These Blueberry Buns are super soft and fluffy, stuffed with blueberries and jam, and topped with a dreamy cream cheese icing. These are like a blueberry cinnamon roll and it’s the perfect spring treat!
I love a classic cinnamon roll, but these are such a fun twist and they taste absolutely lovely. They are a bit of a project bake, so it’s perfect for the weekend. Let’s get to it!
How to Make Blueberry Buns
We’re starting off by making a simple roux that gets used in the bun dough so it can cool slightly. This recipe uses fairly simple ingredients, but there’s a good amount of items needed to make all of the elements. From there, it’s time to mix the milk, sugar, and yeast in a bowl.
Add the yeast mixture, roux, egg, and softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and give everything a rough mix- it will be lumpy at this stage and that’s ok.
Then add in the salt and some flour to start, kneading the dough together until everything is well combined. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but it should still be soft and a little tacky, so add a little more flour if needed until you reach the right consistency.
Knead the dough until it becomes very smooth and stretchy. This takes about 10-15 minutes in a stand mixer. Then let the dough rest for it’s first rise until it roughly doubles in size. You can see below what the dough looks like before and after rising.
While the dough rises, you can work on the filling. I’m using frozen blueberries here, but fresh will work perfectly as well. Stir everything together for the filling and set it aside until the dough has risen.
Once the dough has risen, dump it out onto your work surface and roll it into a large rectangle. Spread the filling all over and you can roll it into a large log and slice it into 12 rolls. This process is a bit messy, but you can neaten the rolls if needed, and it does not have to be perfect!
Let the buns rest again for about 30 minutes while you preheat your oven, drizzle some heavy cream over the tops, and then bake until they are fluffy and lightly golden brown all over.
Spread the icing over the top while the buns are still warm and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Blueberry Buns
Here are my tips to help along the way to make the perfect Blueberry Buns:
- Do I have to make the roux? Yes, this contributes to the texture of the rolls greatly and you should not skip it!
- How do I know when I’ve added enough flour? The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl, but it should still be soft and tacky so it may stick to the bottom of the bowl slightly.
- How do I know when the dough is fully kneaded? The dough should become quite smooth and stretchy when it’s fully kneaded, which can take quite a while.
- What if the rolls get messy when filling? The filling is a little bit messy, and you may lose a couple of blueberries, but that’s ok! It doesn’t have to be super neat, and the filling tastes lovely.
- Can I use frozen blueberries? Yes, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries for the filling.
- What kind of jam should I use? I used a triple berry jam here, but blueberry jam of course would be ideal. Use whatever berry jam you have on hand though!
- Why do the rolls get a drizzle of cream? The added moisture creates softer buns as they bake and it helps create a stretchy soft bun.
- I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.
Enjoy!
Blueberry Buns
Ingredients
For the roux:
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the buns:
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 tbs. granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast 1 packet
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbs. heavy cream
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup jam of choice I’m using a homemade triple berry
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 cups frozen or fresh whole blueberries
For the icing:
- 3 tbs. softened cream cheese
- 1 tbs. jam
- 1 tbs. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
For the roux:
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In a small pot over medium heat, add the whole milk and flour and stir constantly until it becomes a thick paste, about 3-5 minutes. Set the mixture aside to cool in the bowl of your stand mixer.
For the buns:
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In a medium microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and sugar and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the mixture is warmed through and reaches about 110 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Stir in the yeast and set this mixture aside for 5 minutes until it becomes puffy and bubbly.
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Add the yeast mixture, egg, and softened butter to the stand mixer with your roux and give everything a stir until mostly combined- the mixture will be lumpy which is ok at this stage.
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Add in 3 cups of flour and the salt and knead the mixture in your stand mixer until a dough forms. You want the dough to be soft and it may stick a little to the bottom of the mixer while it runs, but it should ball up and pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it’s too wet, add more flour until you reach this consistency.
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Knead the dough for about 15 minutes on low-medium speed or until it becomes very elastic and smooth. Scrap the dough into a smooth ball and cover the bowl to let it rise for about 1 hour, or until it has almost doubled in size.
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While the dough rises, lightly grease a 9×13 inch cake pan or a quarter sheet pan.
For the filling:
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In a medium bowl, stir together the jam, brown sugar, salt, and blueberries until everything is combined.
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Once the dough has risen, dump it onto a clean surface and roll it into a large rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the entire rectangle. Roll the rectangle up into a log and carefully slice it into 12 even rolls. You can tidy up the rolls by gently unrolling and re-rolling if needed, but this process can get a little messy- don’t worry if they aren’t perfect, and tuck any blueberries that fall out back inside the rolls.
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Place the rolls evenly into your prepared baking pan and cover the buns loosely to rise for about 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the buns have rested, uncover and drizzle the tops all over with the heavy cream. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown all over and baked through. Let the buns cool for about 10 minutes before icing them.
For the icing:
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, jam, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and whisk until you have a thick, smooth icing.
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Once the buns have cooled slightly, generously spread a dollop of icing onto each bun. Enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
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