Sweet Strawberry Rolls

For the strawberry puree:
Add strawberries to a blender, and blend until smooth. Add to a medium pot along with sugar and lemon zest, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced by about half. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

For the rolls:
In a small bowl, add ground flax meal and water. Mix well. In a medium bowl, add almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and mix well. Allow both to sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, add sugar, salt, and softened vegan butter. Cream for 3–5 minutes until mixture gets light and fluffy. Add egg and lemon zest, mixing well, scraping down the sides of the bowl with the spatula, and mixing again until ingredients are evenly distributed.

Add flour and yeast, mixing with the paddle just until mixture forms a scraggy ball. Switch to the hook attachment, and knead for 10 minutes. If mixture is too wet and sticks to the side of the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. You want the dough to slightly stick to the bottom of the stand mixture, and not stick to the sides at all. Lightly oil a large bowl, add dough, turning over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured, clean surface, and roll into a rectangle 1/2 inch high with the long side toward you. The long side should measure about 18 inches, and be 9 inches deep.

Spread cooled strawberry purée all over the rectangle lightly, then use a pastry scraper to help you roll up. Take the edge closest to you, begin to roll the dough on top of itself to form a log. You may have some strawberry purée spill out, that’s ok. Leave it there for now.

Cut log into 16 equal pieces, and place on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Scoop up the spilled strawberry purée with the pastry scraper, and top the rolls with it. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 75–90 minutes, until pieces have grown into one another and doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350ºF 15 minutes before the proofing step is complete above. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the glaze:
As the sweet strawberry rolls cool, make the glaze by adding sifted powdered sugar to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add lemon zest, and with the mixer on medium, gradually add in the almond milk until you have a thick glaze.

After strawberry rolls have cooled for at least 10 minutes, pour the glaze over the buns. Top with fresh diced strawberries and lemon zest. Serve to your favorite people!

Note: Instead of making your own strawberry purée, you can use 1 to 1 1/2 cups of prepared strawberry jam.