Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bloom the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk (180 g / ¾ cup) and instant yeast (7 g / 2¼ tsp). Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix the dough. Add the sourdough discard (240 g / 1 cup), sugar (50 g / ¼ cup), softened butter (57 g / 4 Tbsp), egg, salt (7 g / 1¼ tsp), and lemon zest to the bowl. Add the bread flour (480 g / 4 cups) and mix on low with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead. Increase to medium speed and knead 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl (it will still stick to the bottom - that's normal for an enriched dough).
- First rise. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot 1½–2 hours, until roughly doubled.
- Make the filling. While the dough rises, toss the blueberries with sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup), cornstarch (15 g / 2 Tbsp), and lemon juice (15 g / 1 Tbsp) in a bowl. Set aside.
- Roll out the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter (28 g / 2 Tbsp), leaving a ½-inch border along one long edge.
- Add the filling. Spoon the blueberry mixture evenly over the buttered dough, gently pressing the berries in so they don't roll out.
- Roll and slice. Starting from the long edge opposite the border, roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the seam to seal. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, slice into 12 even rolls.
- Second rise. Arrange the rolls cut-side up in a buttered 9x13-inch pan, cover, and let rise 45–60 minutes, until puffy and touching.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the rolls finish rising. Bake 28–32 minutes, until golden brown and the centers reach about 190°F.
- Glaze. Let the rolls cool 10 minutes in the pan. Whisk together the powdered sugar (120 g / 1 cup), lemon juice (30 g / 2 Tbsp), lemon zest, and a pinch of salt until smooth, then pour over the warm rolls.
Notes
I started making these the week our blueberry bush finally produced more than a handful at a time, and they disappeared faster than any loaf I've ever pulled out of this kitchen. The lemon zest is non-negotiable for me - it's what keeps these from tasting like a plain cinnamon roll with fruit dropped in.
The same-day timeline is the whole point here. This isn't a recipe that asks you to plan a day ahead - the instant yeast does the heavy lifting for rise time, and the discard is along for flavor and a slightly tangy backnote against all that sweetness.
If you only have salted butter on hand, just leave the added salt out of the dough and the glaze.
