Lemon Sourdough Rolls with Black Raspberries
Throughout the summer months, we spend most of our time harvesting the berries that are local to us to preserve for the winter months. They become canned jellies and jams, fruit leathers, mixed into our canned applesauce or preserved by freezing. We make use of these all winter long and we take pride in the fact that we don’t really buy any berries from the store and we harvest enough to last us until the next summer. However, during the winter months, I will sometimes take advantage of the fruits that we cannot grow here in northern Michigan, specifically citrus. I love the way it can be so versatile and it pairs well with so many of the foods we have local to us like lake fish or cranberries.
Winter is also my favorite time to bake, because we are typically spending more time inside, and because I can finally turn on my oven without the fear that the entire house will become scorching.
I was planning the sourdough I would be making this week and I was inspired to use the lemons we currently have on our counter. Lemon and blueberry seems like an overused combination, so I went with wild black raspberries that I froze this summer. They’re a lot sweeter than blueberries and ended up being the perfect choice. I hope this inspires you to get baking!
Dough
191g Butter
`
500g Bread Flour
115g Milk
230g Whole Eggs
40g Organic Cane Sugar or Maple Sugar
11g Salt
200g Ripe Sourdough Starter
Zest of One Lemon
Filling
75g Black Raspberries, Frozen
235g Sugar
57g Butter, softened
48g Lemon Juice (about 1 lemon)
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
Zest of One Lemon
Glaze
135g Maple Sugar
105g Whole Milk
120g Butter, softened
Before beginning, cut the butter into Tablespoon sized pieces and set aside to come to room temperature.
Combine the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, sugar, ripe sourdough starter, and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture while the stand mixer is on a low speed. Mix until all ingredients are combined. The dough may look a bit lumpy at first, but that is okay, it will start to come together in the following steps. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Next, turn the mixer to a medium speed and mix for another 5-10 minutes. If the dough isn’t forming a ball after the first 5 minutes, you can add in 1/4 cup of flour at a time until it begins to look more smooth and elastic. It will still stick to the bottom of the bowl and that is fine. This step is to build strength and structure to the dough. Once you’ve done this step, allow the dough to rest for another 5 minutes.
Next, it is time to add the butter. Add 1 piece at a time and allow it to become fully incorporated before adding the next piece.
Transfer the dough to a lidded container about 2x the size of the dough to allow room for it to expand while rising. Rise for 2 hours, folding every 30 minutes.
Place the dough into the fridge to chill for 2-4 hours or overnight if you’re making them for breakfast.
While the dough is chilling, make the filling and the glaze.
For the filling, whisk all ingredients until smooth.
For the glaze, place the maple sugar in a blender and blend until it reaches a fine powder. Next, add the milk, and the butter and blend until smooth. Pour into a lidded jar until the rolls are ready to be glazed.
Next roll out the dough to a 9” x 13” rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough leaving a 1” space at the top. This is where the dough will seal into itself once rolled. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the filling. Roll the dough and cut into 12 equally sized pieces. Place the rolls into a 9” x 13” pan and cover.
Place the pan somewhere warm to rise for 2 hours. A half hour before they’re done rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or longer, until they are just golden brown. Wait until the rolls are completely cooled to drizzle on the glaze. Enjoy!