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lemon sweet rolls on small plates

The Best Fluffy Lemon Sweet Rolls

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 77 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12
  • Category: Desserts & Sweets
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These popular Lemon Sweet Rolls are incredibly soft and full of bright, lemony flavor throughout. Think classic cinnamon roll but make it all about the magic of citrus! You’ll love these decadent, lemon-infused rolls that are extra tender, fluffy and smothered with gooey lemon cream cheese icing. Serve these festive rolls for breakfast/brunch or devour them after dinner for a delightful sweet treat!

Ingredients

For the yeast dough:

  • 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 115-120°F
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (vanilla bean paste or extract)
  • Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tablespoon
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tablespoon
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

For the lemon cream cheese icing:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese (brick-style), softened
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tablespoon

Instructions

  1. Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl (if you plan to mix/knead by hand), combine the warm milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and mix well. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes or until foamy.
  2. Once the mixture is foamy, add in the remaining sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla essence, lemon zest, 4 ½ cups flour, and salt.
  3. Secure the dough hook attachment to the mixer and mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together, about 1-2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading the dough until smooth, elastic, and supple, about 5-6 minutes. Alternatively,  if you are not using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. If the dough feels super sticky, add in a tablespoon of flour, only if needed.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased, large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise/proof in a warm environment until it doubles in size, about 1 ½ hours or shorter/longer depending on the temperature of your environment.
  5. For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Use your fingers to rub/smear the sugar with the zest until well combined. Then set the citrus sugar aside for the lemon zest to continue infusing with the sugar.
  6. Roll, fill, & cut rolls. After the first proof, punch down the dough knocking out the air and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 20 x 10 inches. Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving a slight margin around the edges. Then sprinkle the citrus sugar over the dough, leaving a slight margin around the edges.
  7. Roll up the dough into a tight log starting from the longest side with the seam side down. Pinch the seam to seal in the edges as much as you can. I like to cut off a bit of the ends of the dough because they are not as full in size as the other sections. Use a large sharp knife or unscented dental floss to cut the log crosswise into 12 pieces.
  8. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with a piece of parchment paper (this helps just in case any of the filling leaks out). Add the cut rolls into the baking pan, leaving a bit of space between each one for expansion. Cover the pan with plastic wrap/clean kitchen towel. Then preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the assembled rolls sit out while the oven is preheating, they’ll get puffy while they rest.
  9. Baking the rolls. Remove the plastic wrap/kitchen towel. Bake the rolls until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. While the rolls bake, prepare the icing.
  10. To make the lemon cream cheese icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and continue mixing until the icing is well combined. Then stream in the milk along with the lemon zest and continue beating until the icing is silky smooth and free of any lumps. Set the icing aside until the rolls are done baking.
  11. Serve. When the rolls are done, use a spreading utensil to spread the cream cheese icing over the rolls. Garnish the rolls with an extra sprinkling of lemon zest, if desired. These lemon sweet rolls are best served right away. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Make-ahead lemon sweet rolls: Follow the recipe instructions up to step #8 (placing the filled/cut rolls in pan), minus the baking. Transfer the assembled rolls to the refrigerator to rest overnight (about 8 hours). The next morning, take the rolls out, let them sit out to reach room temperature for about 1 hour or until puffy, and then follow the remaining steps to bake as directed.
  2. Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Find it online: https://www.butterbeready.com/lemon-sweet-rolls/