Sourdough Discard Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls Recipe

Yield: sweet rolls

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 24

Rise Time: 1 45

Total Time: 2 24

These Sourdough Discard Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls are everything I love about summer baking—bright, citrusy, and absolutely beautiful on the breakfast table. I started with my go-to dough from my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls and gave it a fresh, seasonal twist. Each roll is soft and fluffy, layered with a homemade blueberry compote and a lemony sugar butter, then finished with a tangy lemon cream cheese glaze.

5 from 4 votes

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Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Discard Sweet Roll Dough

120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
30 grams light brown sugar 2 Tablespoons
175 grams milk, warm 3/4 cup
57 grams unsalted butter, melted 4 Tablespoons
1 large egg room temperature
370 grams bread flour 2 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons
7 grams instant yeast 2 teaspoons
5 grams salt 3/4 teaspoon

Blueberry Compote

180 grams blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 1/4 cups
50 grams sugar 1/4 cup
15 grams lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1 Tablespoon
2 grams lemon zest 1 teaspoon
8 grams cornstarch 1 Tablespoon
pinch of salt

Lemon Sugar Butter Filling

57 grams unsalted butter, softened 4 Tablespoons
65 grams sugar 1/3 cup
6 grams lemon zest 1 Tablespoon
2 grams vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
pinch of salt

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

28 grams unsalted butter, room temperature 2 Tablespoons
113 grams cream cheese, room temperature 4 ounces
30 grams lemon juice, freshly squeezed 2 Tablespoons
4 grams lemon zest 2 teaspoons
130 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
pinch of salt

Instructions

DOUGH

Add the sourdough discard, light brown sugar, warm milk, melted butter, and egg to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
The temperature of the milk was 110 degrees F. Any hotter and this could kill the instant yeast and prevent the dough from rising.
120 grams sourdough discard, 175 grams milk, warm, 30 grams light brown sugar, 57 grams unsalted butter, melted, 1 large egg
Switch the paddle attachment with the dough hook attachment. Then, add the flour, instant yeast and salt to the bowl. Mix on low, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary, until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.
370 grams bread flour, 7 grams instant yeast, 5 grams salt
Continue to knead the dough for 5-7 more minutes at medium speed. You know the dough has been thoroughly kneaded when the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl while it is being kneaded and it feels tacky, not sticky, when you poke it.
You can knead this dough by hand, but I would increase the time to about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased straight-edge bowl, cover it and let the dough rest until doubled in size in a warm spot.
In my 70 degree F kitchen, this took about 1 hour. The rise time can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The warmer your kitchen, the faster the dough will rise. The opposite is true for cooler kitchens.

FILLINGS

While the dough is rising, prepare your fillings. Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch and salt in a medium skillet over medium heat. Smash the blueberries while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or fork. Continue to cook the blueberry filling until thick and glossy, about 5-8 minutes. You should be left with 210 grams of blueberry compote. Pour into a separate bowl and allow to cool completely. Place in the fridge to cool faster or prepare the day before to save time.
180 grams blueberries, fresh or frozen, 50 grams sugar, 8 grams cornstarch, 15 grams lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 2 grams lemon zest, pinch of salt
In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Set aside.
57 grams unsalted butter, softened, 65 grams sugar, 6 grams lemon zest, 2 grams vanilla extract, pinch of salt

SHAPE

Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 16 inch by 12 inch rectangle.
Spread the softened lemon butter over the entire surface of the sourdough sweet roll dough. Remove 20 grams of the blueberry compote into a separate bowl and save it for the glaze topping. Top the remaining blueberry compote on top of the lemon filling and spread over the entire dough in an even layer.
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 12 even stripes (about 1 1/3 inch each) then roll each into a roll for a more polished look.
Grease a 9 x 13 metal baking pan with butter before gently placing the Sourdough Discard Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls inside, about 1/2 - 1 inches apart.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for a second time until they have noticeably grown and look puffy. This took 45-60 minutes in my 70 degree F kitchen.
Not ready to bake these in the same day? No worries! Jump down to the notes for several make-ahead options.

