Enjoy the sweet flavors of spring with easy-to-make Lemon Rolls! Treat everyone to soft rolls with a delicious burst of lemon in every layer!
Pillowy, soft, and loaded with sweet lemon flavor, Lemon Rolls are an amazing spring breakfast or brunch treat! Create a fluffy dough with a hint of lemon using pantry staples, along with a lemon butter filling and an incredible lemon cream cheese frosting to top it for a pastry that is perfect for all of your favorite spring occasions!
Lemon Sunshine
Lemony swirls of happiness that make everyone drool. That’s the unofficial name of these sweeter than sunshine Lemon Rolls. Making these amazing rolls always fills my house with the warm, yeasty smell of bread and the sweet, tangy scent of lemons, which is a combination that I can’t get enough of! Like all good sweet rolls, these take a little time to make but each step is so simple and the mouth-watering results are soooo worth it!
Anything lemon for breakfast makes the occasion feel special, even on a Tuesday, when you serve up Lemon Cream Cheese Danish and Baked Lemon Donuts!
Other Recipes to Serve with Lemon Rolls
- Give your brunch a little touch of class, even if you’re still in PJ’s, with a classic Lemon Drop Martini!
- Enjoy the deliciously savory side of lemon with a wonderful dinner of Creamy Lemon Chicken Breast!
Ingredients
To make the dough
Wet Ingredients: For this recipe, you will need to warm up whole milk, bring a few eggs to room temperature, and set out unsalted butter to soften.
Dry Ingredients: You will also need all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, granulated sugar, a little salt, and lemon zest.
To make the filling
Dry Ingredients: Zest another lemon and measure more granulated sugar for the filling.
Wet Ingredients: You will also need more softened unsalted butter for the filling.
To make the frosting
Wet Ingredients: For the frosting, you will need softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, and lemon juice.
Dry Ingredients: You will also need powdered sugar and lemon zest for the filling.
How to Make Lemon Rolls
STEP ONE: Combine 3/4 cup of the warmed milk, two tablespoons of granulated sugar, and the packet of yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, give the mix a quick stir, and then allow it to sit for about 15 minutes until frothy. After 15 minutes, add 2 cups of flour and the softened butter and mix on medium-low using a dough hook for a few minutes.
STEP TWO: Add the eggs, lemon zest, salt, and 1 cup of flour and mix again, adding 1/4 cup of flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
STEP THREE: Place the dough into a large, lightly greased bowl and cover it. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
STEP FOUR: After an hour, grease a 9×13 baking dish and fill it with the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Lightly flour a surface to roll the dough out on and roll it into a 20×12-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick.
STEP FIVE: Spread the softened butter over the dough rectangle and evenly sprinkle the lemon sugar mixture over the butter.
STEP SIX: Starting at the longest edge, roll the dough tightly into a log and cut 12 sections. Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish, cover, and sit for 45 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and once hot, bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes. Place the dish on a wire rack to cool.
STEP EIGHT: Cream the butter and cream cheese together to make the frosting. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cooled lemon rolls and enjoy.
Tips for Success
- When rolling out the dough, it’s okay to cut away excess dough or weird edges to create a nice rectangle of dough.
- For a more lemony experience, don’t just toss the lemon zest into the sugar when making the filling. By rubbing the zest and sugar together by hand, you can release the rich, aromatic oils that coat the sugar, giving the filling a richer lemon flavor.
- If you enjoy thicker frosting add more powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency you like.
- For a more even bake you can rotate the baking dish in the oven halfway through cooking.
How do I cut the dough to make rolls?
You’ve got your lemon dough all rolled up, so now what? There are three common ways to cut dough into rolls, the first being a serrated knife. A large bread knife is great for this because it is large enough that you can achieve the perfect sawing motion you need to cleanly cut each roll. The second option is baker’s twine. This thick string is great for easily cutting dough and makes the job so quick! The last option is very similar to Baker’s twine and is used the same way. Unflavored dental floss is a tried and true favorite for bakers everywhere. This item is easily found in any home, unlike large bread knives or Baker’s twine, which makes floss even more of a must-have item!
How do I store the Lemon Rolls?
You can store the rolls in an airtight container on the counter for up to two days, or you can store them in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat the rolls in the microwave for the best flavor. You can also choose to freeze the unbaked rolls for up to three months or freeze unfrosted baked rolls for up to two months. Also, for fresh baked rolls first thing in the morning, you can refrigerate the dough overnight after the first rise. In the morning, you can roll the dough and do a second rise for an hour to allow the dough to warm up again. Follow the recipe as written at this point, and enjoy your rolls!
More Delicious Ways to Enjoy Lemon for Breakfast or Brunch!
- Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Lemon Pound Cake French Toast Skewers
- Lemon Glazed Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk warmed to 95 degrees F
- 7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 lemon zested
- ½ teaspoon salt
Lemon Filling
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar plus more as needed
- ½ lemon zested
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
Instructions
Lemon Rolls
- To a stand mixer bowl, add the warmed whole milk, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast. Stir together and allow it to sit until a thick layer of froth is on the top, about 15 minutes.
- Once frothy, add the flour and butter to the bowl. With the dough hook attachment in place, run the mixer on medium-low speed for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the eggs, lemon zest, salt, and 1 additional cup of flour. Run the mixer again on medium-low. As needed, add ¼ cup of flour to the dough until the sides of the dough pull away from the bowl. (The dough will stick to the bottom of the bowl still.)
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large mixing bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a dish towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour until almost doubled in size.
- Once the dough is ready, generously grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon zest for the filling. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle that is 20 inches x 12 inches – going no thinner than 1/4-inch thickness. (You can trim off any excess outside of these measurements to have nice lines, if desired).
- Spread the softened butter for the filling all over the dough, and then sprinkle the lemon sugar evenly over the butter.
- Starting from the longest edge of the dough rectangle, tightly roll up the dough. Cut the dough log into twelve 1 ½ inch rolls and place them into the prepared baking dish with the cut side facing up.
- Loosely cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F when the rolls are almost done rising. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops a slightly golden brown. (see note)
- Once the rolls are done baking, transfer the dish to a wire rack to cool.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter and softened cream cheese together until combined. Then add ½ cup of powdered sugar, the lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix again until smooth (Add more powdered sugar as needed, up to 1/4 cup, until your desired thickness is reached).
- Spread the frosting all over the tops of the cooled lemon rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with extra lemon zest for garnish if desired.
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