Three Types of Sweet Rolls You can Make with Pastry Fillings

Here you'll find three types of sweet rolls that you can make with a pastry filling:

• If you like sweet rolls with raisins or nuts, like Apple Walnut Sweet Rolls, choose Classic Sweet Rolls.
• If you want sweet rolls well-frosted with thick frosting like your grandmother used to make but filled like the Strawberry Sweet Rolls above, choose Homestyle Sweet Rolls.
• If you want to skip the frosting and go right to the filing, we'll show you how to make Lemon Filled Sweet Rolls. Choose Bakery-Style Sweet Rolls.

You can create your own. Choose any of the pastry filings, even Bavarian Cream Pastry Filling, or you you can mix and match, like Apricot Pineapple Sweet Rolls made with Apricot Pastry Filling and Pineapple Pastry Filling, or a Black Cherry Cream Sweet Roll made with Cherry Pastry Filling and Bavarian Cream Pastry Filling.

All three types of these sweet rolls can be made with a sweet dough mix, (like our Raised Glazed Donut Mix) or with a bread mix. Using a raised, glazed donut mix instead of a bread mix, will make your sweet rolls lighter, fluffier, richer, and with just a hint of the sweet flavor of the Spudnuts you grew up with. The sweet dough makes exceptional sweet rolls, a little sweeter and softer than many bread mixes. 

#1 Apple Walnut Sweet Rolls Made with Pastry Filling (Classic Sweet Rolls)

The typical sweet roll is filled with a buttery cinnamon-sugar mixture, and that tastes just fine, but consider the magic you can make with sweet rolls filled with your choice of pastry filling.

You can use the filings that professional bakers use: lemon, strawberry, apricot, and more. The recipe below uses a strawberry pastry filling; it's absolutely divine. Plus, it's as easy as simply clipping off a corner of the tube of pastry filling and squeezing out what you want on your rolled out dough in place of cinnamon-sugar. If you want your sweet rolls to be extra flavorful, you can use a couple cups of filling.

Apple Walnut Sweet Roll Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Original Raised Donut Mix
• 1 1/2 cups (about 12  ounces) apple pastry filling
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or raisins 

Directions

1. Grease a 11x17-inch baking sheet.
2. Mix the dough according to package directions. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl and the place the dough in the mixing bowl in a a proofing bag or cover with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise. Let it rise for about an hour or until it is light and puffy. A cool kitchen will take longer to rise.
3. After the dough has risen, lightly dust the an area on the countertop with flour. Place the dough in the center. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
4. Spread the pastry filling on the dough. Sprinkle and nuts or raisins over the filling. Roll the dough lengthwise into a log with the filling trapped inside. Pinch the seam with your fingers to keep the filling from falling out.
5. Cut slices horizontally about 1 1/4-inches thick. Place the slices on the baking sheet. With your hand, press the dough down so that it is about 3/4-inches thick. Cover the pan of rolls in a proofing bag and let rise until the rolls are doubled in size and fluffy.
6. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until done. (The center of the rolls will register 190 degrees with an insta-read thermometer.) Times will vary with different pans.
7. With a spatula, remove the rolls from the pan to a cooling rack.
8. Let the rolls cool for five minutes and then frost them.

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons dry milk
• 2 tablespoon meringue powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Add the powdered sugar, dry milk, meringue powder, and vanilla to a medium bowl.  Add enough water, a tablespoon at a time, to make a spreadable frosting.  The frosting should be thick but spreadable.
2. When you frost the rolls, the heat from the rolls will soften the frosting further and allow it to flow slightly.  The frosting will set as it cools. Frost the rolls while still warm.  Let the rolls stand for ten to fifteen minutes before serving.

#2 Strawberry Sweet Rolls Recipe Made with Pastry Filling (Homestyle Sweet Rolls)

Ingredients

• 1 Original Raised Donut Mix
• 2 cups (about one pound) cherry pastry filling
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions

1. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dough according to package directions. Place the mixing bowl with the dough in a proofing bag or cover with plastiic and set it aside to rise.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle on a floured counter with the dough about 1/4-inch thick.
4. Spread the pastry filling on the dough. Roll the dough into a log with the filling trapped inside. Pinch the seam with your fingers to keep the filling from falling out.
5. Cut slices horizontally about 1 1/4-inches thick. Place the slices in the prepared pan.Cover with a proofing bag and let rise until the rolls are doubled in size and fluffy. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the dough is rising. 
6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until done. (The center of the rolls will register 190 degrees with an insta-read thermometer.) Times will vary with different pans.
7. Immediately loosen the rolls from the edges of the pan and invert the pan onto a cutting board to remove the rolls and then invert the rolls and the cutting board onto a wire rack so that they finish cooling right-side-up.
8. Let the rolls cool for five minutes and then frost them.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened.
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon‚ strawberry flavoring
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together with the whip attachment of your stand-type mixer.
2. Add the flavors and milk. Beat the mixture, adding powdered sugar until the consistency reaches a soft frosting just right for spreading.

#3 Lemon Sweet Rolls Recipe Made with Pastry Filling (and no frosting) (Bakery-Style Sweet Rolls) 

Make the roils exactly as the strawberry rolls above except use lemon pastry filling.  These are sweet enough without frosting if you prefer.