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–+ servings
overhead shot of lemon rolls in pie pan with a napkin, forks, lemons, flowers, lemon curd, and plates

Small Batch Lemon Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze

5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Author: Traci Crossland
Bright, summery, extra lemon-y, perfectly sweet, and so delicious! That's the perfect way to describe these easy Small Batch Lemon Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze.

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter

Rolls

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg

Lemon Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Lemon Curd

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon and zest.
  • Place over the top of a pot of simmering water.
  • Cook, stirring constantly, until curd has thickened to a pudding consistency.
  • Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
  • Stir in butter.
  • Cover and refrigerate.

Rolls

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and lemon zest. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, combine butter and milk.
  • Heat to 120-130 degrees F.
  • With the mixer running, slowly add milk mixture to flour mixture.
  • When combined, add egg.
  • Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  • Place in a lidded container that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Allow to proof 1 1/2-2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
  • While dough is rising, spray, spray an 8-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Turn out onto lightly flour surface.
  • Roll into a rectangle 1/4" thick.
  • Spread dough with lemon curd, going all the way to the edges.
  • Cut dough into 1 1/2" strips.
  • Beginning with short side, roll up into rolls.
  • Place rolls is prepared pan.
  • Cover and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled.
  • While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Bake fully proofed rolls 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Lemon Glaze

  • In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice.
  • Beat with a whisk or an electric mixer until smooth.
  • Drizzle over cooled rolls.

Notes

  • You can melt butter first and then add milk.
  • If milk mixture gets too hot, don't worry! Allow it to cool to 120-130 degrees before pouring it into the dry ingredients.
  • You could also proof the dough in glass bowl covered with plastic wrap.
  • Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into strips before rolling. Or roll the dough as one large roll and then use a sharp knife or a piece of plain-unflavored dental floss to cut into rolls!
  • If you want the dough/rolls to proof faster, place them near something warm like the oven!
  • The curd may burn before the rolls are done baking. Cover with foil to prevent over-browning/burning of the curd.

Nutrition

Serving: 1RollCalories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 9gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 259mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 796IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.