I’ve now been in Cordova for a little over a year, and I’m enjoying being able to attend some favorite events from last year for the second time. Tonight was the Copper River Watershed Project’s Berry Festival. It’s a pot-luck dinner where everyone brings berry-themed appetizers, drinks, salads, entrées,  and of course, desserts in order to celebrate local food. Last year I brought berry-pear custard bars, this year I was imagining a blueberry cream puff, but I didn’t get to experiment with the pâte à choux – the special dough used with cream puffs and éclairs, and since I’d never made one before, I thought it might be a bit risky to test it out on a crowd. Instead, I came up with a sweet roll filled with some salmonberry-nectarine jam that my friend Becca made. You can substitute any kind of jam for the filling.

Berry Sweet Rolls

Berry Sweet Rolls

Dough (made in a bread machine)

1 c. soy milk
1/3 c. orange juice
3 T canola oil
1/4 c.  butter or non-hydrogenated margarine (I use earth balance)
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. salt
3 c. unbleached flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. yeast

Add all ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed. Set machine to the dough setting. When the dough is just about done, prepare the filling.

Filling

1/2 c. salmonberry-nectarine jam (or any flavor of berry jam)
1/4 c. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine
1 small handful of slivered almonds

Heat jam and margarine in a small saucepan until margarine is melted and whisk to combine. Remove from heat.

Assembling Sweet Rolls

When the dough is ready, roll it into a large rectangle approximately 1/4″ thick on a lightly floured surface. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, and sprinkle the almonds over the filling. Roll the dough up lengthwise, as tightly as possible and pinch to seal. (The seal might not stay, and that’s ok). Prepare a pan to hold the rolls by spraying with oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper. (I used a 14″ cast iron skillet, but any baking dish should work). Using a clean piece of thread, cut 1″ rolls and place them into your baking dish. Cover the dish with a towel and set in a warm place to rest for 20-30 minutes.. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the sweet rolls in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned (or until internal temperature of the rolls reaches 160F).

While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting.

Blueberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 c. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine
2-3 c. powdered sugar (or enough to make a thick frosting)
1 T. vanilla
zest of 1/2 an organic lemon
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 c. slivered almonds for garnish

In a mixer, whip the margarine until fluffy, add the powdered sugar and whip until you have a smooth frosting. Add vanilla, lemon zest and blueberries, adding a little more powdered sugar if necessary to maintain consistency.

Frost the rolls as soon as you’ve removed them from the oven. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Serve warm. (Note: I had a bit of frosting left over-it will keep very well in the fridge for the next time you’re making sweet rolls.)

Berry Sweet Rolls (A recipe)
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