Berry swirl rolls with a vegan brioche dough, lashings of fruity jam and a beautiful purple glaze. Step-by-step photos are included!
These are like cinnamon rolls but with a thick berry jam and a slightly different rolling method. The brioche dough is partially ‘laminated’ with the berry jam. This makes a BEAUTIFUL and mesmerising roll with more layers than a conventional cinnamon roll!
These laminated rolls are also slightly more dense and have a crunchier exterior than cinnamon rolls. However, being able to tear away more layers makes them fun to eat!
Truth be told, I actually used blackcurrant jam to make this recipe so they should be called ‘purple jam rolls’… but it just shows that you can use any purple (or red) fruit jam to get similar rolls!
I got the inspiration for these buns from Anna Banana who made some gorgeous hazelnut swirl buns which I fell in love with at first sight. The process was similar to my vegan rugelach so I knew it’d be easy to make!
However, if you’re looking for simplier and fluffier vegan berry buns, check out my blueberry cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients you need to make these vegan berry rolls
The dough is essentially a variation of my vegan brioche or cinnamon bun dough and consists of:
- Plain aka all-purpose flour
- Plant-based milk, such as soy, coconut or almond
- Cane sugar or coconut sugar
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Instant dried yeast
- Vegan butter or margarine
The filling is store-bought fruit conserve and blueberries which I reduced on the stove-top. Reducing the jam/conserve makes it easier to roll and prevents it from spilling everywhere when baking it.
How to make the swirl buns
After you’ve made your dough and let it rise once, roll it on a floured surface.
For the next few steps, it helps to think of the dough in 3 parts – the LEFT side, MIDDLE and RIGHT side. Spread the thick jam on two thirds of the dough. This can be the left + middle OR middle + right. It doesn’t matter!
Also, make sure you don’t spread the jam to the edges like what I did… when I folded it, the jam oozed out everywhere and it was quite…. messy!
Once you’ve done this, fold over the side of the dough which has no jam on it. Then fold over the other side.
You’ll have an ‘envelope’ or ‘pocket’ of dough. Carefully roll out the dough into a rectangular shape again.
Get a sharp knife or pizza cutter and cut 2cm or 1 inch strips out of the dough.
Then roll each strip into a swirly roll! The rolls are bigger than conventional cinnamon buns, but I ain’t complaining!
Place all the berry rolls on a lined baking tray then set aside in a warm spot until they increase in size.
Baking and decorating the berry rolls
You’ll need bake the berry rolls in the oven 180°C (350°F) until they are golden brown on top.
I made a simple berry glaze using powdered/icing sugar, jam and mylk. However, the glaze is totally optional!
Try my other vegan bread recipes:
- Vegan brioche
- Sticky cinnamon buns
- Jam donut cinnamon rolls
- Vegan chocolate babka
- Sourdough cinnamon rolls
Or easy berry recipes:
Berry Swirl Rolls
Ingredients
Buns
- 3 1/4 cups (405g) plain or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup (250mL) plant-based milk, such as almond, soy or coconut, warm
- 1/2 cup (115mL) vegan butter or margarine, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (40g) organic cane sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon (9g) instant dried yeast*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of any good-quality salt, if you're not using salted butter
Bun filling
- 1/2 cup (160g) berry jam of choice, or blackcurrant jam
- 1 cup (75g) fresh or frozen berries, such as blueberries or raspberries
Berry glaze
- 1 cup (100g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (20g) berry jam of choice, or blackcurrant jam
- 1 tablespoon (15g) plant-based milk, such as almond, soy or coconut
- Beetroot powder, raspberry or strawberry powder, optional for colour
Instructions
To make the buns:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix until it comes together. Knead the mixture until it forms a smooth and stretchy dough. Add a little more milk if the dough is too dry or a little more flour if the dough sticks to the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Set it aside in a warm spot for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. If it doesn't double, place the dough in a WARMER spot until it does.
To prepare the filling:
- Add both ingredients to a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer until the berries have broken down and the mixture is very thick and jammy. Puree with a stick blender (or mash well with a fork). Set aside to cool.
To assemble the buns:
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Scoop the dough onto the surface and roll it out into a large rectangular shape.**
- Spread all the berry mixture on two-thirds of the dough (see the blog post for pictures). Fold the outer two-thirds of the dough over. Use your rolling pin to flatten the layered dough into a large rectangle again.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut around 8 long strips out of the dough. Roll each strip into a bun shape. Arrange the buns on a lined or greased baking tray, leaving a little space in between. Place a damp tea towel over the buns and set aside to rise.
Baking the buns:
- When you're ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- When the oven is hot, bake the buns for 15-20 minutes. The buns are ready when their surface is slightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Decorating the buns (optional):
- add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth. Add more sugar if the frosting is too thin and more milk if the frosting is too thick. It should be a thick drizzlable consistency. If you'd like your glaze to be richer in colour, add a little beetroot powder and mix until combined
- Drizzle the glaze on the buns. If desired, set aside for the glaze to dry (or enjoy immediately haha).
- The buns are best eaten the day they are baked. Alternatively, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm up the buns before you enjoy them.
Notes
Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help other readers and Rainbow Nourishments.
Can you sub AP flour for GF?
I haven’t tried it and it really depends on the GF flour. If you try it, let me know how you go!