Add the quartered strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, at medium-high heat.

When the strawberries come to a boil, turn the heat down and continue to cook at medium-low heat.

Cook until a thermometer reads between 200 and 220ºF. The sauce will be dark, and thick. If it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down even lower. If you don’t have a thermometer, simply stop cooking them jam once it is dark, thick, and reduced.

Remove the sauce from the heat and pour into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce, and let it cool down. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before using.

Start by warming the milk to 110ºF. Pour it into a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and yeast to the milk. Mix to combine. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.

Add the butter, whisked eggs, and the strawberry sauce. Mix for about 30 seconds with the paddle attachment of the mixer, or use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the ingredients.

The mixture won’t look incorporated, but that's normal.

Add 5 cups of flour, the powdered freeze dried strawberries, and the salt. Continue to mix with the paddle attachment, until the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are combined into a shaggy dough.

Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, turn the dough into a floured surface, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes.

Add more flour to the dough only if necessary—if the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, or too sticky to knead by hand. You should knead the dough until it is barely sticking to the sides of the bowl. It can be sticking on the bottom of the bowl, but should come off the sides. The dough should be soft and smooth, tacky but not sticky.

Shape it into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large bowl greased with oil. Turn the dough over in the bowl to grease all around. Cover with plastic wrap, or aluminum foil, or a clean kitchen towel.

First rise: Let the dough rise at room temperature (around 72ºF) for about 2 hours.

Alternatively, skip the rise and place the dough straight in the fridge. The next day, you can simply pull it out of the fridge about twenty minutes prior to assembling the rolls. I love working with the cold dough. Just make sure to cover the bowl well with plastic wrap.

Grease a 9x9” or a 9×13” pan with oil spray, or by brushing oil on the bottom and sides of the pan. Set it aside. (Read notes concerning pan size.)

If the dough keeps shrinking, let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes to relax the gluten.

Spread the unsalted butter all over the surface of the dough on an even layer. I like to use an offset spatula to do this.

Spread ¾ cup of strawberry sauce on top of the butter.

Sprinkle the chopped strawberries on top. It’s okay if it’s not fully covering the dough, you don’t want the rolls to have too much filling, or the bread can turn out raw or soggy.

Roll the dough on the long end tightly, making an 20” dough log. Cut the ends off the dough to create smooth edges.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts if using a 9x13” pan. Or, if using a 9x9” pan, cut into 9 rolls. The rolls will be taller and more doughy by cutting into 9 instead of 12.

I like to cut the rolls by placing a piece of floss underneath the dough and crossing it at the top, which makes a neat cut. If you use a knife to slice the rolls, it can squish them, and makes them pointy at the edges.

Place each roll in the greased baking pan. Cover the tray with plastic wrap.

Second rise: Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until puffed up. While the dough rises, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.

Transfer the rolls to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. It can take even up to 30 minutes, depending on the oven.

When done, the rolls should be browned around the edges and slightly browned in the center. Make sure the dough in the center is fully baked. If not, cover the rolls with foil and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes. Then check again, and repeat until they are baked through. If using a thermometer, the center should be about 190ºF.

Once baked, let the rolls cool for 20 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese and butter together for one minute.

Add the powdered sugar, mix on low until incorporated. Add the strawberry sauce and the vanilla. Adjust consistency by adding more sauce, water, or milk to make the frosting thinner, or add more powdered sugar to make it thicker.

When the rolls are cool, spread the frosting on top of the rolls.

The rolls are best served fresh, but you can keep them in the fridge once frosted. Let them sit at room temperature before serving. You can also keep them in the fridge without the frosting, and re-heat in the toaster or in the 350ºF oven for 5-10 minutes.