With a tender croissant dough, filled with berries, and an addictive lemon glaze, these Lemon Berry Sweet Rolls will be your new go-to breakfast treat!
One of my favorite breakfast treats is cinnamon rolls. I have a deep, long-standing relationship with this cinnamony sweet roll. There is just something about them we can not resit.
BUT, I have already posted a few recipes leaning toward the cinnamon side of sweet rolls and I wanted to mix it up! Say hello to these delicious Lemon Berry Sweet Rolls!
These are just as delicious if not more delicious as your regular cinnamon roll but they are stuffed with fruit. Anything stuffed with fruit is a winner in my book.
We have been making these Sweet Rolls for a long time now and they still hold true to being one of our favorite breakfasts ever! We always get requests for them when family comes over.
Some of our other favorite cinnamon roll recipes include Quick and Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Banana Cream Sweet Rolls.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With your basic dough ingredients this comes together quickly.
- You can swap up the fruits inside if you want a different flavor.
- You can easily double this recipe to save more for later.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Milk
Rapid-rise yeast
Egg
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Kosher salt
Unsalted butter
Lemon zest
Strawberry jam
Blueberries
Powdered sugar
Lemon juice
HOW TO MAKE LEMON BERRY SWEEET ROLLS:
For the dough:
-
Place the milk in a medium-sized bowl, microwave in 15-second intervals until it reaches 110°F, you will know it is at the correct temperature when a meat thermometer placed into the milk reaches 110°F, do not heat for longer. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and let sit 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mix to combine.
-
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Melt 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and mix into the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until a loose dough starts to form.
-
On a clean, lightly floured work surface, turn out the dough and knead by hand until the dough comes together with no dry spots, but do not overwork. The dough will still be slightly wet/tacky.
-
Form the dough into a rough rectangle. Place onto a baking sheet that is lightly floured, and lightly flour the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour.
-
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10×17 inch rectangle. Make sure it is not sticking to the work surface, add more flour if necessary.
-
With a short side of the dough facing you spread the softened butter (it should be very soft but not melty, just easy to spread) over the dough on the lower two-thirds. Leave a 1/2 inch border around all the sides and do not butter that area.
-
Now, we are going to make a three-way fold. Fold the upper 1/3 of the dough over onto the buttered side, towards the center of the dough. Next, fold the lower 1/3 of the dough on top, making a rectangle. No butter should be exposed, it is sealed completely. Pinch all the edges on the seams so no butter escapes.
-
Gently roll out the dough into a 10×17 rectangle. Keeping the surfaces lightly floured. Brush off any excess flour, and again, take the top 1/3 of the dough and fold in toward the center, take the bottom 1/3 of the dough and fold on top to form a rectangle. Place back on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Repeat this same folding process three more times with 30 minutes in the fridge between each interval.
-
After the last fold, place it back on the sheet tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 5 hours, preferably overnight.
-
When you are ready to prepare the rolls, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured, clean work surface into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Have the longer side facing you. Next, add the fillings.
For the filling:
-
Mix together the sugar and lemon zest, set aside. Place the strawberry jam into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals until jam is warm and easy to spread. Spread the jam evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the bottom edge.
-
Sprinkle the dough evenly with the lemon sugar – use all of it! Next, evenly distribute the fresh blueberries. Roll the dough into a tight log, starting at the top and working your way down, tuck in the blueberries as you go. Crimp the edges with your fingers so nothing escapes.
-
Cut the log into 12 even pieces. A serrated knife is the easiest way to do this. In a greased 9×13 baking dish, place the rolls cut side up, evenly spaced. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place until the dough is about doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your home, this can take about an hour and a half.
-
Once doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350°F, and let heat for 30 minutes. Bake the sweet rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked thoroughly. Place baking dish on a wired rack to cool.
For the glaze:
-
Place the powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and lemon juice, whisk to combine. Pour the glaze on top of the cooled rolls, or drizzle on top of each individual serving.
WHAT ARE SWEET ROLLS?
Sweet rolls are basically just cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon. In the place of cinnamon, we use berries or jams, like I did today.
But, it is not limited to just berry sweet rolls. You can put any sweet filling in them you like!
WHAT OTHER FILLINGS CAN I USE?
Since we use a mixture of jam and berries some other options include:
- Strawberry Jam and Peaches
- Grape jelly and Peanut Butter
- Orange Jam
- Apple Butter
There is so much you can do with these rolls that it is endless in flavors, you can pretty much add any flavor that you’d like and it would work!
