Soft Lemon Rolls with Poppy Seeds

Autumn has been a bit of a wild one so far here in NZ! Wellington has had some intense flooding recently. We were really lucky and avoided the worst of it but there were a few very very wet days. This week has been back to beautiful sunshine though, and I feel like that fits today’s recipe perfectly. Meet my lemon poppy seed rolls. The dough is enriched with butter, eggs, and an extra yolk, which gives it this really soft and pillowy crumb. It’s also so lovely to work with once it’s kneaded. Super supple and smooth.

The filling is a creamed butter and lemon sugar paste that melts into the dough as it bakes. I actually used to make these with lemon curd that I rolled up in the dough. It tasted great but it was so messy to put together lol. The butter and sugar filling is so much easier to work with, and I think the result is actually better. I love the combo of lemon and poppy seed, the seeds add this lovely nutty crunch that goes really nicely with the soft bread.

Getting the lemon flavour right

Lemon is a flavour that fades a bit in the oven, so it’s a good idea to layer it in through a few different ways to make sure it carries through after baking. There is zest in the dough, zest in the filling, and then juice in the frosting. I like using Yen Ben lemons, or another variety with lots of flavour in the peel, the ones that smell like lemon skittles when they're zested! I avoid Meyer lemons for this recipe, the zest tastes quite bland and doesn’t make these rolls lemony enough.

For step-by-step photos, head to the full post on my Baking with Butter blog.

Makes 12 big rolls

Dough

• 240g (1 cup) whole milk, warmed to 35-40°C / 95-104°F

• 2¼ tsp instant or active dry yeast

• 65g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar

• 530g (4¼ cups) all-purpose flour, minimum 11% protein

• 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, room temp

• 2 tbsp poppy seeds

• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp salt

• 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temp

Lemon sugar butter filling

• 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft

• 130g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp lemon zest

• Pinch of salt

Lemon cream cheese frosting

• 85g (3 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temp

• 55g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temp

• 150g (1¼ cups) powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Pinch of salt

The cup measurements in this recipe are US cups. For the most reliable results, weigh your ingredients in grams rather than using cups. Personally I always bake in grams, it's just so much more accurate and one less thing to think about.

Start by getting the dough going. Warm the milk to 35-40°C / 95-104°F and pour it into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the top. If you’re using active dry yeast give it 5-10 minutes to turn foamy before moving on. Instant yeast can go straight ahead, but if you’re not sure how fresh it is it’s worth giving it a few minutes anyway just to make sure it’s still active.

Add the flour, eggs, extra yolk, poppy seeds, lemon zest, and salt. Fit the dough hook and mix on low until a thick dough forms, around 5 minutes, then stop and let it rest for 5 minutes. This gives the flour time to hydrate and makes everything that follows easier.

Mix on medium-low for 5 minutes, then start adding the butter a tablespoon at a time with the mixer still running. Wait for each piece to disappear into the dough before adding the next. Once it’s all in, turn the speed up to medium and keep going for another 10 or so minutes. The dough needs to become smooth and slightly glossy, and clearing the sides of the bowl. Rest the dough for 5 minutes then do a windowpane test, stretching a small piece slowly between your fingers until you can see light through it without it tearing.

Shape the dough into a ball, transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and leave somewhere warm for 1½ to 2 hours until doubled.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and salt together until pale and creamy. The smell at this point is incredible. Leave it at room temperature so it stays spreadable.

Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 30x40cm (12x16 inch) rectangle with the long side facing you. Spread the filling evenly across the dough, leaving a 2cm (1 inch) border along the far edge. Roll it up tightly from the edge closest to you and pinch the seam to seal.

Cut the log into 12 equal pieces. Dental floss gives the cleanest cut here, just loop it under the log, cross the ends over the top, and pull. A sharp serrated knife works too but the dough is pretty soft so it can tear quite easily.

Place the rolls cut side up in a lined 9x13 inch (23x33cm) pan with a little space between each one, cover loosely, and leave to proof in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes until puffy, just touching, and springing back slowly when you press them gently.

Near the end of the proof, preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F standard oven.

Bake for 25-28 minutes until deeply golden. If they’re colouring too fast on top, lay a piece of foil loosely over them after the first 15 minutes.

Leave them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before you make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth, then add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and salt and beat until creamy. Spread generously over the warm rolls and get them on the table straight away.

Note: To make these the night before, refrigerate the dough after the first rise for up to 16 hours. The next morning let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling and shaping. It might take a bit longer for the second rise.

Happy baking!