Name: Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min 4 s
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 6 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 large egg, slightly beaten; 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons instant yeast; 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon); zest from 2 lemons, divided (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the glaze); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 cups raspberries (I used frozen); 4 ounces cream cheese, softened; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon); 1/2 teaspoon reserved lemon zest; 1 cup powdered sugar

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These raspberry lemon sweet rolls are easy to make and are perfect for brunch. Topped with a sweet, lemon cream cheese glaze, they are absolutely delicious!

These raspberry lemon sweet rolls make the perfect brunch dish. They’re easy to make and taste absolutely fantastic.

If you’ve never made sweet rolls, they are really very easy. The dough is one of the easier yeast doughs to make, and is very quick and easy to mix up, especially if you have a stand mixer to knead it.

Once the dough rises for a couple of hours, it takes just minutes to shape the rolls and put them in the baking dish to rise again. You can even toss them in the fridge at this point for up to two days if you want to make them ahead of time.

They’re so easy and tasty. My kids have all made these on their own, and they’ve turned out beautifully every time.

You should definitely try these raspberry lemon sweet rolls the next time you need a tasty brunch recipe!

What are sweet rolls made of?

Sweet rolls use an enriched yeast dough that has butter, eggs, milk, and sugar added to it for a sweeter, richer tasting bread dough.

The richer dough is then filled with a sweet filling, usually butter and sugar and whatever flavour you want, and then rolled up and sliced into rolls to bake.

Sweet rolls are usually topped with frosting or a glaze of some sort as well.

Should you refrigerate sweet rolls?

It depends on the sweet roll. Some don’t need to be refrigerated, and can just be stored at room temperature, tightly covered.

For these raspberry lemon sweet rolls, I recommend storing them, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

This is because of the cream cheese glaze. With cream cheese in the glaze, they should be kept in the refrigerator for food safety reasons. You can still reheat them in the microwave, even with the glaze, if you prefer to enjoy them warmed up.

Can you make these raspberry lemon sweet rolls ahead of time?

Yes, you can make these sweet rolls ahead of time. I recommend making the dough and letting it rise, and then shaping the rolls and putting them into the baking dish.

At this point, you can tightly cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to bake the rolls, you will need to take them out of the refrigerator, and let them rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours before proceeding with baking.

This longer rise time is because the rolls are cold, they need to come to room temperature, and then rise, so it takes about twice as long as if you let them rise right after shaping them.

How to make Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls:

Use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. The bottled juice doesn’t have the same flavour, and the lemon zest is important for this recipe anyways.
When you stir the filling together, it will look a little curdled and weird. This is okay, it will taste fine, so don’t worry about it!
Try not to over flour the dough. You want the dough to clear the sides and bottom of the bowl when it’s kneading, but not to have any dry spots. It should be smooth and tacky, but not overly sticky or dry. If it’s too dry, add a little more water to the dough, if it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.

Here are some more great sweet roll recipes for you:

Yield: 12 rolls

Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

Tender sweet roll dough filled with a lemon raspberry filling and topped with a sweet lemon cream cheese glaze, these lemon raspberry sweet rolls make a perfect treat!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Rising Time 2 hours 4 seconds

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes 4 seconds

Ingredients

For the dough:

5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the filling:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
zest from 2 lemons, divided (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the glaze)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups raspberries (I used frozen)

For the glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
1/2 teaspoon reserved lemon zest
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, salt, and sugar.
Add the egg and mix until smooth.
Switch to the dough hook on a stand mixer (or a wooden spoon if mixing by hand), and add the flour, yeast and 1 1/8 cups of the buttermilk.
Mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a ball and clears the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 10-12 minutes (12-15 if kneading by hand) until the dough is smooth and silky, a bit tacky but not sticky at all. If it’s very sticky, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time, if it’s very dry and not coming together add a bit more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time.
Move the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
Allow it to rise for about 2 hours until it doubles in size.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and granulated sugar for the filling and set aside.
Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly oiled counter.
Roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick rectangle, about 12 by 14 inches.
With a rubber spatula, spread the filling over the dough, leaving 1/4 inch space around the edges.
Sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the filling.
Starting from one long side, roll the dough up into a log, keeping it even as you roll. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers and lay the log seam side down on the counter.
Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 12 even pieces.
Place the rolls, cut side down, in a 9x13 inch pan and cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap.
At this point, you can either refrigerate the rolls for up to 2 days, pulling them out 3-4 hours before baking to let them proof, or let them proof (rise) at room temperature immediately for about 90 minutes, or until the the rolls have doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
While the rolls are baking, make the glaze.
With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar and whip again until smooth.
Set aside, covered tightly with plastic wrap.
When the sweet rolls are finished baking, allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then spread the lemon cream cheese icing over top of the warm rolls. Serve warm.
Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered tightly. They reheat well in the microwave.

Notes

There are several options with the rising and baking of these. You can shape the rolls and then refrigerate for up to two days, pulling them out 3-4 hours before baking to allow them to rise. Or you can let them rise immediately after shaping and then refrigerate for up to 2 days, pulling them out and allowing them to come to room temperature, 30-60 minutes, before baking. Or you can let them rise immediately after shaping and then bake right away.

Source: Adapted from my Chocolate Orange Sweet Rolls.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 269mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 3gSugar: 27gProtein: 7g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.

Sandra

Monday 6th of June 2022

How do I get on your mailing list to receive recipes?

Stacey

Tuesday 7th of June 2022

You can sign up for my newsletter here: https://bake-eat-repeat.com/subscribe/

Rochelle

Monday 2nd of May 2022

These were delicious but I did have to tweak the recipe a bit. I found myself adding a good amount of flour because my dough was so sticky. I thought they were going to turn out dense but they were so fluffy! I also used active yeast and let it bloom in milk before adding to the mixer. The lemon glaze was tart enough for me with just the juice so I left the zest out. Overall, delicious treat!

Jennifer

Sunday 24th of January 2021

This might be a silly questions but I am knew to baking and I am a little confused on how to do the yeast. Do I add it dry to the egg and sugar mixture or do I need to mix it before hand with water? Hope to hear back from you soon.

I use instant yeast for this recipe so it is added dry at the same time as the flour. Instant yeast doesn’t need to be activated before using it, so it is always added with the dry ingredients.

If all you have is active dry yeast, use 2 1/2 teaspoons and dissolve it in 1/2 cup of warm milk(should be very warm but not hot to the touch) and let it sit for about five minutes until it looks foamy. Then add this mixture with the flour and the buttermilk. You will need to decrease the buttermilk you add to account for the 1/2 cup of warm milk used to dissolve the yeast.

Peggy Stoltz

Tuesday 4th of September 2018

Do you leave the raspberry frozen?

Yes you use them frozen in the rolls, you don't thaw them first.

Sunday 11th of December 2016

Hi, is it okay to make the dough the night before or should it not sit longer than 2 hours?

stacey

You can make it the night before. Just let it rise at room temperature for the 2 hours it takes to double, then punch it down, cover and refrigerate overnight. Or you can shape the rolls and then cover and refrigerate overnight if you like, it will be fine either way. You'll want to let it come back to room temperature (about an hour) before shaping the rolls though, or if they're shaped, add in some time for the second rise as they'll need to come to room temp before they rise.