Lemon Sweet Rolls Food

LEMON SWEET ROLLS

Steps:

• Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the 2 and 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.
• Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 115°F (46°C). Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir it around until the mixture becomes sandy. Some juices may be excreted from the lemon zest; that's ok.
• After the dough has sat for 10 minutes, roll it out into a 14×8 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the softened butter on top. Sprinkle the lemon sugar filling all over. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11-12 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle uncooked rolls with additional lemon zest at this point, if desired.
• Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60-90 minutes. Here is what I do: heat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise.
• After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. I covered the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning.
• Right before serving, top your sweet rolls with the cream cheese frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and beat on medium-high until creamy. Frost warm rolls and sprinkle with additional lemon zest, if desired.
• Rolls are best enjoyed the same day, but stay fresh and soft in a covered container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 5 days. Rolls (with or without frosting) freeze well, up to about 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and heat up however you prefer.

LEMON SWEET ROLLS (THE BEST!)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer: add yeast, milk, and sugar. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to activate. Mixture will be bubbly and somewhat fragrant. Then add in eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Attach dough hook attachment to mixer and add in flour and salt.
• Knead/mix on medium-low speed until dough begins to come together. Add in more flour, a tablespoon at a time, only if needed to make sure dough does not stick to bowl. Knead dough until smooth but still soft, about 6-7 minutes. Alternatively, knead dough by hand if not using a stand mixer.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Then butter (or use baking spray) a large bowl. Add the dough into bowl and turn to coat dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
• Once dough has risen, punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle (about 14×9 inches) with the longer side facing you. Use a little extra flour if dough is sticking. Filling: spread the butter over the dough and then sprinkle sugar, lemon zest, and salt evenly over the dough leaving a 1 inch border at the top and bottom.
• Roll up the dough into a log starting with the longest side furthest from you. Granulated sugar is loose so some may spill out, it's okay. Just gather as much of it as you can back into the rolls. Pinch seams of dough to seal. Cut the log crosswise into 8 equal slices using a sharp knife.
• Butter/spray a 9×13 inch baking pan. Arrange the slices with the cut side up in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator overnight, 8-12 hours. Alternatively, to make rolls on the same-day, allow rolls to rise again in a warm environment for another 1-2 hours until puffy and then bake.
• Remove from refrigerator and let rolls sit out to reach room temperature for 1 - 2 hours, until puffy, before baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake rolls until lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. While lemon sweet rolls bake, prepare icing.
• Once rolls are done, immediately spread icing over rolls and serve. Enjoy!
• Beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and slowly add in milk and then lemon zest. Mix until everything is fully incorporated.

LEMON SWEET ROLLS WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the yeast, buttermilk and 1 tablespoon sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the butter, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, salt and cardamom to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to combine. Add the eggs and buttermilk mixture, and stir until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add 4 cups/510 grams of the flour and stir until all of the flour is moistened. Switch to the dough hook, and mix for 5 more minutes. The dough will be soft and billowy, and it will stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour if the dough seems very, very soft.
• Transfer the dough to a fresh, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternately, refrigerate the dough before rising for up to 24 hours and proceed with the recipe as written. The rolls may need a slightly longer second rise.
• Make the filling: Combine the sugar, lemon zest, cardamom and a pinch of salt. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
• Assemble the rolls: Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and butter the pan and paper. Gently deflate the dough by folding it over itself a few times in the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat or roll it into a rectangle about 12-by-16-inches and 1/4-inch thick. Gently spread the soft butter over the dough, and sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the top. Roll the dough into a tight log and use a serrated knife or length of floss to cut the log into 12 even pieces.
• Place the rolls into the prepared pan, cover, and let rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour. You can also refrigerate the rolls before the second rise for up to 24 hours, if you'd like to bake them later. Let the rolls rise at room temperature until doubled in size before baking.
• Finish the rolls: Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The icing should be quite thick, but spreadable. Add a little more lemon juice if necessary.
• Let the rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then spread the icing over the top. Enjoy warm.

LEMON-POPPY SEED ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over low heat until warm but not hot, about 100˚ F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, egg yolks and vanilla into the milk-yeast mixture, then pour into the well and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a wet shaggy dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead, dusting with flour as needed, until the dough comes together into a loose, slightly sticky ball, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Mash the poppy seed filling with the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl with a fork until combined; set aside.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface; pat and roll out into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one long side. Brush the clean edge with water, then tightly roll up the dough into a log, starting with a long side and rolling toward the clean edge; pinch the seam to seal.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Slice the dough log into 12 pieces with a sharp knife and arrange cut-side up in the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Uncover the rolls and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the icing: Mix the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Spread on the warm rolls.