Growing up, my mother always took her Earl Grey milky and weak, leaving half-finished cups around the counter as they cooled. The scent of bergamot has always felt like home to me — maybe that’s why it keeps finding its way into my baking, especially paired with berries. These rolls are a soft, pillowy tangzhong dough swirled with a slow-cooked blueberry filling, finished with a milk tea glaze while still warm.
Baker’s Notes
The dough starts with a tangzhong, a small paste of flour and milk cooked together before mixing, which gives the rolls their plush, tender crumb. Fresh or frozen blueberries both work here — I love the wild ones from Northwest Wild Foods. For the glaze, I’ve been using Art of Tea’s Earl Grey Crème, bergamot with a touch of French vanilla.
Print
Blueberry & Black Tea Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Sweet Roll Dough
Tangzhong
3 tablespoons (25 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (120 g) whole milk
Dough
2¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour (I love Hayden Flour Mills Sonora)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2¼ teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast
½ cup (120 g) whole milk, lukewarm
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, very soft
Blueberry–Vanilla Bean Filling
2½ cups (350 g) blueberries (fresh or frozen)
⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
Pinch of salt
½–1 teaspoon lemon juice
Black Tea Cream Glaze
½ cup (120 g) heavy cream
2 Earl Grey tea bags
1¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Sweet Roll Dough
- In a small saucepan, whisk the flour and milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a soft paste, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool until just warm.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
- Add the lukewarm milk, egg, egg yolk, and the cooled tangzhong. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, then continue mixing for 1–2 minutes to bring it together.
- With the mixer on medium-low, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each piece fully incorporate before adding the next. This should take about 4 minutes total.
- Continue mixing for 6–8 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. It should pull away from the bowl but feel very soft.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight (8–24 hours).
For same-day baking, let rise at room temperature for 1–1½ hours, until puffy and nearly doubled.
Blueberry–Vanilla Bean Filling
- Combine the blueberries, sugar, vanilla seeds, salt, and lemon juice in a saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until the berries burst and release their juices, 5–7 minutes.
- Stir the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, then add it to the pan.
- Cook another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened into a soft, spoonable jam — glossy and deeply blueberry.
- Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until fully cooled.
Black Tea Cream Glaze
- Warm the cream until just steaming. Remove from the heat.
- Add the tea bags, cover, and steep for 8–10 minutes, until fragrant but not overpowering.
- Remove the tea bags and let the cream cool until just warm.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar and salt until smooth and pourable. The glaze should ribbon slowly from a spoon.
Assemble & Bake
- Turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 12 × 16 inches.
- Spread the chilled blueberry filling evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the long edge.
- Roll up gently but snugly into a log. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes to firm slightly.
- Slice into even rolls and arrange in a parchment-lined baking dish.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. For same-day baking, let the rolls rise at room temperature instead.
- When ready to bake, let the rolls rise at room temperature until puffy and airy, about 45–75 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake for 28–32 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges and fully set through the center.
- Spoon the black tea cream glaze generously over the warm rolls, letting it pool and settle into the spirals.
Leave a Reply