Lemon Sweet Rolls are soft, sweet bread, rolled into pinwheels with a buttery, lemon sugar filling. Then they are lovingly smothered in a zesty lemon cream cheese icing. Thank you Milk Means More – United Dairy Industry of Michigan for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Regardless of the temperature outdoors, I’m a year ’round baking kind of girl. Yes, I know that turning on the oven heats up the house. I realize that even though we are blessed with air conditioning, the unit has to work that much harder when I’m using the oven for hours at a time. I know all of the logical reasons of why I shouldn’t bake in warmer weather, but I have a very compelling reason to ignore all logic and get that butter softening on the counter so that I can get to work.
An ooey, gooey, soft and lemony-sweet reason.
Lemon Sweet Rolls are worth getting up early to bake before the heat of the day has permeated the house!
Now, y’all know that I don’t proclaim that sort of foolishness lightly. I don’t get up any earlier than I have to, because morning happens a little too early for my liking. I only get up extra early when I must attend to Very Important Matters. But these Lemon Sweet Rolls? These Lemon Sweet Rolls are a have to reason to wake up early, if ever there was one.
I mean, COME ON! Just look at that lemon cream cheese icing oozing down the side! If that drop of icing isn’t tempting you, then I’m not sure that we know each other at all.
I’ve always viewed baking as an extension of myself. Creating with dough is how I express my feelings for the people closest to me. I blend a lot of love in with the floury, buttery, sugary treats that come out of my kitchen. What better way to show my family how much they mean to me than to get up at dawn and bake them a little something sweet to start the day?
Believe me when I tell you that nobody understands what a sacrifice it is for me to set the alarm gawd-awful-early for any reason more than my family does. They’re the ones that have to live with my-non-coffee-drinking-self while I clear the cobwebs of sleep from my head, making myself fit for polite society.
I need an hour of quiet to unscramble my brain from dreams about zebras swimming in our pool, or the one where Jim Halpert knocks on the door and begs my boys to teach him how to play soccer. Yes, so that he can beat Dwight Schrute for the last spot on the US Men’s National Team. If my morning quiet hour is interrupted, I’m liable to send a couple of sons out to pick up after the zebras in the yard. Then I’m liable to send the other two boys out to make sure that soccer cones were put away after the non-existent midnight training session with a fictional character from The Office.
Welcome to the potpourri that is my sleeping mind. Or one of the reasons that Bacon Slayer continues to try to convince me to become a coffee drinker. He insists that a jolt of caffeine clears the fog more quickly than when I’m left to my own devices. I’d be all over the morning java thing if only it didn’t taste so much like…coffee.
So really, I’m doing everyone a favor by getting up early to make Lemon Sweet Rolls for the family. Lemon Sweet Rolls are soft sweet bread rolled into pinwheels with a buttery, lemon sugar filling and topped with a zesty lemon cream cheese icing. Think of them as a lighter, brighter version of homemade cinnamon rolls.
Lemon Sweet Rolls are a delightfully sweet and tangy start to the day.
I’m told that they are extra excellent when served along with a cup of coffee.
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 24
Lemon Sweet Rolls are sliced, soft sweet bread rolled into pinwheels with a buttery, lemon sugar filling and topped with a zesty lemon cream cheese icing.
3 hr, 30 Prep Time
20 minCook Time
3 hr, 50 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Dough:
- 2 C. 2% milk
- 1/2 C. granulated sugar
- 1/2 C. canola oil
- 4 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- For the Filling:
- 1 C. unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 C. granulated sugar
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- For the Icing:
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 1/2 C. (1 pound, weight) powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice, to desired consistency
- Additional lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
- For the Dough—
- Before applying heat—pour the milk, canola oil, and sugar into a large Dutch oven, whisking to combine. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubble around the edges, whisking occasionally. (Do not allow the mixture to come to a rapid boil.)
