This yeasted dough recipe is my go dough for many applications, including bread, buns, cinnamon buns, and of course these sweet strawberry rolls. The dough is light and moist and keeps well without becoming crumbly. This recipe uses an Asian technique referred to as Tangzhong, where you cook a small portion of the flour, milk and water into a paste before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. . This helps retain the moisture in your bakes, along with keeping them fresher longer.

You can see this technique in my Better Buns Reel here.

Tangzhong

• ¼ cup Better Bread Flour
• ½ cup water
• ½ milk

Yeast Mixture

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar or honey

Dough

• 4.5 cups Better Bread Flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg+1 yolk
• ¼ cup unsalted butter- room temperature

Step One
Start by making your Tangzhong or roux. In a small pot, add milk, flour and water and whisk together. Over medium heat, continue to stir until the liquid turn into a paste. Set aside or in the fridge and let cool.

Step Two
Activate your yeast. Add 1 cup of warm water, 1 tbsp of active dry yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar or honey. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes.

*I prefer active dry yeast over instant yeast, so I know the yeast is alive. Activating your yeast before incorporating it into your dough ensures a positive outcome.

Step Three
In your stand mixer, add your flour, salt and sugar and give it a stir.

Step Four
In a small bowl, add 1 egg + 1 yolk and whisk. Set aside.

Step Five
To your flour, add your egg, yeast mixture, tangzhong and ¼ cup room temp butter. Turn the mixer on low speed with a dough hook to start incorporating the ingredients. 

Step Six
As the dough begins to form, turn your mixer on medium speed and allow the dough to knead for 8-10mins. If there is dough stuck to the sides of the bowl, add a bit more flour until the dough becomes a smooth ball.

Step Seven
After the dough is done kneading, lightly oil a bowl and set the ball inside the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1.5 hours.

Step Eight
Prep a large baking dish by greasing the inside with butter. You may need another small one, so have one on hand.

Step Nine
Once your dough has risen, punch down your dough and place it out onto your lightly floured counter. Roll into large rectangle, until the dough is 1/4-1/2'' thick.

Step Ten
Generously add your strawberry jam ( I used a mix of strawberry and raspberry) then evenly sprinkle on your chopped strawberries. Using a pizza cutter, cut your rectangle the "short way" in 1.5'' strips then roll them up and place into prepared buttered dish.

Step Eleven
Cover rolls with plastic wrap and let rise again for 30mins or until they have doubled in size. Preheat your over to 350°F.

Step Twelve
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 mins or until golden brown. See notes regarding cook time.

Step Thirteen
Prepare your icing while your buns cool.
Ingredients:

If your oven has cool or uneven baking, it is important to check the center cinnamon rolls to ensure they are fully cooked and increase the baking time by up to 10 minutes if necessary. To prevent the top from browning before the center is fully cooked, you can cover the baking pan with foil. Keep an eye on the cinnamon rolls to ensure they are fully cooked before removing them from the oven