Over the years, we’ve been on a quest for the ultimate breakfast recipe that screams “Easter morning!” or at least “Spring has sprung!” We tried dozens of dishes, endured a few culinary disasters that made us question our kitchen skills, and encountered some close competitors that we were tempted to bribe to go away. But after much deliberation—and some very heated debates (who knew pancakes could evoke such passion?)—we finally landed on a recipe that ticks all the blooming boxes. It’s so good, it might just hop off the table and dance a jig!
If you’re looking for a bright and zesty treat to brighten up your morning or at least sweeten your afternoon, look no further than these delicious lemon sweet rolls! Imagine sinking your teeth into a soft, fluffy roll that’s bursting with the vibrant flavor of fresh lemons, paired with a sweet glaze that adds just the right amount of indulgence. Perfect for brunch gatherings, family breakfasts, or just a delightful snack, these rolls combine the comforting appeal of homemade pastry with a refreshing citrus twist. Join me as we dive into this tempting recipe that promises to elevate your baking game and infuse your kitchen with the sunny scent of lemony goodness. Let’s get rolling!
The best part about these rolls is the magic of prep! You can whip them up the night before, pop them in the fridge, and then let your oven do the work in the morning. How easy is that? Now, I know this recipe might look like it requires a culinary degree and a degree in origami, but fear not! You can tackle different parts in advance, transforming this endeavor from a kitchen marathon into a cozy stroll. Let’s kick things off with the star of the show: the lemon curd! It’s the perfect way to add a zesty twist to your rolls, and making it ahead of time is a piece of cake—well, more like a delightful roll!
Lemon Curd: A Zesty Sunshine in a Jar!:
For this portion of the recipe, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Whisk these ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. If it doesn’t thicken within about 5 minutes, you can increase the heat slightly, but be careful not to cook it too quickly; we don’t want scrambled lemon eggs. (And if you do notice a few little egg white lumps, no worries! They can easily be strained out.)
Once your mixture has thickened nicely, take the pan off the heat and add in the butter. Just keep stirring until it’s all smooth and creamy. You’ve got this!
If you’d like a smoother lemon curd or want to tackle those pesky egg white lumps, feel free to give it a whirl through a strainer! It’s totally optional, though—we decided to keep the zest in for that extra zing.
If you’re making this delicious treat ahead of time, let it chill at room temperature, pop it into an airtight container, and toss it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh and fabulous for up to a week—perfect for those spontaneous lemon curd cravings!
Lemon Jelly: A Zesty Delight!
If you’re in the mood to get a bit crafty in the kitchen, why not whip up some lemon jelly? It’s totally optional, of course—there are plenty of great store-bought options if you’re pressed for time. But if you’re feeling a little adventurous (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to show off their culinary skills?), keep reading!
To kick things off, grab a large pot and combine some fresh lemon juice, sugar, and a sprinkle of lemon zest. The magic of lemon jelly is that you can skip the pectin since lemons pack a punch when it comes to it already! So, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get jellying!
Stir the ingredients together and bring the mixture to a lively boil, giving it plenty of attention by stirring constantly to keep that jelly from getting too hot under the collar! (A little tip: rock a pot holder mitt while you stir—it’s your best buddy against splashes and burns!)
Once your mixture is bubbling, keep the good times…I mean the jelly rolling at a steady boil for about 10 minutes. Seriously, don’t stop stirring! After those 10 hot minutes, it’s time to check if your jelly has reached that perfect set. Here’s a fun trick: freeze a spoon or grab a frozen stainless steel ice cube, and drop a little jelly on either. If it doesn’t just slide off and instead shows off a nice gel-like consistency, you’ve hit the jackpot!
Now, take that pot off the heat and get to work spooning your delicious jelly into jars or airtight containers right away. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to can your jelly for some future sweetness, just a heads up: you’ll need to sterilize those jars first before diving in. I won’t delve into the canning process here, but if you’re curious to learn more, just let me know! Happy jelly-making!
