisins, watercress, pine nuts, poppy seed lavash, and finally dotted with the most luscious strawberries. It was jaw dropping, and got my creative juices flowing.
I confess that I am a sweet strawberry lover. I rarely like them in savory applications, however the above first course was a rare exception. There are rarely any strawberries that make it past my countertop bowl, but if they do, they’re going in something sweet!
This lil’ lady (me) has been dreaming of making a vegan version of cinnamon rolls too, so that’s when I thought – “What about rolls with strawberry purée instead?!” Thus these glorious Sweet Strawberry Rolls were born.
Start out making your cinnamon rolls the normal way, but instead of sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar, pour a reduced strawberry purée instead, and roll that sucker up! Top with a simple glaze with lemon zest and fresh strawberries. Perfection!
If you are interested in leveling up your bread game, I highly suggest picking up this book:
It has every type of bread you could ever dream of making, plus very detailed instructions on how to execute all the steps. It’s the one cookbook I have on my countertop at all times, and I can’t endorse it enough!
Sweet Strawberry Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Meal
- 2 Tablespoons Water , warm
- 1 Cup Almond Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 6 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Vegan Butter , softened
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest , fresh
- 3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour , organic
- 2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
For The Strawberry Purée
- 2 Cups Strawberries , stemmed, and halved
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest , fresh
For The Glaze
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 6 Tablespoons Almond Milk
Instructions
For The Strawberry Purée
- Add the strawberries to a blender, and blend until smooth. Add to a medium pot along with the sugar and lemon zest, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is reduced by about half. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
For The Sweet Strawberry Rolls
- In a small bowl, add the ground flax meal and water. Mix well. In a medium bowl, add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and mix well. Allow both to sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, add the sugar, salt, and softened vegan butter. Cream for 3-5 minutes until the mixture gets light and fluffy. Add in the egg and lemon zest, mixing well, scraping down the sides of the bowl with the spatula, and mixing again until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Now, add in the flour and yeast, mixing with the paddle just until the mixture forms a scraggy ball. Switch to the hook attachment, and knead for 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, add the dough, turning over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, clean surface, and roll into a rectangle 1/2 inch high with the long side toward you. The long side should measure about 18 inches, and be 9 inches deep.
- Spread the cooled strawberry purée all over the rectangle lightly, then use a pastry scraper to help you roll up. Take the edge closest to you, begin to roll the dough on top of itself to form a log. You may have some strawberry purée spill out, that's ok. Leave it there for now.
- Cut the log into 16 equal pieces, and place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Scoop up the spilled strawberry purée with your pastry scraper, and top the rolls with it. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 75-90 minutes, until the pieces have grown into one another, and doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 15 minutes before the proofing step is complete above. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
For The Glaze
- As the sweet strawberry rolls cool, make the glaze by adding 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add the lemon zest, and with the mixer on medium, gradually add in the almond milk until you have a thick glaze.
- After the strawberry rolls have cooled for at least 10 minutes, pour the glaze over the buns. Top with fresh diced strawberries and lemon zest. Serve to your favorite people!
Notes
*Disclaimer: I attended the Strawberry Soirée as a guest of California Strawberries and Society Culinaria. I was not paid or compensated in any other way for this post. All opinions are completely my own.
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