HOW TO STORE?
These Sweet Rolls will last covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also refrigerate them covered and they should last up to 1 week.
These can also be frozen. According to The Pioneer Woman you can freeze sweet rolls frosted or unfrosted. Just allow them to cool ALL the way. Frost them or don’t, your choice.
Then, cover them with plastic wrap and freezer-safe foil. Place them in the freezer. They are good for about 4 weeks in the freezer.
To defrost, just place them in the fridge or countertop until thawed. You can place the sweet rolls back in the oven for a few minutes to warm – this step works best with the unfrosted rolls.
I would freeze unfrosted. It is SO easy to make the glaze fresh, and less messy!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can easily double this batch and freeze to have more for later.
- You can switch up the flavors inside if you like, see some of my suggestions above.
- Rapid rise yeast is what we use in this dough, so please make sure that you are using rapid rise.
- You can top with the icing we have here or you can make a delicious cream cheese icing as well, if you do that these will need to be refrigerated.
If you want that perfect summer breakfast that you will not be able to resist, then you need to whip up a batch of these Lemon Berry Sweet Rolls!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these LEMON BERRY SWEET ROLLS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Lemon Berry Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 package rapid-rise yeast
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter** divided, softened
For the filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
For the glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice*** fresh squeezed
Instructions
For the dough
- Place the milk in a medium-sized bowl, microwave in 15-second intervals until it reaches 110°F, you will know it is at the correct temperature when a meat thermometer placed into the milk reaches 110°F, do not heat for longer. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and let sit 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mix to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Melt 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and mix into the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until a loose dough starts to form.
- On a clean, lightly floured work surface, turn out the dough and knead by hand until the dough comes together with no dry spots, but do not overwork. The dough will still be slightly wet/tacky.
- Form the dough into a rough rectangle. Place onto a baking sheet that is lightly floured, and lightly flour the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10x17 inch rectangle. Make sure it is not sticking to the work surface, add more flour if necessary.
- With a short side of the dough facing you spread the softened butter (it should be very soft but not melty, just easy to spread) over the dough on the lower two-thirds. Leave a 1/2 inch border around all the sides and do not butter that area.
- Now, we are going to make a three-way fold. Fold the upper 1/3 of the dough over onto the buttered side, towards the center of the dough. Next, fold the lower 1/3 of the dough on top, making a rectangle. No butter should be exposed, it is sealed completely. Pinch all the edges on the seams so no butter escapes.
- Gently roll out the dough into a 10x17 rectangle. Keeping the surfaces lightly floured. Brush off any excess flour, and again, take the top 1/3 of the dough and fold in toward the center, take the bottom 1/3 of the dough and fold on top to form a rectangle. Place back on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Repeat this same folding process three more times with 30 minutes in the fridge between each interval.
- After the last fold, place it back on the sheet tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 5 hours, preferably overnight.
- When you are ready to prepare the rolls, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured, clean work surface into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Have the longer side facing you. Next, add the fillings.
For the filling
- Mix together the sugar and lemon zest, set aside. Place the strawberry jam into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals until jam is warm and easy to spread. Spread the jam evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the bottom edge.
- Sprinkle the dough evenly with the lemon sugar - use all of it! Next, evenly distribute the fresh blueberries. Roll the dough into a tight log, starting at the top and working your way down, tuck in the blueberries as you go. Crimp the edges with your fingers so nothing escapes.
- Cut the log into 12 even pieces. A serrated knife is the easiest way to do this. In a greased 9x13 baking dish, place the rolls cut side up, evenly spaced. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place until the dough is about doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your home, this can take about an hour and a half.
- Once doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350°F, and let heat for 30 minutes. Bake the sweet rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked thoroughly. Place baking dish on a wired rack to cool.
For the glaze
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and lemon juice, whisk to combine. Pour the glaze on top of the cooled rolls, or drizzle on top of each individual serving.
Video
Notes
- This dough is a variation on the danish pastry dough from the cookbook The Village Baker's Wife by Gayle and Joe Ortiz.
- You can easily double this batch and freeze to have more for later.
- You can switch up the flavors inside if you like, see some of my suggestions above.
- Rapid rise yeast is what we use in this dough, so please make sure that you are using rapid rise.
- You can top with the icing we have here or you can make a delicious cream cheese icing as well, if you do that these will need to be refrigerated.
Nutrition
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