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Lemon Rolls

The easy recipe for delicious lemon rolls.
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Total Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Servings 16 rolls

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

Instructions
 

Prepare the dough:

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the soft butter.
  • 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.
  • Add lemon zest and gradually incorporate the flour, mixing until you form a soft dough.
  • Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 1 hour.

Make the lemon sugar:

  • 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:

  • 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).
  • 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:

  • 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.
  • Arrange the rolls in a deep baking tray that’s been greased with butter and sprinkled with brown sugar.

Second rise:

  • Let the rolls rest in the pan for another 20 minutes.

Bake:

  • 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.
  • Remove from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes.

Glaze:

  • 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.