These Lemon Sweet Rolls are made with the easiest and fluffiest brioche dough, wrapped around tangy lemon curd, baked and then frosted with lemon cream cheese frosting. A truly decadent breakfast, you’ll also love these with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea.
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The idea for making these Lemon Sweet Rolls came to me because I simply had leftover lemon curd that I wanted to use. I had been working on my brioche bread recipe for months and I wanted to give it a spin with lemon curd as a filling. Genius idea!
It just so happened to be Easter weekend, and I served these for Easter morning treat, but they will be just as delicious for Mid-Summer barbecue or for Christmas morning. Between my classic cinnamon rolls, my blueberry-orange rolls, and these, there's gonna be a lot of competition for what to make for special occasions now!
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Ingredients
After my years in bakeries and restaurants, I am a true believer in mise en place, which is a French culinary phrase meaning "put in place." I literally gathered all of these ingredients together, measured and ready, so there would be no last minute surprises. It's a great habit to get into.
See recipe card below for precise measurements.
More Lemon to Love Get more great lemon flavor with my Lemon Crepes Recipe. Classic French crepes wrapped around a tangy lemon cream will make you feel like your having a Spring brunch in Paris.
Substitutions & Variations
These lemon brioche buns are so fabulous, I just want everyone to experience them. I have not had a lot of luck with gluten free baking at home, so I'm not going to be much help there. That being said, here are some ways we can work around allergies or preferences:
- Non-dairy - This recipe works great with coconut oil and almond or other plant based milk in place of the dairy.
- Egg free - I once forgot all the eggs in the brioche at work and we made the pastries anyway and they were still the softest rolls 😬 So, if you leave out the egg, you'll be fine. It might be slightly less fluffy, but no one ever said "hey, these aren't as fluffy" so again, it's probably worth a try.
- Variations - Try using the pistachio cream from my pistachio croissants in place of the lemon curd, or fill your rolls with nutella, because chocolate and hazelnuts will always be the right answer.
- Lemon curd - I recommend using my easy lemon curd recipe because it is just so simple and so delicious, but you can use any store bought curd you prefer.
Do you need a stand mixer?
Making the dough for these fluffy lemon rolls is going to be so much easier if you have a Stand mixer. Although you can knead it by hand, it may take up to 20 minutes to get the same result as you will with a mixer.
My one piece of advice is to place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together as much as possible with a wooden spoon or dough whisk and then cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. This will chill the butter and make the dough easier to knead.
Making brioche dough: just the highlights
The process of making the brioche dough can seem overwhelming. Here is a list of all the easy steps, in order, to reduce your dough stress.
- Melt your butter. Add milk, lemon juice, and your egg and whisk.
- Mix lemon zest into your sugar and place it, and all your other dry ingredients together in the stand mixer.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.
- Knead for 8 minutes on medium, checking for stickiness and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour, if needed.
- Cover and let dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Easy right? I find that reading the instructions for something a couple of times before starting helps. You got this and I can't wait for you to eat your delicious lemony rolls!
💡Great idea: My Pistachio Sweet Rolls are like lemon rolls' sophisticated cousin. My fluffy brioche dough is wrapped around the cream from my pistachio croissants in a cinnamon rolls and baklava mashup that you've got to try!
Instructions
Making a brioche dough sweet roll always feels like a lot of work from the outside, but once you get in it, it's really quite straightforward. My melted butter technique makes it even easier. Do what I always recommend, read the entire recipe, gaze in wonder at the pretty process pictures I provide, gather all your ingredients and just do it. You got this!
- Start by zesting a lemon directly into your sugar and use your fingers to rub them together, releasing all of the lemon oils into the sugar. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer.
1. Making the brioche dough
Step 1: In a small saucepan on the stovetop, melt your butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add whole milk, lemon juice from half a lemon (save the other half for the frosting), and then your egg. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and instant yeast with your lemon sugar sugar. Using the paddle attachment, with the mixer on medium-low speed, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough with no more visible dry flour.
Step 3: Replace paddle with dough hook attachment and knead dough on medium speed for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency. If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
Step 4: Turn mixer back on medium and mix for 5 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.
Step 5: Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands, Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Step 6: Place the covered dough in a warm place in your house for 1 to 2 hours for their first rise, until at least doubled in size. If poked with your finger, it should slowly fill back up.
