Go Back

Lemon Rolls

The easy recipe for delicious lemon rolls.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 4 hours
Servings: 16 rolls
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the dough:
  • 2 eggs
  • 120 g granulated sugar
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar 20 g
  • 50 g soft room temp butter
  • 50 ml oil
  • 2 mugs 250 ml each warm semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 tbsp dry yeast
  • Zest of 1–2 lemons
  • 6 mugs all-purpose flour approx. (cca 840 g)
For the filling:
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar 20 g
  • 60 g melted butter
  • Extra sugar for sweeter rolls optional
  • For greasing the pan:
  • Butter + brown sugar
For the glaze:
  • 200 g mascarpone
  • 100 g powdered sugar
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Extra lemon zest for topping

Method
 

Prepare the dough:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the soft butter.
  2. Add the warm milk, oil and stir to combine. Sprinkle the dry yeast on top, give it a gentle mix, and let it sit for about 15 minutes until bubbly.
  3. Add lemon zest and gradually incorporate the flour, mixing until you form a soft dough.
  4. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 1 hour.
Make the lemon sugar:
  1. In a separate bowl, rub the zest of 1 lemon into the sugar and vanilla sugar until the mixture is fragrant and slightly damp.
Roll and fill the dough:
  1. Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle (about 2–3 cm thick).
  2. Brush the surface with melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the lemon sugar over it. Add extra sugar if you want it sweeter.
Shape the rolls:
  1. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Slice into 16 even rolls. You can use a sharp knife or a piece of thread/floss to get cleaner cuts without squishing the dough.
  2. Arrange the rolls in a deep baking tray that’s been greased with butter and sprinkled with brown sugar.
Second rise:
  1. Let the rolls rest in the pan for another 20 minutes.
Bake:
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the rolls for 13 minutes, then cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, and bake for another 10 minutes.
  2. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.
Glaze:
  1. In a bowl, mix mascarpone with powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread this glaze over the warm rolls and finish with a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest.