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Lemon Rolls

Lemon Rolls

Delicious and fluffy lemon rolls filled with a sweet lemony filling and topped with cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time 55 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 rolls
Calories 300 kcal

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • 9x13-inch Casserole Dish
  • offset spatula
  • electric mixer

Ingredients
  

For the Lemon Rolls

  • 1 ¼ cups whole milk warmed to about 110 degrees
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar (to bloom the yeast)
  • 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon granulated white sugar
  • 2 eggs whisked
  • ½ cup unsalted butter very softened
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons zested)

For the Lemon Filling

  • ½ cup unsalted butter very softened
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons zested)
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup heavy cream (for pouring in between the rolls)

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese cold
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tablespoon lemon zest (about ½ lemon zested)
  • ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

For the Lemon Rolls

  • To start, bloom your yeast. Mix your active dry yeast, sugar, and warm milk together and let sit for 10 minutes.
  • Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix flour, salt and sugar together.
  • To the dry ingredients add the whisked eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and softened butter and mix.
  • Add in the yeast mixture and mix until everything is blended. Switch to a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl, forms a ball and springs back when pressed.
  • Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1-1 ½ hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

For the Lemon Filling

  • While the dough rises, make the filling by mixing butter, brown sugar, white sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt together in a small bowl.

Assembling and Baking the Lemon Rolls

  • Grease a 9×13" casserole dish and set aside.
  • Once the dough has had a chance to rise, remove it from the bowl, punch the dough to release the air, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into about an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. It should be about ¼ inch thick.
  • Next, spoon the prepared filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
  • Roll up the dough tightly into a long log shape starting from the end closest to you. Cut off a bit of the ends to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 ½ inches wide using unflavored floss or a very sharp knife.
  • Place the rolls in a greased 9×13" casserole dish and pour room temperature heavy cream in between each roll. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 15 minutes before the rolls are done proofing.
  • Once the rolls have proofed, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a light golden color.

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • While they bake, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened butter to a medium bowl and mixing it on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
  • Add in the cream cheese and mix until combined on medium speed.
  • Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until all is combined.
  • Then add in the lemon zest and lemon juice and combine on low then high speed until the frosting is fluffy.
  • Let the rolls cool for 5 minutes, then cover the warm rolls with the cream cheese icing. Then serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1rollCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 200mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 400IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
Keyword baking, dessert, Lemon Rolls, rolls, Sweet Rolls
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