Strawberry Donut Rolls Recipe

These Strawberry Donut Rolls are such a fun weekend baking project. Soft, fluffy, buttery brioche dough, twirled into scrolls sandwiching layers of sweet strawberry jam, baked, then tossed in strawberry sugar. Such fun!

Making brioche dough is one of my favourite activities after a long week. The act of making the dough is therapeutic and the versatility of what you can make with it is mind-blowing. Cinnamon Brioche Rolls and Brioche French Toast are the best!

These Strawberry Donut Rolls are one such example. The dough is soft and fluffy on the inside and filled with a sweet strawberry jam. Make sure to check out my Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls- I reckon you'll enjoy those too.

I have to say though that the strawberry sugar that these donut rolls are coated in is the absolute highlight. They taste like a donut without the hassle of frying in hot oil. What's not to love?

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 🧾 Ingredients Needed
• 📖 Variations
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make
• 💭 Recipe Pro Tips
• 📋 Recipe FAQs
• ❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions
• 🍓 More Strawberry Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🧾 Ingredients Needed

I've broken the ingredients into two parts, the dough and then the jam and sugar coating. Some ingredients are worth mentioning, so make sure to have a quick read below.

The Brioche Dough

Yeast: I use active dry yeast, which means that before baking, we need to activate the yeast. We do this by mixing it into warm milk with some sugar (you could use honey if you prefer.) Whisk it together and let it stand for 15 minutes. The yeast will then become frothy and bubbly.

This step allows you to test that the yeast is ‘alive’ as, over time, it can ‘expire’. If it doesn’t bubble, you’ll need to use a new packet and start this process again. Using fresh yeast is also an option, but for the home baker, it's harder to come by.

Rapid-rise yeast (instant yeast) can also be used. Just add it in with the flour- there's no need to activate it.

Milk: It needs to be warm (approx 35C/95F if you use a thermometer) as this helps activate the yeast initially and provides moisture to the dough.

Flour: Use plain flour (all-purpose flour) to provide structure to the dough.

Eggs: I use large eggs and they act as a binding agent but also add flavour and richness.

Butter: An invaluable and necessary addition when making enriched brioche bread as it adds immeasurable flavour and aids in providing that tender crumb. Brioche just isn’t brioche without butter! Go for unsalted butter as you can control the amount of salt added, plus salted butter contains higher water content than unsalted.

The Jam and Sugar Coating

• Jam - Use your favourite strawberry jam or conserve. It's better if it doesn't have large fruit chunks in it.
• Freeze-dried strawberries - these may be tricky to find in your local grocery store but are easily available online. I buy mine from Amazon and it lasts for ages. Tip: after a couple of months, I find the powder can solidify. If it does this, then grind it up with a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Good as new!
• Sugar - use granulated rather than caster sugar (super-fine sugar). You want that crunch from the granules!

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make

There's no question about it, making anything with brioche dough is a labour of love. The hands-on time needed is not huge, but yes, there's a fair bit of time for the two rises.

I've split this section into three parts:

• Making the dough
• Filling and shaping
• Baking and coating

I'll take you through each of the components with process images, notes and tips. Hopefully, this will help guide you through making these fun baked Strawberry Donut Rolls.

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

Make The Brioche Dough

I recommend casting your eye over my post for brioche bread as we use the same dough. That post goes into more detail about making the dough which may prove useful to you. 

Note: If making the rolls to be eaten the same day, in the afternoon, then I suggest starting to make the dough at noon. If making the rolls to be enjoyed the next day at breakfast, then start to make the dough late afternoon/early evening.

STEP 1: Activate yeast and mix in dry then wet ingredients (minus the butter). Add the yeast to half the milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Leave for 15 minutes until bubbly (Image 1). Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment and mix.

Add yeast mixture, eggs, and milk and mix together until a dough forms. If there are dry crumbly bits at the base of the bowl, add an extra tablespoon or two of milk to bring it all together (Image 2).

STEP 2. Add the butter. Whilst beating on medium speed, add the butter, one tablespoon adds a time (Image 3). Beat until well incorporated before adding the next tablespoon. Once fully added, beat for 10-15 minutes until the dough forms a tornado around the dough hook attachment and pulls away from the side of the bowl (Image 4).

You'll know if the dough is ready if it passes the window pane test (see below).

STEP 3: Place in a bowl and set for the first rise (cold-proof). Knead the dough a couple of times on a lightly oiled surface and form into a ball. It should be shiny, elastic, and strong. Place in an oiled bowl (Image 5), cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for 3 hours or until doubled in size (Image 6).

STEP 4: Punch down the dough. Once risen, remove the bowl from the fridge and punch down the dough (Image 7). Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form a rectangle (Image 8). Being cold from the fridge, it should be nice and firm to roll out.

Fill and Shape the Dough

STEP 5: Roll out dough. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle. It should measure slightly larger than 30 x 48cm (12 x 18 inches). (Image 9).

STEP 6. Cut the dough. I used a ruler to get this part more exact. But you can eyeball it if you'd prefer. Using a ruler just makes for more even-sized scrolls. This is purely for visuals and different-sized scrolls won't impact the taste.

Trim the outside edges of the dough so that you have a neat 30 x 48cm (12 x 18 inches) rectangle. Then, on the short side, mark the edge of the dough every 2.5cm (1 inch). Using a sharp knife (or pizza cutter) slice the dough into 12 strips (Image 10). Keep the strips pressed together.

STEP 7. Cover the dough with filling. Carefully, cover the dough in the strawberry jam and smooth it out evenly using an offset spatula (Image 11). It's best not to have big chunks of fruit.

STEP 8. Roll up the dough. Now the fun bit (and slightly messy bit- be warned!!) Starting from one end, roll up one strip of the dough at a time (Images 12). As the scroll gets bigger it can get a bit slippery from the jam, so use your fingers to keep it in place (Image 13).

Place the scroll on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (Image 14). Repeat with the remaining strips of dough until all are rolled and on the baking tray. Leave 5cm (2 inches) between all the scrolls.

STEP 9. Second rise and prep for baking. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 45 mins. The dough visually has to expand by at least half its original volume (Image 15). Whilst the dough is on its second rise, this is the time to preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Optional steps: The jam may have squeezed out a little- so I tidy the tops up by scraping any excess jam away with an offset spatula (Image 16). I then brush the rolls with an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water) (Image 17). This provides a golden sheen and crunch once baked. You don't need to do either of these steps.

Bake and Coat in Strawberry Sugar

STEP 10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown (Image 18).  Halfway through, tent in aluminium foil if the rolls are browning too quickly.

STEP 11. Make strawberry sugar. Add sugar and freeze-dried strawberry powder into a medium shallow bowl and mix well together (Images 19 & 20).

STEP 12. Brush in butter and cover in sugar. Brush the outside of the scrolls with melted butter (Image 21). Dip the scroll in the strawberry sugar and make sure to coat the underside, top and sides (Images 22 & 23).

Shake off any excess sugar (Image 24). Serve immediately. These are best served as soon as they're made. After a couple of hours, the sugar granules do start to break down and liquefy.

📋 Recipe FAQs

❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions

To store: Strawberry Donut Rolls are definitely best eaten fresh as soon as they've been coated in strawberry sugar. If you do need to store them, then place the rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.

To freeze: With the sugar coating, these rolls won't freeze well. I suggest freezing the dough after the first rise. Punch it down, wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and continue to shape as per the recipe.

🍓 More Strawberry Recipes