Strawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls: a tender, buttery, homemade brioche pastry dough, filled with an organic strawberry and rhubarb compote, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, rolled and baked, then finished with a cream cheese icing. Amazing breakfast, or delicious dessert.
Song of the day: I Want You To Want Me - by Cheap Trick.
When I find something that I like, I don't let go. It happened recently with the strawberry rhubarb combination, which stole my heart, and it's happening again with the brioche dough, that I've been making on repeat, since after the baking class...
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and for this reason, many recipes on the blog are breakfast baked goods. The fact that I also enjoy them for dessert, is an added bonus. The same happens for some desserts that I make, like this bundt cake, for example, that I'm not shy to say I eat for breakfast.
I know for some people it is 'unreal' that I do not eat a savory breakfast, never, no matter what. Or that knowing my sweet tooth, I do not eat certain kinds of desserts that I find unbearably sweet. But this is who I am and mostly, how I grew up at home in Italy, where a savory breakfast is not an option, and homemade desserts are never too elaborated or so sweet to make your teeth hurt.
The combo strawberry/rhubarb is particularly appealing to me for that balance of sweet and tart, and if it was for me, I wouldn't have added the cream cheese icing on these Strawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls...
The beautifully crimson strawberry/rhubarb filling has just one tablespoon of turbinado sugar, a dash of salt, a splash of lemon juice, and cornstarch as a thickener. The brioche pastry dough is always the same trusted recipe from the Duchess cookbook and the one I followed at the Duchess Atelier baking class. It is buttery, silky, tender and not sweet. In fact, it has only 2 tablespoons of sugar and can be also used to make brioche hamburger buns.
In order to make Strawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls, though, we need to have a cinnamon sugar layer. That is the first layer to spread on the pastry. Combined with the strawberry/rhubarb layer is incredible.
As you have probably noticed, I am "on a roll" (pardon the pun, lol) to make a brioche roll, either sweet or savory I am loving spreading the filling on the beautiful pastry, rolling it tightly, and cutting it into slices. I find it mesmerizing. And also relaxing and fulfilling. So don't expect me to stop any time soon 😉 . Berry season has just started and I foresee more "rolls" in my (and your) future.
With the brioche pastry, you cannot make everything the same day. The dough has to be done the day before and rest in the fridge for the night. This allows you to have fewer things to do, thus less stress, on the day you want to bake your brioche rolls (and eat it too). Only remember that the rolls, once cut and arranged in the baking dish, need to have a second rise. So patience, my dear.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls will go from this look...
...to this look. Nice and puffed, ready for the oven. Finally!
At this point you can make your cream cheese icing, that, as the name says, is made of cream cheese and icing sugar, plus a touch of vanilla, and milk. It is actually not overly sweet, with a lovely vanilla flavor and with a nice consistency, not too thick.
I did not slather the rolls with icing sugar, I had a gentle and light hand and the result was delicious.
After all, we do want to taste all that delicious surface of the brioche and heavenly compote! The crispiness of the brioche surface is lovely not too crisp yet delicate enough to know it is brioche. The interior light, fluffy, and that buttery flavor pairs so well with the strawberry and rhubarb compote with its balance in sweet and tart profile. The cinnamon is so delightful to the tongue and adds just enough of a spice to make your taste buds wonder and that cream cheese icing has a beautiful balance to help make all the other components of this Strawberry Rhubarb Cinamon Brioche Rolls stars.
It will be the Canada Day long weekend this coming weekend. You are probably already settled on what you want to bake for the occasion. But if you are still uncertain, why not make these Strawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls. They're not only absolutely scrumptious, but they also have the right colors to represent Canada: red and white.
Song of the day: I Want You To Want Me - by Cheap Trick.
PrintStrawberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Brioche Rolls
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 9 cinnamon brioche rolls 1x
Ingredients
Brioche dough (recipe from the Duchess cookbook), makes 2, freeze one
- 13 g (1 Tbsp) fresh yeast, crumbled (or 6.5 g dried yeast)
- 30 g (2 Tbsp) whole milk, warmed (I also use half & half cream when I have it)
- 250 g ( 1 ½ cups + 1 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 30 g (2 Tbsp) caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, organic, free range
- 145 g (⅔ cup) unsalted organic butter, cubed, at room temperature (but not too warm)
Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
- 1 cup organic strawberries, diced
- ½ cup organic rhubarb, diced
- 1 tablespoon raw cane or turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- dash of salt
- splash of lemon juice
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- ¼ cup raw cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon organic cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp melted unsalted organic butter
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 cup powdered (icing) sugar, sifted
- ⅛ cup organic milk
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
Instructions
Brioche dough
- Heat up the milk in a small bowl, in the microwave for a few seconds (10-15). The right temperature of the milk should be between 26°C and 32°C to activate the yeast. Stir the crumbled yeast into the warm milk until dissolved.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, salt, and mix on low speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, the dissolved yeast and keep mixing on low until all the ingredients are well combined. Stop the mixer once to scrape down the sides.
