Freshly Milled Valentine's Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Imagine waking up on Valentine’s Day to the enchanting aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls layered with sweet, fresh strawberries. This isn’t just any cinnamon roll recipe—it’s made with freshly milled flour, adding a wholesome, rustic charm that elevates each bite. The lovely combination of strawberry and cinnamon delivers a delightful twist perfect for sharing with someone special or treating yourself. Plus, the process is straightforward enough to make it a cozy kitchen adventure rather than a daunting task.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword valentine's strawberry cinnamon rolls

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Rise Time 2

Total Time 3 30

Servings cinnamon rolls

Calories 516kcal

Ingredients

Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water 330 grams
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup olive oil 100 grams
1/2 cup honey 130 grams
5-6 cups fresh milled flour - I like to use a blend of 50/50 hard red and hard white wheat for this recipe 675-810 grams
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Filling:

1 ½ pounds fresh or frozen strawberries
½ cup honey 130 grams
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cinnamon
⅓ cup sugar brown sugar, or maple sugar, optional (66 grams)

Glaze:

4 ounces softened cream cheese 113 grams
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar 200 grams
3 tablespoons strawberry filling

Instructions

Combine the wet ingredients and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (water, salt, oil, lemon juice and honey).
Next add half your flour. Mix until well combined.
Allow the dough to rest in the mixer for 10 minutes before proceeding. This will make a softer loaf and helps to hydrate the fresh flour.
Add yeast and the rest of your flour. I like to add the flour slowly, 1/2 cup at a time and watch how the dough reacts. You don’t want to add too much flour. Add just enough to where a soft dough forms and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead dough until smooth and elastic. This takes about 6-8 minutes with a mixer and 10+ minutes if you are kneading by hand. Do the window pane test to ensure the kneading has been done properly.
Move the dough to a large bowl and place somewhere warm. I like to use my barely warmed oven (preheat for a few minutes and then turn it off). Allow the dough to rise until double in size, in a warm spot that takes 30-45 minutes. If rising on the counter, cover the dough and it may take longer to double in size.
While the dough rises, prepare the filling by combining the strawberries, honey, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the strawberries start to break down, for 20-30 minutes. Use a fork to mash them up.
Combine the water and cornstarch together, then mix it into the strawberries. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If you have time, place in the fridge to thicken even more.
Once the dough has risen, turn out onto an oiled surface. Roll into a 13 x 18 inch rectangle.
Set aside 3 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture, then spread the remaining mixture onto the dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, and sugar if using. The sugar is not necessary but adds just a little extra sweetness if you prefer it.
Prepare a 9×13 casserole dish or 2 round cake pans or 2 10 inch cast iron skillets (I line these with parchment paper if using them) by greasing them with butter or olive oil.
Cut the the dough using a pizza cutter. This recipes makes 12 cinnamon rolls. I like to start by cutting the dough rectangle in half, then each half in half and so on, to get 12 equal strips of dough.
Roll up each dough strip and carefully place them in the baking dish or pans. They should be touching each other, but some gaps are fine, they will rise and spread.
Any filling that gets lost, just toss on top of the cinnamon rolls once they are in the pans.
Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
Prepare the glaze by beating the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and mix together, then add the reserved strawberry filling. Beat until smooth.
Spread on top of the cinnamon rolls after baking.

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