lemon sugar rolls
Pucker up, sugar.
The clouds came out to play today. I don’t mind it, though I wish it’d actually rain for once. Yesterday we underwent a deluge for about 15 minutes before the sky cleared, the humidity rose, and a hot wind flicked the trees to and fro like bugs on the surface of a pond.
Of course, the meteorologists of the world had to play their dramatic crescendos with a tornado watch issued at 2am. Anything happen? Nope. Course not.
Regardless, after work I’ve had a cozy day, and now I’m sat writing the uninteresting how-tos of these very interesting Lemon Sugar Rolls. If nothing else, you can ignore this narrative and leap straight to the recipe card to figure out the what and how of these beauties. Baking on a rainy day? Yes please. Plus, heightened humidity always makes doughs rise more nicely.
Any type of yeast bread is a labor of love, in a sense, but I find the kneading, rolling, filling, and slicing quite soothing. The yield is even more of an incentive to take the extra time. Soft, fluffy dough houses a nip of lemon sugar for a sweet-sour tastebud play, and the citrusy cream cheese frosting finishes everything up.
Perfect for your weekend brunch, or to prep for quick weekday coffee breaks. They’re just perfect, damn it, no matter the time of day or day of the week.
They See Me Rollin’
They hatin’, cos they haven’t made a batch of sweet rolls.
This brioche dough is a standby for FMG. I use it for all my rolls, sweet or savory. Basically my own holy grail of yeast bread base.
Start off by proofing your yeast in warm milk and sugar – I often use maple syrup, but plain ass white sugar works better here methinks. Also, active dry yeast is king to me; instant yeast never really works well for me, for whatever reason. Let it sit until foamy.
Then, mix in some melted and cooled butter and a lightly beaten egg. Turn on your mixer (to the lowest speed) and add 3 cups of flour. This will not be enough to fully form your dough, but I like starting slow to gauge how much more flour I’ll need to complete the picture. Toss in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, as your mixer runs, until a cohesive, tacky dough forms. The ball will pull from the sides of the bowl once the texture is correct.
If you’re kneading by hand, mix the dough with a wooden spoon until you are able to handle it decently. Then, add more flour as you knead the ball on a clean, flat surface.
Whichever method you choose, knead for about 10-15 minutes. Grease a clean bowl, flip the dough ball over to coat both sides in the oil, cover, and let rise 60-90 minutes in a draft-free area.
A Dough Full of Sugar
Makes the lemon bun go down?
Ok, no.
When the dough is nice and poof, punch it down and turn onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. If you’re like me, it’ll look more like a round-edged quadrilateral, or something of the sort.
Toss some sugar with lemon zest. Spread butter all over your quasi-rectangle, then sprinkle thoroughly with your sugar mixture. Use it all up.
Now, for slicing the buns, you have a couple options. In the recipe card I write to roll up the rectangle into a log, then use a sharp knife OR unflavored dental floss to cut out 12 rolls. Works just fine. But, what I like to do is use a pizza cutter to slice 12 strips and roll them into the bun shape. I think the resulting spiral is much more satisfying, since you’re smooshing the buns less when you work from individual strips.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, arrange the rolls within, and cover with plastic wrap. You can either just let them sit 20-30 minutes at room temp to puff up, or place the pan in the fridge overnight to rise slowly. With the latter method, you can simply pull the buns out and pop them in the oven the morning you plan to serve them.
Bake the buns at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, a few minutes longer if you’re tossing them in straight from the fridge.
A Frosty Disposition
Now, to ice these babies with a thick layer of lemon cream cheese frosting. Hello, gorgeous.
Easy peasy actual lemon squeezy. Cos we’re using lemon. Whip up butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. Start on a lower speed to incorporate the powdered sugar, then once it’s mostly mixed in, crank the speed up and whip until fluffy and soft.
Spread the frosting on the warm rolls. The frosting will melt a bit into every cranny, creating an even softer, gooier, more tempting treat. Be generous – the recipe makes plenty of frosting there’s no need to waste a lick of it.
I prefer to store the finished rolls in the fridge, but eat them up within 3 days. You likely won’t have an issue with that. You can also freeze rolls for up to 3 months, for those sweet tooth emergencies, y’know. Or surprise interlopers.
You just never know when there’ll be a surprise interloper, especially if they can smell your baking from elsewhere.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Lemony treats to try:
Better Than Coffee Shop Iced Lemon Loaf
lemon sugar rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, warm
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 1/2-4 cups all purpose flour
filling
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
lemon cream cheese frosting
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, cold
- 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, maple sugar, and yeast. Let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the butter and beaten egg.
- With the mixer running on low, add 3 cups of flour. Continue adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a soft, tacky, but cohesive dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading for 10-15 minutes.
- Grease a clean bowl with oil. Flip the dough into the bowl so both sides are coated. Cover in plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Flour a clean, flat surface. Punch down the dough and dump onto the floured area. Roll into a roughly 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Spread with butter, then sprinkle with the lemon sugar. Roll from the long side into a log. Use a sharp knife to slice 12 rolls out of the dough. Arrange into the prepared baking dish. Cover and let rest 20-30 minutes longer until puffy. Or, transfer to the fridge and let rise overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover the rolls and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden on top. If you refrigerated the rolls, you may need 22-25 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until combined, then whip in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing between each addition until incorporated. Crank up the speed to high and whip until very fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Spread generously onto the warm rolls. ENJOY!
