Description
These Lemon Lover’s Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls are big, soft, and bursting with a homemade quick lemon blueberry filling, topped with luscious lemon cream cheese frosting. A delightful twist on classic cinnamon rolls, perfect for brunch, dessert, or spring and summer celebrations.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- Zest from 1 large lemon
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180g) warm milk (2% or whole milk preferred)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (from 1 (1/4-ounce) package yeast)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (57g) salted butter, melted (salted preferred, but unsalted works too)
- 3 ¼ cups (390g) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
- 1 ¼ cup (194g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Optional but recommended: ¼ teaspoon almond extract
For the lemon cream cheese frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the blueberry filling: In a medium pot over medium heat, combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon, bring to a gentle boil, breaking up blueberries as they cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes until thick like jelly and coats the back of the spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare the dough: Rub lemon zest into sugar using clean hands for 30 seconds to infuse flavor. Warm milk to 115°F and add to sugar mixture. Sprinkle yeast on top and let activate until bubbly, 3-5 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, and melted butter, mix on medium speed for 30 seconds until combined. Stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until dough forms.
- Knead the dough: Using a stand mixer with dough hook, knead dough on medium speed for 8-10 minutes; alternatively knead by hand on a floured surface. Dough will be sticky but should be measured properly.
- First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer dough ball into it. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Dough is ready when a finger poked into it leaves an indentation that doesn’t bounce back immediately.
- Roll out the dough: Generously dust a clean surface with flour. Transfer risen dough and roll into a 10×14-inch rectangle using a rolling pin.
- Spread filling: Evenly spread the cooled blueberry filling over the dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin on the far short edge.
- Roll and slice: Starting from the short side without filling margin, roll dough tightly into a log. Seal the edge by pinching dough together, place seam side down, and trim ½-inch off ends. Gently compress both ends inward. Using unflavored dental floss or serrated knife, cut the log into nine 1-inch slices.
- Second rise: Line a 9×9-inch or 11×17-inch pan with parchment paper. Arrange rolls in pan, cover with plastic wrap and towel. Let rise until doubled in size and rolls touch, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) while rolls rise.
- Bake the rolls: Remove coverings and bake rolls for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden brown but centers remain soft.
- Make lemon cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice starting on low speed, then increasing to medium-high until smooth and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, whisk by hand.
- Frost and serve: While rolls are warm, spread frosting generously over them so it seeps into every nook. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- If using quick rise or instant yeast, proofing is not required. For active dry yeast, dissolve in warm milk until bubbly before mixing ingredients. The dough may take longer to rise with active dry yeast.
- To prepare ahead, after placing shaped rolls in pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. Allow to come to room temperature for 60-90 minutes before baking.
- For dairy-free version, substitute with unsweetened almond milk, vegan butter, and dairy-free cream cheese.
- Rolls can be stored covered in fridge for up to 5 days and reheated in microwave in 15-second intervals.
- Freeze instructions and additional tips can be found on the blog post.
