Lemon Sweet Rolls

Lemon is the new chocolate and these lemon sweet rolls are about to be your new favorite breakfast indulgence. They are so lemony good they could even pass as a summer dessert right alongside our delicious orange rolls.

Lemon Sweet Rolls Recipe

While lemons are now reliably available all year round, they still have a strong association to summer.

Whether it’s their cheery color or all those nostalgic memories of ice-cold glasses of lemonade on hot summer days, lemon desserts just taste like summer sunshine to me.

This recipe is a variation on my favorite Copycat Cinnabuns recipe, only instead of using a homemade brown sugar-cinnamon filling, we are making a homemade lemon curd for a fresh, summery take on this classic sweet roll.

My favorite thing about sweet rolls is their acceptance as a breakfast or brunch food, even though they are so obviously a dessert. I don’t know who we have to thank for that, but whoever they were – they were a true hero.

So let this vibrant and flavorful lemon sweet roll recipe serve as a tribute to them, and all others who dare challenge what can be considered a breakfast food.

Now, if we can only get breakfast cakes to catch one!

Ingredients for Lemon Sweet Rolls

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup olive oil or other high-smoke oil
• 4 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup lemon curd

For the homemade lemon curd:

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 Tablespoons butter

Tip: if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use regular milk for this recipe (no need to add vinegar). I like keeping the powdered buttermilk on hand, just in case.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful:

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Stand mixer with kneading attachments
• Rolling pin
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Whisk
• Pot
• 9″ x 12″ casserole dish
• Mason jar

1. Grease and line the casserole dish and set aside.
2. To make the dough, combine the warm water, yeast, salt and 2 Tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl.
3. Allow the mixture to “proof” (bubble) for 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe. At this time, I like to prepare the lemon curd so it is well chilled by the time I need it.
4. To make the lemon curd, combine the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan, whisk well, then add in the eggs. Heat over medium-low heat and start to whisk in the butter.
5. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 2-3 minutes until starting to thicken before removing from heat. Allow to cool (you can transfer into a mason jar after it has cooled a bit to continue chilling in the fridge).
6. Returning to the dough, add the remaining sugar, buttermilk, egg, and vegetable oil and stir well.
7. Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until well incorporated.
8. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise, about an hour.
9. Punch down the dough and then roll out on a floured surface into a large rectangle about 1/2″ thick. (Use flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin as well.)
10. Spread the lemon curd over the rolled dough and then roll one long side of the rectangle towards the other, forming a tight log.
11. Cut the log into 2″ sections to form the sweet rolls.
12. Place the buns in the prepared casserole dish and cover with tinfoil, allowing to rise one last time, approximately 1-2 hours.
13. Heat the oven to 350F and bake the rolls for 17 minutes.

A delicious summer dessert or brunch recipe, these lemon rolls are easy to prepare in advance and serve warm or cold for just about any summer occasion.

Want more cake, buns, and rolls recipes? Some of the most popular on the blog are these gooey, amazing Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Blueberry Breakfast Cake, and the ever-famous Monkey Bread. Enjoy!

Lemon Sweet Rolls

A delicious summer dessert or brunch recipe, these lemon sweet rolls are easy to prepare in advance and serve warm or cold for just about any summer occasion.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 18 rolls

47 minutes mins

Calories: 270

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup warm water
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast 1 packet
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil or other high-smoke oil
• ▢ 4 ½ cup flour
• ▢ ½ cup lemon curd

For the homemade lemon curd:

• ▢ ½ cup lemon juice
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Grease and line the casserole dish and set aside.
• To make the dough, combine the warm water, yeast, salt and 2 Tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl.
• Allow the mixture to "proof" (bubble) for 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe. At this time, I like to prepare the lemon curd so it is well chilled by the time I need it.
• To make the lemon curd, combine the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan, whisk well, then add in the eggs. Heat over medium-low heat and start to whisk in the butter.
• Allow the mixture to bubble for about 2-3 minutes until starting to thicken before removing from heat. Allow to cool (you can transfer into a mason jar after it has cooled a bit to continue chilling in the fridge).
• Returning to the dough, add the remaining sugar, buttermilk, egg, and vegetable oil and stir well.
• Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time, until well incorporated.
• Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise, about an hour.
• Punch down the dough and then roll out on a floured surface into a large rectangle about 1/2" thick. (Use flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin as well.)
• Spread the lemon curd over the rolled dough and then roll one long side of the rectangle towards the other, forming a tight log.
• Cut the log into 2" sections to form the sweet rolls.
• Place the buns in the prepared casserole dish and cover with tinfoil, allowing to rise one last time, approximately 1-2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 350F and bake the rolls for 17 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 270cal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1.7mg

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