P.S. This recipe yields way more jelly than you need! But hey, that just means you have a delightful stash for all sorts of yummy adventures ahead. Including a deliciously zesty meatball sauce. Enjoy the jelly joy! And let us know if you’d like to make some of your own meatball magic.
Zesty Bliss: Lemon Cream Cheese Icing Delight!
Making ahead has never been so easy! You only need three simple ingredients: cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and a splash of lemon juice. Grab your hand mixer or food processor and let’s whip up some magic! Start by blending that softened cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar until it’s delightfully smooth and creamy. Then, add in the lemon juice for a zesty kick, and blend again until everything is brilliantly mixed.
Once you’re done, pop it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh and fabulous for up to two weeks! Perfect for spreading on bagels, dolloping on desserts, or just sneaking a spoonful when no one’s looking. Enjoy your delicious creation!
Dough: A Delightful Adventure!
Get ready to bake some scrumptious lemony treats! The secret starts the night before, so grab your apron and let’s have some fun!
First things first, let’s make the dough. Set aside at least an hour for prep — I promise, it probably won’t take that long, but it’s always good to have a little wiggle room. After all, you wouldn’t want to rush such deliciousness!
In a cozy little bowl (or a measuring cup if you’re feeling fancy), dissolve some yeast in warm water. While that magic is happening, whip up some instant mashed potatoes according to the package directions — just swap in some extra water for milk and forget the butter. We’re keeping it light!
In a mixing bowl, combine those creamy mashed potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, and a sprinkle of salt. Grab that beater attachment and let’s get mixing! Beat it on medium speed until it’s nice and smooth. Then, in goes the yeast mixture and a cup of flour for some extra goodness. Beat it again until everything is smooth!
Now it’s time for a flour party! Stir in just enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Swap your beater attachment for a dough hook and knead that lovely mixture on low speed until it’s smooth and elastic. This will take about 3 minutes with an electric mixer or 6-8 minutes of good old-fashioned elbow grease if you’re going in by hand.
Once you’ve got it just right, take that dough out and nestle it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a cozy tea towel, and let it rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size — a relaxed 2 hours. Now you can kick back and dream about your delicious lemony creations!
Assembly Time! Woohoo!
Oh boy! Here we go! Now’s the fun part! Well, let’s be real—the fun part is definitely the eating part! But let’s kick off the exciting assembly phase first!
Prepare the Pans:
Let’s get those pans ready to party! Grease them good and then spread a lovely thin layer of lemon curd on the bottoms. Aim for a little thinner layer in the center than at the edges.
Once your dough has happily doubled in size, grab some flour and dust a surface (a pastry mat with measurements works wonders!). Get your hands nice and greasy (in a professional chef way, not a messy way…okay fine a messy way) and let that dough tumble out onto the mat. Now, roll it out into a rectangle that measures about 18 inches by 12 inches.
Next up, spread a thin layer of lemon curd over the dough. This little addition helps get that lemon jelly to spread like a dream! Speaking of jelly, slather on a thin layer of lemon jelly on top of the curd. (Confession time: I got a bit jelly-happy once and ended up with a juicy mess spilling out when I rolled it up! But you know what? It still tasted amazing! So if you go a little overboard, don’t sweat it—just roll it up as best you can and get it in that pan!)
Carefully roll the dough from the long side, turning it into a delightful log of lemony goodness. Now, grab some dental floss (yes, you read that right!) and cut the roll into 1-1/2 inch thick slices. Place those beauties in the cake pans on top of the lemon curd. Aim for 8 slices in the big pan and about 4 in the smaller one. Perfect!
If Cooking the Next Morning:
Cover your rolls with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and tuck them in the fridge overnight for some beauty sleep.
If Cooking Right Away:
Cover those rolls with a tea towel and let them rise for 2 hours. Once they’re all puffed up and ready, pop them in the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re gloriously golden brown!
