Skip to main content

Lemon Sticky Rolls

Ahhh... sweet rolls. The ultimate Sunday breakfast. Nothing better than a sweet cinnamon roll or sticky caramel pecan bun before church.


However, I saw these Lemon Sticky Rolls on Pinterest, and was immediately intrigued. Lemon?! Sounds a bit different, but definitely delicious!


They sort of reminded me of these sweet rolls of my childhood - did anybody else eat these? Orange Sweet Rolls were the best! Since I was an only child, I always got the best roll in the pan... the middle, ooey gooey one with all the extra frosting. What can I say, I might have been a bit spoiled.





What's so great about these Lemon Sticky Rolls is that they're the perfect amount of sweet. You know how sometimes you eat a cinnamon roll, and you feel like you just ate a 3 lb. chocolate bar? Yea... these are not quite like that. They're a bit sweet, a bit tangy, a bit perfect.





The filling is just a simple mix of sugar, ginger, and lemon zest. Kinda resembles sand, but makes your fingers smell so good.





And, if you're into lazy Sunday breakfasts, they're the perfect thing to prep the night before, let rest in the fridge overnight, and pop in the oven in the morning. My Business Man has gotten really good at putting rolls in the oven while I'm out with my running group on Sunday mornings. Nothing better than coming home from a long run to the sweet aroma of a fresh-baked breakfast. Now if only I could get him to do the prep-work the day before, too. ;-)





These will definitely be in the Sunday rotation from now on! I might even try them with oranges instead... see if they surpass Pillsbury. (I'm sure they would... at least I would hope so...)


Happy baking!

[Click to PRINT]

Lemon Sticky Rolls


  • For the dough
    • 1 package active dry yeast
    • ¾ cup warm milk, 105-115*F
    • ½ cup butter, very soft
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 4-4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ginger
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, (about half of what you would get from one lemon, use the other half below)
  • For the filling
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, (what's left from the lemon used in the dough)
    • ½ teaspoon ginger
    • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • For the cream cheese glaze
    • 4-oz. cream cheese, softened
    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • 2-3 tablespoons milk
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Method

For the dough, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit a few minutes until foamy. Add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup flour to the milk/yeast mixture; and combine using the mixer paddle. Add the salt, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about half of the zest from one lemon.) Add the eggs, and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook, and add enough remaining flour to make a soft, yet sticky dough. Knead with the dough hook about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. (You can also knead by hand 6 to 8 minutes.)

Place the dough in a greased bowl; turning once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled, about one hour.

For the filling, mix 1 cup sugar with the ginger. Work in the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles soft sand. Slow pour in 3 tablespoons lemon juice, stirring. It should resemble wet sand.

To assemble, lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Once the dough has risen, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10x15 inches in size. Spread the 2 tablespoons softened butter over dough; Spread lemon filling evenly over butter.

Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the long end. Cut the dough into 12 even rolls, and place into prepared pan.

Cover and let rise for an hour. (Or, at this point, you can cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Just make sure to pull them out to room temperature for an hour before baking.)

Heat oven to 350*F. Bake rolls in the prepared oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

For the glaze, combined softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until a spreadable consistency. Spread over warm rolls.

Source: Slightly adapted from theKitchn

Comments

Jess said…
My mom used to make us orange rolls sorta like those, only no frosting on the top... sheesh... we were missing out! :) I do love a nice dose of sugar before heading off to church!
Megan said…
Can you sent Pinterest invites?

Popular posts from this blog

Day 7: Buried Cherry Cookies

I don't remember where my mom & I got this recipe... we started baking these about 8 years ago. And haven't stopped since! The name says it all - there is a 'buried cherry' in each cookie. The cookie itself is chewy and chocolatey, and inside there's a surprise cherry! It's all topped with a unique type of frosting; it is poured over the cookie before  it's baked. It's like a cookie version of a chocolate-covered cherry! (Without all that nasty sweet white goo inside...) Here's a step-by-step break-down: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Make an indentation in each ball. Place a cherry in each indentation. Make the frosting. (And don't forget to lick the spoon. And scrape the sides of the pan.) Top with the frosting. Bake! And then wonder what to do with the leftover 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk. (What kind of recipe only calls for 1/2 cup?) I guess I could be like my friend Jen , as she tol...

Hot Off the Press... [Chicken Bacon Bleu Panini]

So I totally forgot to post a panini recipe last Thursday... whoops. I'm sure you were all waiting with bated breath and were very  disappointed. Well, never fear, because I've got a fabulous panini recipe tonight! Tangy bleu cheese and salty bacon come together to form a delectable sandwich. It comes from the panini cookbook I received for Christmas, 200 Best Panini Recipes  (thanks Mom!) . The  Chicken Bacon Bleu panini :   grilled chicken, crisp bacon, and bleu cheese on sourdough with a spread of barbecue sauce and sliced red onion. I had never thought of putting bleu cheese on a panini before I saw this recipe. I feared there wouldn't be enough ooey gooey cheese! But bleu cheese actually melts pretty nicely. It's no Velveeta, but it added a great tang to the sandwich.  First, spread the bottom piece of bread with a bit of barbecue sauce, and top with some grilled chicken. I actually used my panini press to grill my chicken for the first ti...

The Arrival of Something New...

Woo hoo for the last Friday of the school year! And only one more day of school next week. (And then a couple teacher workshops...) Another reason to be excited? Our fridge came today!! Isn't she a beauty? It is so nice to have a fridge again. You don't realize how much you miss a full-size refrigerator until you go a couple weeks without it. A bit bare... but that can be solved easily. Bottom-drawer freezer, containing the essentials: moose tracks & Diet Dew trying to get cold asap. Anyways, I'm just popping in to share my beautiful new appliance. The baking monster has taken over, and I'm in the midst of making 150 cupcakes for a graduation party tomorrow.  First big baking project in the new kitchen! I'm loving all the counter space. Mmm... chocolate buttercream! Making good use of the baking nook! :) Adios!