Sweet Rolls with Strawberry Jam

Step 1

Warm the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave, just until warm to the touch. If necessary, warm for another 30 seconds. Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let this stand for a minute or two until the yeast has dissolved.

Step 2

Add the softened butter, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and 1 cup of the flour to the bowl with the milk and yeast. Beat on low speed for a minute or two until the eggs are broken and the butter is mixed in. You should have a smooth batter with a few lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3

Add the rest of the flour, beat a few seconds to mix, then switch to a dough hook and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. When finished, the dough will hold together in a fairly smooth ball and feel slightly tacky to the touch. (Alternatively, turn the dough out on the counter and knead by hand for 7 to 10 minutes.)

Step 4

At this point, you can cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough overnight, or let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Step 5

When ready to shape the rolls, spray a 13x9-inch baking pan or two 9-inch pie pans with oil and set aside. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press or roll it into a rectangle roughly 10 inches tall by 15 inches wide.

Step 6

Here's where things start to get messy! Spoon the jam onto the dough and spread into a thin, even layer over the dough, leaving an inch of bare dough at the top and bottom (along the 15-inch sides). Begin rolling up the dough, trying to keep as much of the jam between the folds as possible. Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 equal-sized rolls. The jam will definitely squish out — that's OK. Re-spiral the individual rolls if you need to, doing your best to keep as much jam inside the rolls as possible, and then transfer the rolls to the prepared baking pans. Scoop up any jam that's squished out on the counter with a spoon and tuck it back into the rolls.

Step 7

Loosely cover the rolls and let them rise until puffed and pillowy, 45 to 60 minutes. About 20 minutes before they're finished rising, heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position.

Step 8

Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the rolls are golden-brown on top and the jam looks thickened. If you're adding blueberries, remove the tray from the oven partway through cooking and poke the blueberries into the tops of the rolls between the folds; continue baking. Let the finished rolls cool for a few minutes on the counter while you make the frosting.

Step 9

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla for the frosting. If your cream cheese was a little cool and you see little lumps in the frosting, increase the mixing speed and keep mixing until the frosting smooths out. Add more milk if you'd like a thinner, more pourable frosting.

Step 10

Spread the frosting over the warm rolls and serve. Cover any leftover rolls and keep at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerate for a few days longer.