- Turn off the heat and allow the milk mixture to cool to lukewarm (warm, but not hot to the touch.)
- Once mixture has cooled to lukewarm, sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda over top.
- Sprinkle the yeast over all and stir well with a wooden spoon until blended. The dough will be very sticky. Cover the Dutch oven with a clean towel, and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in bulk--about 2 hours.
- For the Filling—
- Prepare the filling by rubbing the fresh lemon zest into the sugar with clean fingers to release the oils from the zest. The lemon sugar should be an even pale yellow color when complete. Cream the lemon sugar with a cup of softened butter until fluffy. Cover the filling with plastic wrap and set it aside.
- For the Icing—
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until blended. Mix in half of the powdered sugar, along with half of the fresh lemon juice, mixing until smooth. Blend in the remaining powdered sugar and enough of the lemon juice to achieve a smooth icing with a thick yet pourable consistency. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside while assembling the sweet rolls.
- To Assemble the Sweet Rolls—
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Generously grease four 9-inch (glass or aluminum) pie plates with butter; set aside. (Smearing about a half of a tablespoon in total of cold butter onto the pie plates should be enough to sufficiently coat the interiors.)
- Turn the risen sweet dough out onto a clean, well floured work surface. Form the dough into a large ball. Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper or sharp knife. Return half of the dough to the pot while working with the other half.
- Gently knead the working dough by folding it into thirds toward the center, pressing, turning, and repeating the process 2 or 3 more times. Lightly flour the top of the dough, and roll it evenly into a 12” x 8” rectangle. Dough will be about 1/4 inch thick. If at any time the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle the dough with a little more flour.
- Use an offset spreading knife to smear half of the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2- inch margin clear around the edges.
- Beginning with the long side of the rectangle farthest away from you, tightly roll the dough over the filling towards yourself. Take the time to roll it tight to ensure that the rolls won’t loosen and allow the filling to seep out while in the oven. If at any point the dough is sticking to the work surface, gently run a thin bench scraper underneath it to loosen without tearing the dough.
- Once the dough has been rolled tight, pinch the edges and seams together to seal the buttery goodness of the filling inside.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into twelve 1-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices (cut side up) about an inch or so apart in the prepared pie plates. I find that 6 rolls fit nicely in each pie plate—one in the middle, and five around the perimeter.
- Repeat with the process with the remaining sweet dough and lemon filling to make a total of 24 sweet rolls.
- Once all the rolls are cut and nestled into their respective pie plates, allow them to rest for about 10 minutes to rise.
- Bake the lemon sweet rolls for 16-18 minutes or until they are a light golden brown around the edges, and the centers are set, but not browned.
- Remove sweet rolls from the oven to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before icing.
- After the brief cooling period, pour the icing over warm sweet rolls, spreading to coat all exposed surfaces with the rolls with an offset spreading knife. Pouring the icing while the rolls are still warm will enable it to seep into the creases of the rolls, which is a very good thing. Garnish with additional lemon zest, if desired.
- To serve warm Lemon Sweet Rolls, let the iced rolls rest for another 10 minutes prior to serving. Alternately, the sweet rolls may be cooled to room temperature before serving.
- Store leftover Lemon Sweet Rolls tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
After the initial rise, place a lid on the pot, and refrigerate overnight. The dough is quite sticky, and will be easier to work with after being refrigerated. Refrigeration also slows the yeast, still allowing the dough to rise. The next morning, take the dough out of the refrigerator, and allow it to stand at room temperature while preparing the filling and icing. Afterward, proceed as directed in the recipe. The use of dark and/or nonstick pans is not recommended, as they cook the outside of the rolls too quickly, thus darkening/crisping the outsides before the centers are done. In lieu of the pie plates, the sweet rolls may also be arranged into two 9”x13”x2” baking pans. Baking time may need to be extended by 3 to 4 minutes when baking in larger pans. If the weather is hot and humid, leftover sweet rolls should be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator rather than on the counter.
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