These rolls are a wonderful combination of sweet and tart, fluffy and chewy. The sourdough starter gives them a slightly tangy flavor, while the cherries and chocolate chips add a touch of tart and sweet.

This recipe is loosely based on one I found in the Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes. While the original rolls were suitable for breakfast, the changes I’ve made make them more appropriate for dessert.

The reason I call this a fan favorite is because the rolls are our daughter’s favorite, and we have friends who have admitted to not being able to stop at just one. For example, here’s a text conversation between father and son the morning after we delivered four rolls to the son, half of which were supposed to go to the father:

Son: “Please let them know the rolls didn’t survive the night lol. I see why you didn’t leave any last time. 😂”
Dad: “Did you eat [all] 4 of them? 😊”
Son: “…yes”

As you can tell, a similar thing had previously happened in reverse, with Dad eating two rolls and none going to the son. 😆

The “surprise” alluded to in the name refers to the white chocolate chips, an unusual ingredient for sourdough rolls. I got the idea from my Apricot Cherry Surprise Scones. In both cases warming before serving transforms the white chocolate chips into a wonderful patches of gooey goodness. That ingredient proved to be exceptional on its own—but what baked good isn’t improved with dark chocolate? That thinking led to more chips and the primary version of this recipe. For the triple chocolate variation, add cocoa as noted below. Whatever combination you try, enjoy!

Print Recipe

Cherry Chocolate Chip Surprise Sourdough Rolls Fan Favorite

Recipe for bread machine dough and hand-formed rolls

Prep Time22

Cook Time18

Dough Cycle + Rise Time2 20

Total Time3

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: Liesl Bohan

Equipment

Bread Machine
12-cup Muffin Tin
Silpat Matt Optional

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS (except one)

1 cup sourdough starter or discard (1:1 flour to water content)
½ cup water
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey *
1 tablespoon canola or coconut oil *
¾ teaspoon salt
* I find it helpful to measure the oil first and then use the same measuring spoon for the honey so that it slides right off the spoon.

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 cups bread flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or more bread flour, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon yeast
Triple Chocolate Variation: Reduce the first measurement of bread flour to 1¾ cups and then add 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of unsweetened cocoa before proceeding with the white whole wheat flour.

Early ADD-INS (near the beginning of the dough cycle)

1 cup dried cherries OR a mix of dried cranberries dried cherries and dried apricots snipped into smaller pieces

Later ADD-INS (after the dough cycle)

1 cup total chocolate and white chocolate baking chips, ideally ⅓ cup each of dark chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate mini chips and white chocolate chips

Instructions

Add all ingredients EXCEPT the add-ins (dried fruit and chips) to the bread machine in the manufacturer’s recommended order, and run the dough cycle. (These ingredients are listed in the ideal order for the machines we’ve used.)
* CAUTION * The moisture content of sourdough starters varies greatly. Near the beginning of the dough cycle, WATCH the dough carefully. It should gather into a soft ball. If it doesn’t, add a tablespoon or two of water to soften it up OR add flour to firm it up, making slight adjustments as needed. I usually do this in conjunction with #3 below.
After 10-15 minutes, add the dried cherries or whatever mix of fruit you’re using. I use this time to check the dough and add water or flour with the fruit if needed. (The fruit helps to keep the water from splashing out of the machine during kneading.)
Near the end of the dough cycle, coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
Upon completion of the dough cycle, dump the dough onto a Silpat mat or lightly floured surface.
With lightly floured or slightly wet hands, stretch and press the dough into a rectangle of about 10 x 16 inches. (See photos below for steps 6-10 + 14.)
Evenly spread the baking chips over the flattened dough, making sure that each type of chip covers the full 16-inch width. (It’s okay if the chip types don’t overlap each other as long as they span the full width of the dough. I usually have about a 3 x 16-inch band of each type of chip.)
Starting along one of the long edges, carefully roll the dough into a 16-inch long tube and seal the seam and sides by pinching the dough together.
With kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the tube into 12 equal pieces and place each into a cup of the muffin tin.
Optional: Working one at a time, remove, reshape and replace each of the 12 pieces, forming balls and making sure most of the chips are on the inside.
Cover the muffin tin with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes.
After about 35 minutes, preheat the oven to 350° F.
When the oven is ready, remove the tea towel and bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes, until golden.
Remove pan to wire rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.

After cooling, store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to three days or freeze to extend storage time.

Notes

If you like raisins and chocolate together, you could use raisins instead of dried cherries, but as a Michigan cherry fan, I think the end result would not be as special or tasty as the “real deal.”
Though good at room temperature, I think these rolls are best when eaten warm. Just 12 seconds in the microwave is usually enough to transform a roll from good to excellent.

Do not copy or republish this recipe without written permission from Liesl.