Vegan Blueberry Sweet Rolls

     

We are at the tail end of summer, so I am enjoying all of the berry deliciousness that I can!  Which includes desserts, and other creations besides just eating them plain.  Like these vegan blueberry rolls! When we visited Eric's Dad in July he sent us home with lots of his home made jam, and I had something specific in mind for the blueberries.  These rolls!  I love sweet rolls of any kind.  Of course everyone thinks to make the caramel rolls or cinnamon rolls but I like to switch it up and use other fillings sometimes.  I have been wanting to make blueberry for a while because they just sounded good. 

It is funny, back in the day the thought of making sweet rolls intimidated me. Or just yeast breads in general, because they are a little more work than a quick bread and whatnot. But I soon got used to them and actually enjoy making them now!  They are so worth the effort, especially sweet rolls like these babies. I made my dough with a little coconut milk to give it a bit of richness and sweetened it with maple sugar since it goes so well with blueberries. The dough came together and kneaded up nicely!  

I used that blueberry jam from Eric's Dad along with some fresh blueberries and they were so pretty with the colorful filling even before baking! They smelled so good I could not wait to try one when they came out of the oven. But I had to put a glaze on them first, because what is a sweet roll without a little glaze?  At least I think it is important. So I made a sweet blueberry glaze with Dastony coconut butter and raw cashew butter from Raw Guru.  It is a cream cheese style glaze, and you would swear it has dairy because it tastes rich and creamy. 

These rolls turned out sooo good!  I love gooey sweet blueberry jam inside of a soft, warm sweet roll!  These are a nice switch up from cinnamon or caramel rolls when it is blueberry season. I am going to have to try making them with other fruit as well. Maybe some apple ones, since apple season is now here! Anyways, if you are looking for a sweet weekend treat, why not whip up a batch of these blueberry rolls! 

Vegan Blueberry Sweet Rolls

Makes 12

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water ( 105-110F degrees)
• 1 packet active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
• 3/4 cup warm coconut milk (I warmed it up on the stove)
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed, mixed with 3 Tbsp filtered water
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or as needed

 

Filling:

• 3/4 cup blueberry jam
• 1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed and drained) blueberries 

 

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup Dastony raw cashew butter
• 1/4 cup Dastony coconut butter (not oil)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk or as needed
• 2 Tbsp blueberry jam
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

 

Instructions:

1. To make the dough, combine the yeast and the warm water (about 110F degrees, you don't want to kill the yeast) plus a pinch of maple sugar and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5-10 minutes until it starts to foam.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple sugar, vanilla extract, salt and flax mixture and mix together to combine.
3. Add the yeast, and 2 cups of flour and mix to combine.
4. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until you have a smooth dough (you may need to use your hands at the end to mix it in).
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and supple. If it is too sticky add a little flour but you want to add as little as possible because if you add too much the dough gets tough.
6. Place in an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
7. When it is ready, turn out onto the counter or a board and roll out into a 9x15 inch rectangle.
8. Mix together the filling ingredients and spread it evenly over the dough.
9. Roll it up, then cut the roll into 12 pieces.
10. Oil an 8x8 inch square baking pan, and place them in the pan.
11. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
12. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350F degrees.
13. When the rolls have risen for 45 minutes, place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and cooked through.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.
15. Whisk the glaze ingredients together, adding a little bit more coconut milk if it seems too thick.
16. Pour the glaze over the rolls, and enjoy!

These keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for up to 1 week.