BAKE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the rolls for 24-28 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees F.
If the sweet rolls are browning too quickly, cover them with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
Remove from the oven and place the sweet rolls on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

While the sweet buns are cooling, prepare the lemon cream cheese frosting.
In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix butter and cream cheese until combined. Add powdered sugar, blueberry compote, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and blend until smooth.
28 grams unsalted butter, room temperature, 113 grams cream cheese, room temperature, 30 grams lemon juice, freshly squeezed, 4 grams lemon zest, 130 grams powdered sugar, pinch of salt
Using an offset spatula, spread the lemon cream cheese frosting over the warm sweet rolls so that it can slightly melt into all of the cracks and crevices. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Make-Ahead Options

If you are looking to prepare these Sourdough Discard Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls the night before and bake them the following morning – here are some options and tips!

Option 1: Prepare the dough and once it has doubled in size, over the bowl and chill in the fridge overnight. The following morning, shape the sweet rolls and allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place before baking as normal.

Option 2: Prepare the dough and shape the sweet rolls the night before, then pop the covered baking dish into the fridge overnight. Pull out the unbaked rolls 1-2 hours before baking to allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place.

Option 3: Prepare the dough and shape the sweet rolls, then pop the covered baking dish into the freezer overnight. Once frozen solid, place the sourdough sweet rolls into a freezer-safe bag and store for 2-3 weeks for the best results. When ready to bake, place the frozen sweet rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and place them in the refrigerator the night before. The next morning, take them out of the fridge and allow them to rise in a warm place, about 1.5-2 hours, or until fluffy.

Bake, Freeze & Reheat

Otherwise, you can bake the sweet rolls as normal, then allow them to cool to room temperature. DO NOT ICE WITH FROSTING. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to enjoy, allow the rolls to thaw on the counter top at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, reheat them in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. Top with icing and serve!

**Since this is an enriched dough, it can take longer for the dough to rise. The rise time will also depend on the temperature of your kitchen. A cooler kitchen will have a longer final rise, while a warmer kitchen will be quicker. Bake as normal.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Bread Flour – For the fluffiest Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls, I recommend using bread flour. Its higher protein content gives the dough a better rise, resulting in a softer, chewier cinnamon roll. Some people prefer all-purpose flour, but in my experience, bread flour gives the best results.
Milk – I used whole milk, but this can be substituted with your favorite non-dairy options as well.
Sourdough Discard – I use fresh, room temperature sourdough discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. If you use the discard straight from the fridge, it’ll slow down the rise time. By the way, you can swap in the same amount of active starter (grams).
Light Brown Sugar – Unlike my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls, I opted for light brown sugar over dark brown sugar for a lighter caramel flavor, but you can substitute with dark brown sugar.
Instant yeast – I used instant yeast for this recipe, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate and takes longer to rise dough. Instant yeast, in contrast , can be added directly to dry ingredients, and it works much faster.

FILLING:

Blueberries - Fresh or frozen blueberries can be used for the blueberry compote. Or if you prefer, skip the blueberry compote and use blueberry ham instead.
Cornstarch - Helps to create a jammy, glossy blueberry compote. Arrowroot powder or tapioca flour are great 1:1 substitutions.
Unsalted Butter – For easy spreading, be sure to use softened, room-temperature butter.
Vanilla Extract - I also love substituting vanilla extract with vanilla paste 1:1.

FROSTING:

Cream Cheese – For easy mixing, use room-temperature cream cheese.
Butter – Use room-temperature unsalted butter for easy mixing.
Lemons - Skip the store-bought lemon juice! I know it’s convenient, but believe me it won’t bring the same fresh flavor. Plus, you really don’t want to skip the lemon zest in this recipe.

Nutrition

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