Description
Delight in these homemade Lemon and Blueberry Rolls, featuring a soft, fluffy dough infused with zesty lemon and studded with juicy blueberries. Topped with a sweet lemon glaze, these rolls are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an indulgent snack. The recipe involves a simple yeast dough with a buttery lemon sugar filling, rolled and baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Dough
- 600 g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 14 g dried yeast
- 75 g caster sugar
- 90 g unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 275 ml whole milk
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 45 g unsalted butter (melted)
- 150 g caster sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 225 g blueberries
Glaze
- 200 g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Sift the strong white bread flour into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar and dried yeast, mixing them until well combined to ensure an even rise.
- Incorporate Butter: Rub the cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use a food processor to blend quickly for the same texture.
- Add Lemon Zest: Zest two lemons and add the zest to the dry mixture for a fresh citrus flavor.
- Warm Milk: Gently heat the whole milk until it just begins to steam, ensuring it’s warm but not hot to activate the yeast without killing it.
- Knead Dough: Mix the warm milk and egg into the dry ingredients. Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes by hand or 5-7 minutes using a dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, until the dough is smooth and springs back when touched.
- First Proof: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave it in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
- Make Lemon Sugar Filling: While the dough rises, zest two lemons and mix the zest with caster sugar and vanilla bean paste until the texture is sandy.
- Roll Out Dough: Once risen, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle approximately 50cm x 30cm (20″ x 12″).
- Apply Filling: Brush the rolled dough surface with melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the lemon sugar mixture and blueberries over it.
- Shape Rolls: Roll the dough tightly from the longer 30cm side to form a 50cm sausage shape, then cut into 12 equal pieces.
- Second Proof: Arrange the 12 rolls into a 30cm x 24cm (12″ x 9.5″) ovenproof dish, cover again, and let them rise for another hour.
- Preheat Oven: Towards the end of the proving, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) for baking.
- Bake: Bake the rolls in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Cool: Remove the rolls from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the dish before glazing.
- Prepare and Apply Glaze: Mix the icing sugar, lemon juice, and water to a smooth drizzle consistency and drizzle over the cooled rolls for a sweet citrus finish.
Notes
- Ensure the milk is warm but not hot to properly activate the yeast.
- If your environment is cool, allow the dough to rise for the maximum recommended time for best results.
- Use fresh blueberries for the best flavor and texture.
- For a more intense lemon flavor, you can add a little lemon extract to the icing glaze.
- These rolls can be made a day ahead and warmed briefly before serving.
- Cover rolls while baking with foil if they brown too quickly on top to prevent burning.
- Use a sharp knife or dental floss to cut rolled dough cleanly without squashing the rolls.
