Lemon Rolls
Yield: 12 rolls
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Proofing Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total: 3 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Lemon Rolls:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110 degrees
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated white sugar (to bloom the yeast)
4 3/4 cups (593 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened
1/2 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp (20 g) lemon zest (about 2 lemons zested)
For the Lemon Filling:
1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
2 tbsp (20 g) lemon zest (about 2 lemons zested)
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream (for pouring in between the rolls)
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, cold
3/4 cup (97 g) powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp (5 g) lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon zested)
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
For the Lemon Rolls:
To start, bloom your yeast. Mix your active dry yeast, sugar, and warm milk together and let sit for 10 minutes.
Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix flour, salt, and sugar together.
To the dry ingredients, add the whisked eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and softened butter and mix.
Add in the yeast mixture and mix until everything is blended. Switch to a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl, forms a ball, and springs back when pressed.
Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise (outside or a cold oven with the light on works well for this), for 1- 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
For the Lemon Filling:
While the dough rises, make the filling by mixing butter, brown sugar, white sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl.
Assembling and Baking the Lemon Rolls:
Grease a 9Ă—13" casserole dish and set aside.
Once the dough has had a chance to rise, remove it from the bowl, punch the dough to release the air, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into about an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.
Next, spoon the prepared filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
Roll up the dough tightly into a long log shape, starting from the end closest to you. Cut off a bit of the ends to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 1/2 inches wide using unflavored floss or a very sharp knife.
Place the rolls in a greased 9Ă—13" casserole dish and pour room temperature heavy cream in between each roll. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 15 minutes before the rolls are done proofing.
Once the rolls have proofed, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a light golden color.
For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
While they bake, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened butter to a medium bowl and mixing it on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Add in the cream cheese and mix until combined on medium speed.
Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until all is combined.
Then add in the lemon zest and lemon juice and combine on low, then high speed until the frosting is fluffy.
Let the rolls cool for 5 minutes, then cover the warm rolls with the cream cheese icing. Then serve!
Notes:
FAQs:
Why didn’t my dough rise?
Check that your yeast is not expired. Secondly, perhaps the dough just needed more time. Sometimes it can take up to 1 1/2 hours for the dough to proof all the way to “doubled in size”.
Can the dough be prepared the day before?
Yes. To prepare ahead of time, follow the recipe up until you are about to proof the buns for the second time. Cover the prepared buns and place them in the fridge. The next morning, when ready to bake, take the buns out of the fridge, pour room temperature cream in between them, and allow them to proof somewhere warm until they’ve doubled in size. Keep in mind it will take longer than an hour because the dough is cold and has to come all the way to room temperature and then proof. Once they’ve doubled in size, bake according to the recipe.
How do I store the rolls?
Keep leftover lemon rolls in an airtight container for up to three days, but I have a feeling they’ll be gone before that!
Pro Tips:
Lightly grease plastic wrap for covering the dough while it proofs. This will help it not to stick to the rolls.
Use unflavored dental floss to cut the dough into rolls. This will allow for really pretty, clean cuts that a knife really can’t give you.
Let your dough proof outside if it’s warm enough, or in a cold oven with the light on.
Recipe courtesy of In Bloom Bakery.com
