Twisted Blueberry Rolls | Sturbridge Bakery (2024)

These twisted blueberry rolls are made with a fluffy brioche dough, a jammy, wild blueberry filling, and topped with a sweet blueberry glaze. These rolls are a perfect weekend baking project for a blueberry lover to enjoy for brunch or dessert!

I love these blueberry rolls - they are incredibly soft & the wild blueberry jam filling is delicious! I like to separate the work - making the jam & the brioche dough the evening beforehand, letting it rise in the fridge overnight, and rolling out and baking it the next morning. This makes the baking process smoother, and cold dough is much easier to work with!

Why you'll love these twisted blueberry rolls

• Perfect for blueberry lovers. This recipe has the best wild blueberry jam, which is used as the filling and in the glaze. A fluffy, warm brioche bread with jammy blueberries is a delicious brunch treat!
• Overnight option. I like to separate the work by making the jam & the brioche dough one day, letting it rise in the fridge overnight, then baking the next day. Splitting up the work just makes the whole process go smoother!
• The softest, brioche dough. Brioche bread is an enriched bread. It's made with butter for added richness & moisture, making an incredibly soft blueberry roll.

Ingredient notes

• Wild blueberries: I love using frozen, wild blueberries for the jam! The mini blueberries make it easier to roll the dough, plus they just have the best flavor.
• Sugar: brown sugar & granulated sugar are used to sweeten the jam. We also use granulated sugar in the bread recipe to activate the yeast. A tiny amount of powdered sugar is also needed for the glaze.
• Lemons: we add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to the jam to help release the juices from the blueberries.
• Cornstarch: cornstarch, mixed with a little water, is used to thicken up the blueberry jam.
• All purpose flour: preferred flour for the brioche recipe - it leads to the softest & most tender dough!
• Nutmeg: this is an optional spice in the bread, so feel free to leave it out if you don't like nutmeg.
• Salt: salt is a flavor enhancer - it is needed in all dessert recipes!
• Yeast: instant yeast is preferred, but active works, too!
• Whole milk: used for added moisture in the bread.
• Eggs: acts as a binding ingredient in the dough. It also adds fat & moisture, which makes the brioche sooo soft!
• Vanilla extract: pure vanilla extract adds a sweet note to the bread.
• Unsalted butter: unsalted butter is preferred so we can control exactly how much salt goes into the recipe. The butter is what makes the dough an enriched bread - it adds flavor and leads to a very tender brioche.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients & their quantities.

How to make twisted blueberry rolls

Make the wild blueberry jam.

A lot of blueberry jam is used in this recipe - some to fill the rolls, some to use in the glaze, and some to spoon over the rolls before baking (and of course some to snack on while it cools!).

In a pot over medium heat, combine the wild blueberries, granulated & brown sugars, and lemon juice. Cover & let the blueberries defrost & the sugar melt while stirring occasionally.

Separately, stir together the cornstarch & water. Once the blueberry juices have released and the mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened, then let cool while you make the brioche dough.

Set aside 4 tablespoons of the jam to use later.

Make the brioche dough.

Mix the flour, salt, and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine the yeast and sugar in a separate bowl, then slowly stream this mixture into warmed milk. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use the dough hook to mix for 2-3 minutes or until the dough forms a ball around the hook. Gradually add the cubed butter while kneading on medium speed. Once the butter is fully incorporated, knead for 8-12 minutes until the dough is in a smooth & sticky ball, and it passes the window pane test.

The window pane test: take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches easily without tearing, and you can see light passing through it, the dough is ready to proof. If it tears, continue mixing for another minute or two and try again.

Proof & shape the dough.

Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size (overnight in the fridge or about 1 hour in a warm environment). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface & roll it into a rough 12x18 inch rectangle.

Spread the blueberry jam on ⅔ of the rolled out dough. Fold it into thirds, starting with the bare side, then folding the filled side on top of that. Trim the edges & slice the dough into 8 equally sized pieces.

To shape the rolls, take one piece of dough in both hands and twist each end in opposite directions so you have one long twisted piece. Roll the dough into itself to create a spiral and place into a parchment paper lined pan. The filling may leak out a little during this process, it's okay! Repeat with the remaining dough and let proof again for 20-30 minutes until fluffy.

Bake!

Whisk together the egg & heavy cream to create an egg wash. Gently brush the dough. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the jam you set aside evenly on top of the rolls.

Bake for 28-33 minutes until golden brown. Let cool while you make the glaze. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of jam with the powdered sugar & milk. Pour on top of the warm rolls and enjoy!

Baking tips

• Use a kitchen scale.I cannot stress this enough - akitchen scaleis theonlyway to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up so much easier.
• Allow the dough to rise for the entire instructed time.Don't rush the rise process! Interrupting the rise can result in a dense bread.
• If you let the dough rise in the fridge, make sure to bake within 24 hours.It is perfectly okay to let your dough rise in the fridge overnight. However, try not to let it reach that 24 hour mark, otherwise you run the risk of having an over-proofed dough.
• It's easier when cold. It's easier to roll out the dough and roll it back up with the jam when both the dough & the jam are cold. It's less likely that the jam will spill out of the sides. That is why I prefer to make both of these things ahead of time, so they can chill overnight in the fridge.

Baking in grams

I rely ongram measurementswhen testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using thiskitchen scale,therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.

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