Lemon Rolls
These lemon rolls are soft and fluffy. Inside, they have a sweet mix of lemon and vanilla sugar, and on top, there’s a homemade lemon cream cheese icing. They’re a tasty combination of sweetness, citrus flavor, and a bit of tartness.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Rise Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Yield: 12 lemon rolls
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
- 180g milk (¾ cup), at room temperature
- 30g butter, melted
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 375g all-purpose flour (3 cups)
- 5g instant yeast (1 + ½ tsp)
- 40g granulated sugar (2 tbsp)
- 3g salt (½ tsp)
- vegetable oil
For the lemon sugar filling:
- 60g butter (¼ cup), softened to room temperature
- 100g granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 3 tbsp lemon zest (from approximately 3 lemons), divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For cream cheese icing:
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (optional, to sprinkle on top)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the Dough:
- In a medium bowl, mix together milk, melted butter, and an egg until it’s all smooth.
- In a larger bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix everything together evenly.
- Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Stir well with a spatula until there’s no dry flour left. Make sure to scrape off any flour on the sides of the bowl.
- Put the dough onto a clean and dry surface. Knead it for about 5 minutes until it becomes a soft and smooth dough ball. Because there’s a lot of fat (butter and milk) in this recipe, it’s easy to knead the dough by hand, and you don’t need a stand mixer.
Proof the dough (first rise):
- Put the dough back into the mixing bowl. Lightly grease the dough ball with a bit of vegetable oil, and cover it with a lid. This helps the dough stay moist and prevents it from drying out. Let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or you can also put it in the refrigerator overnight. Wait until it doubles in size.
Shape Lemon Rolls (second rise):
- Pour the dough onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to make a rectangle about 20×14 inches in size.
- Spread softened butter evenly over the rolled dough.
- Mix sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, and vanilla extract until it’s all combined. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the butter.
- Roll up the dough tightly into a log and pinch the ends to seal it.
- Cut the log into 12 even pieces using a knife or bench scraper, each about 1.5 inches wide.
- Arrange the rolls in a greased 9×13-inch casserole pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap or put it in a large Ziploc bag. Let it rise for a second time in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the rolls double in size.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest evenly over the rolls.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls turn golden brown. If they’re browning too much, cover the pan halfway with aluminum foil.
- Allow the rolls to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
Cream Cheese Icing:
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until it becomes smooth.
- Add confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice, and continue beating until the mixture is creamy and smooth. If you don’t have a mixer, you can also mix everything together using a whisk and spatula.
- Spread the cream cheese icing over the rolls.
- Serve the rolls while they’re still hot. If you like, sprinkle extra lemon zest on top for added flavor.
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