2. Shaping and assembling
- Before starting, whisk the cornstarch into your lemon curd until smooth. Place in the refrigerator or freezer while you roll out your dough. This will help it to thicken just a bit.
Step 1: Uncover your dough. Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured counter.
Step 2: Use rolling pin to roll your dough into a 9 inch by 12 inch rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
Using an offset spatula, or silicone spatula, spread the lemon curd evenly over the surface of the dough.
Step 3: Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice into 6 or 8 strips (depending on how many rolls you would like) along the 12 inch side. Roll each strip up into a sweet roll shape. It will be a bit drippy, but that's okay, we'll take care of that in the next step.
Step 4: Place the rolls into a cake pan or cast iron pan that has either been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Dollop the leomn curd that dripped onto the counter on top of the rolls, filling in any gaps in the swirls. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to have a second rise overnight.
3. Baking
Step 1: The next morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked in the center of the middle roll.
Tip: To ensure the center is fully baked, remove the rolls from the oven and gently pull the side of a center roll apart with a fork. If the dough appears raw and gooey, they need more time in the oven. Continue baking for 5 more minutes and check again.
4. Frost and serve
Step 1: While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in the lemon juice from the remaining half of your lemon and enough milk to reach a soft, spreadable frosting consistency.
Step 2: Allow rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Scoop or spoon lemon cream cheese icing on top of the still warm rolls and spread. To really drive home the lemon flavor, add dollops of lemon curd and swirl into the frosting.
Serve and enjoy as a delicious breakfast or brunch, or have alongside an iced latte or a cup of tea as an afternoon treat.
Recipe FAQs
I am not a huge fan of bottled lemon juice and only use fresh lemon whenever possible. If the craving strikes, but your store is out of lemons, use the best lemon juice you can find. Don't try to save money here. Quality does cost more when it comes to bottled citrus.
Yes, you can substitute active dry for instant yeast on a one-to-one basis. If you are unsure if it is fresh, you'll want to "activate" it in the room temperature milk before combining the wet ingredients, then add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. If it is a new jar or packet, just add it straight into the dry ingredients. There will be plenty of time for it to dissolve and activate.
Yes you can. Although letting the dough rise slowly overnight develops more flavor and gives you softer rolls, you can let the shaped lemon rolls rise for a couple more hours at room temperature and then bake as directed.
Your lemon sweet rolls will keep best covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or 4 days if refrigerated. If keeping longer, freeze and then individually wrap each roll and store in a zip top bag for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour.
Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes or in a microwave for about 20 seconds.
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Lemon Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- Juice of ½ a lemon saving the rest of the lemon for the frosting
Filling
- ½ cup Lemon curd or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make brioche dough
- Zest your lemon into your sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, releasing all of the lemon oils. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer.
- In a small pan on the stovetop, melt your butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add milk and then eggs. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place all-purpose flour, kosher salt and instant yeast to your lemon sugar. Use paddle attachment to combine them.
- With your mixer on low, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough with no more visible dry flour.
- Remove paddle attachment and replace with dough hook. Scrape the sides of the bowl and turn mixer on to medium. Knead dough for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency.
- If the dough is wrapping around the dough hook and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, with only a circle of dough attaching itself to the bottom, you're good. Keep mixing for another 5 minutes.
- If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix one minute and check again. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
- Turn mixer back on medium and mix for 4 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands, Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered dough in a warm spot in your house for 1 to 2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Shaping and assembling lemon sweet rolls
- Whisk lemon curd and cornstarch together until thoroughly combined. Place in the freezer or refrigerator to chill while you roll out your dough.
- Uncover the dough. Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured counter.
- Roll your dough into a 9 inch by 12 inch rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
- Using an offset spatula, or silicone spatula, spread the lemon curd evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice into 6 to 8 strips along the 12 inch side, depending on how many rolls you want to make.
- Roll each strip up into a sweet roll and place into a cake pan or cast iron pan that has either been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
Baking
- In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake in preheated oven about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked in the center of the middle roll.
- Tip: To ensure the center is fully baked, remove the rolls from the oven and gently pull the side of a center roll with a fork. If the dough appears raw and gooey, they need more time in the oven. Continue baking for 5 more minutes and check again.
Frosting
- While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in lemon juice and enough milk to reach a soft, spreadable frosting consistency.
- Allow rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
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