Description
These bright and fluffy Lemon Rolls are a delightful twist on classic sweet rolls, infused with fresh lemon zest and juice for a refreshing citrus flavor. The dough is enriched with butter and poppy seeds, filled with a tangy lemon filling, baked to golden perfection, and topped with a luscious lemon cream cheese icing. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Lemon Dough
- 1 cup Milk, warmed to 110℉
- 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 2 Large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 3 Large lemons, zested
- 1 TBSP Lemon juice
- 5 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 TBSP Poppy Seeds
- 10 TBSP Unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
Lemon Filling
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
- 2 Lemons, zested
- 1 TBSP Lemon juice
- 1/2 TBSP Poppy seeds
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 TBSP Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 Lemon zest
- 2 TBSP Milk
- 1 TBSP Lemon juice
- Lemon zest and poppy seeds, for decoration
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: Heat the milk in the microwave until it reaches 110℉. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes to activate and become foamy.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds. Add the cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry kneader or your hands to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
- Make the Dough: Add the activated milk and yeast mixture, lightly beaten eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the flour and butter mixture. Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together, then increase to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- First Rise: Preheat the oven to 200℉. Lightly spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and put it inside the oven. Turn the oven off and crack the door open slightly. Let the dough rise in the warm oven for 1 hour until doubled in size.
- Prepare Lemon Filling: In a small bowl, beat the unsalted butter until smooth. Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. Beat again until all ingredients are well incorporated and creamy.
- Shape Rolls: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Evenly spread the lemon filling over the dough using an offset spatula. Starting from the short side, roll the dough tightly into a log. Trim off uneven ends with a serrated knife and cut the log into 12 even rolls using gentle sawing motions.
- Second Rise: Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Place the 12 rolls evenly spaced in the pan. Cover with a towel and let them rise for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Bake Rolls: Preheat the oven to 375℉. Bake the rolls for 23-28 minutes or until they are lightly golden on top and cooked through.
- Prepare Icing: While the rolls bake, in a small bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in lemon zest, milk, and lemon juice until well combined.
- Finish: Immediately after the rolls come out of the oven, spread the lemon cream cheese icing over the hot rolls so it slightly melts into them. Garnish with extra lemon zest and poppy seeds for decoration. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For a hands-on mixing method without a stand mixer, combine ingredients and knead by hand for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- If you prefer to do the first rise overnight, after mixing the dough, cover it tightly and refrigerate overnight, then bring it to room temperature before shaping.
- Ensure milk is not too hot when activating yeast to avoid killing the yeast.
- Keep butter and cream cheese at room temperature to ensure smooth icing.
- Use fresh lemons for the best flavor, zesting just the yellow part to avoid bitterness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: lemon rolls, lemon bread, sweet rolls, lemon poppy seed rolls, breakfast rolls, cream cheese icing, citrus rolls