If Cooking the Next Morning:
Take the rolls out of the fridge and let them bask in a warm spot for an hour (I love using a heated blanket—cozy vibes!). Then, bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until they’ve turned a beautiful golden hue. To make sure they’re cooked through, cover with aluminum foil and bake for an extra 5 minutes (better safe than sorry!).
Once they’re out of the oven, let those rolls cool for 10 minutes before spreading on that dreamy cream cheese frosting. For a final flourish, add a sprinkle of lemon zest on top for that extra zing and flair!
And then—drumroll, please—you can dig in! Enjoy every delicious bite of your lemony masterpiece!
What Do You Think?
We’d love to hear from you! What do you think of this lemon sweet rolls recipe? Have you tried it or put your own twist on it? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, ideas, or any variations you’ve made—let’s share our culinary adventures together! And if you’re hungry for more delightful recipes and baking inspiration, be sure to subscribe to our blog below. Join our community of passionate bakers and never miss out on the fun!
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Lemon Roll
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium saucepan, add eggs, sugar, salt, juice and zest and whisk the ingredients together.
- Turn the heat to low, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (about 4 to 5 minutes). If mixture does not thicken by this time, slowly increase the heat, continuing to stir. It is important to not cook too quickly, as the eggs could begin to cook and form lumps.
- Once thickened, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the butter until fully incorporated.
- Pour into an air tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you prefer to remove the lemon zest, or find that you've gotten some egg lumps in your mixture, simply strain into a bowl before storing.
- In a large pot, combine lemon juice, sugar and lemon zest. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent the jelly from scalding. ( We recommend wearing a pot holder to protect against burning from splattering jelly.)
- Allow the mixture to boil for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, begin checking the jelly to see if it's set (see blog above for some tips on this step).
- Cooking time can vary between ovens and pots.
- Once set, immediately spoon into air tight containers and allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator for no more than 6 months. Jelly can be stored outside of the refrigerator if properly canned.
- Using hand mixer or food processor, beat/blend the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners sugar and lemon juice and beat/blend until smooth
- In a bowl or measuring cup, dissolve yeast in warm water.
- Prepare instant mashed potatoes to the proportions directed on the package, substituting water for milk and leaving out the butter.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the prepped mashed potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs and salt and beat until smooth.
- Add the yeast mixture and 1 cup of the flour and continue mixing until smooth.
- Mix in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Replace the beating attachment for a dough hook and knead with the mixer for about 3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- If kneading by hand, knead for about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove dough from the pan and place in a greased bowl to rise. Cover and place in a warm place for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- For this portion, we used a 9 inch diameter cake pan and a 4 inch diameter cake pan.
- Grease each pan with cooking spray or butter.
- Spread a thin layer of lemon curd on the bottom of each cake pan (spread it thinnest at the center of the pan to prevent the center roll from under-cooking.)
- Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface (preferably a pastry mat with measurements).
- Roll the dough to an approximately 18×12-in rectangle.
- Spread a thin layer of lemon curd on the dough to within 1/2 of edges.
- Spread a layer of lemon jelly over top of the lemon curd layer. Careful not to use so much that it leaks out when you roll it. (Although if it does, it's still delicious.)
- Roll up like a cinnamon roll, starting with the long side. Pinch seam to seal.
- Using dental floss, cut into 12 slices (1-1/2 inch thick slices).
- Place 8 slices, cut side down, in the large pan and the remaining 4 rolls in the smaller pan.
- Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm spot for another 2 hours.
- Bake both at the same time at 350 ℉ for about 20 – 25 minutes. Or until golden brown. (We usually cook until golden brown, then place aluminum foil on top and cook for another 5 minutes). Cooking time will vary with ovens.
- *If preparing in advance, place plastic wrap and aluminum foil over the pans and allow to rest in the refrigerator overnight. Take the rolls out of the refrigerator an hour before baking and place in a warm place to finish rising. Then cook as instructed above.
- Allow rolls to cool for about 10 minutes before slathering with icing.
- Sprinkle with some lemon zest if desired and enjoy!!!
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