Raspberry and Cream Cheese Rolls

These rolls are time consuming no doubt about it. So bake them for those who are worth the time and effort. You will be rewarded with their appreciation and admiration ...or that's the way it plays in my head anyway. 

Don't let the amount of time needed deter you from trying the recipe.  Most of it is spent waiting for the rolls to rise. And you know what I always say, you can't rush the rise, baby. The 3or 4 hours of waiting time could be spent tackling all those projects you've pinned. Or if you're like me, looking for blog posts to pin and not doing any actual crafting. I have every intention on tackling them one day. Really? Really.

Sorry for the lack of step by step photos. An enormous amount of coffee was consumed this morning which resulted in the jitters. I was unable to steady myself sufficiently for decent shots. It happens.

Let's get baking!

Raspberry and Cream Cheese Rolls
adapted from Food and Wine

Dough

1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling

1 cup raspberry preserves
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar

Glaze

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

    In a small saucepan, warm the milk over moderately low heat until it's 95°. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, eggs, grated lemon zest and salt. Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 10 minutes longer.

    Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

    Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend up the short sides. Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10-by-24-inch rectangle.

    In a medium bowl, mix sugar and cream cheese and spread evenly over the dough. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the cream cheese. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24-inch-long log. Working quickly, cut the log into quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up.Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, about 2 hours.

    Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

    In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the butter and heavy cream until the glaze is thick and spreadable.