- Still on low speed, gradually add the butter, a few cubes at a time. Once all the butter has been added, turn the mixer up to medium speed and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and shiny and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. This should take 15-25 minutes, no less.
- Gently, shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, cover again, and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Punch it down a second time and shape it into a rectangle. At this point, the dough is ready to use, but it can also be wrapped in plastic wrap lightly sprayed with oil and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for up to one week. I cut mine in half, used half and put the other half in the freezer.
- Butter a round (or square) 8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
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Add all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer, stirring often, until mixture has thickened. Let cool completely before using.
Cinnamon Sugar
-
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Sift the powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the other ingredients. Whip until creamy and smooth.
Making the Cinnamon Brioche Rolls
- Lay dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x9 inch rectangle shape. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Spread the strawberry rhubarb filling evenly over the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll dough up tightly and carefully (it can get messy with the filling, no worries).
- Using a bread knife cut 9 roll slices. Place rolls in a buttered 8-inch round pan and set aside to rise again, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brioche rolls are golden brown and cooked through the center.
- Take out of the oven and let cool on a rack. When rolls have slightly cooled, spread icing on top and enjoy!
Notes
Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh and warm up in the oven before serving.
The Prep Time includes the 1 hour resting time for the rolls to rise again before baking but does not include the making of the dough and the resting time in the refrigerator overnight.
Divide the brioche dough in half and freeze for up to one week. I used the other half of the dough to make these. If you use frozen brioche dough, let it defrost in the fridge overnight and start from there.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: cinnamon strawberry rhubarb brioche breakfast brunch dessert
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I love a great breakfast. I love the sweet and the savory though! 😉 Thee strawberry rhubarb rolls look fantastic. I love all that delicious, gooey fruit filling!
Thank you, Kathy! Lots of filling, and so delicious 🙂 .
Tara says
I wish I was making this for breakfast today!! Oh my heavens it looks delicious 🙂
Thanks! I wish I had some left so it could be my breakfast as well! 🙂
Raceh says
Oh my goodness! These look amazing! I love in when cinnamon rolls have a gooey filling. It looks like the rhubarb really make that happen in this recipe!
They were so gooey and we kept scraping the plate to get the last bit of compote! Thank you!
Marisa Franca says
Strawberries and rhubarb belong together! They compliment each other so well and as a filling in a light brioche dough I bet the taste is spectacular. I'm like you -- I really like breakfast. Eating a good breakfast starts the day out right.
They do compliment so well! And there's nothing better than a good breakfast for me! Thank you!
lauren says
I am with you! Strawberry Rhubarb is running my life right now and I am 100% ok with it. These rolls are the perfect thing to bring to brunch, can't wait to make them!
This combination is now my absolute favorite! Thank you for your comment!
Monica | Nourish & Fete says
I am craving these in a serious way! Cinnamon rolls are absolutely irresistible to me anyway, but filled with strawberry rhubarb, I don't think I could hold myself back! 🙂
They were so gooey and delicious! Thank you!
Jessica (Swanky Recipes) says
My Grandma used to grow wild rhubarb in the back of her house and every summer we'd pick some and make pies. When I visit her in a few weeks, these brioche rolls will be perfect to make together.
How lovely that your grandma grows wild rhubarb. Love it in pies! Thank you!
EL Çitra Kale says
nothing goes wrong to pair strawberry and rhubarb together. This looks perfect for my brunch! thank you for sharing the recipe.
They pair so well together. Thank you for commenting!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Now this is my kind of dessert! It looks amazing and love the combo of strawberry with rhubarb!
We loved it as a dessert as well, not only breakfast!! Thank you!
Julie says
I love love love rhubarb and feel like I've done everything under the sun with it... but I've never thought of rhubarb cinnamon rolls. What a brilliant way to incorporate it into breakfast!
It was so good, we are still dreaming about it. Thanks!
Sri Mallya says
Love the combo and the recipe. Looks so delicious. I will try this for july 4th. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, it is really a wonderful combo. Let us know if you make it!
Kitty says
Love this! I've starting growing rhubarb in hopes of one day having tons for summer baking! The strawberry patch I've given up on though. The squirrels eat all the strawberries before I can pick them. Luckily I can find them easily. It is the perfect balance of sweet and sour!
It's nice to grow your own rhubarb, although it is pretty easy here to find it at the farmers' market. Thank you!