These Lemon Raspberry Rolls are made with a soft and fluffy lemon milk bread dough, filled with homemade raspberry jam, then topped with cream cheese, lemon curd, and raspberry jam.
These Lemon Raspberry Rolls are perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat, or even a dessert. They're soft, fluffy, sweet, tangy, zesty, and a little tart from the raspberry jam. The Milk Bread Dough is adapted from my Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls recipe. It's absolutely the best dough for rolls.
For more lemon or raspberry bakes, try Raspberry Almond Cake, Lemon Curd Buns, Lemon Butter Cake, and Lemon Bundt Cake, and Shortbread Lemon Blondies
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Milk Bread Dough: This Lemon Raspberry Rolls recipe is made using a soft and fluffy Tangzhong milk bread dough that creates the softest rolls with a pillowy texture.
Lemon Curd: These sweet rolls are topped with homemade lemon curd that is so zesty, tangy, and sweet.
Raspberry Jam: The homemade raspberry jam filling creates a delicious sweet and tart flavor that balances the sweet cream cheese frosting and lemon curd.
What is Tangzhong?
Tangzhong is a an Asian method that pre-cooks a small part of the liquid and flour of the recipe into a roux-like consistency, then adding it to the remainder of the ingredients before kneading into a dough. It helps the dough mixture absorb more liquid, which then yields a softer dough, making it last longer. For more detailed information, King Arthur Baking has a great post.
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Ingredient Notes
The Milk Bread dough comes together with few basic dough ingredients.
Tangzhong Milk Bread Dough
- Bread flour: I love using King Arthur Baking Bread Flour because it has a higher protein content which then yields more gluten. It can also absorb more liquid than regular all purpose flour, and we are all about that in this rolls recipe!
- Whole milk: I love using whole milk in my rolls because it contains more fat than 2% or other milks. If you're in a pinch, you can use a lesser fatty milk.
- Yeast: I like using active dry yeast to first activate the yeast before adding it to my dough mixture.
- Sugar: For both the yeast mixture as well as to sweeten the dough.
- Lemon: to add some lemon flavor to the dough, we zest two whole lemons.
- Butter: I like using melted butter with the first knead, and then softened butter for the second knead for a more enriched dough. It's best to use unsalted butter.
- Eggs: whole eggs to add more fat and richness to the dough.
- Salt: To add flavor.
Raspberry Jam
- Frozen Raspberries: I love using frozen raspberries for jams because it can be made all year. If you have fresh raspberries, feel free to use them.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is needed to sweeten the jam.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps thicken the mixture.
- Lemon: Zest of one whole lemon and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice from the lemon.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese: Full-fat block cream cheese. Make sure it's cold out of the fridge.
- Butter: Softened, unsalted butter.
- Vanilla & salt: Both are for flavor and to compliment sweetness.
- Powdered sugar: To sweeten and create a frosting texture.
Lemon Curd
One batch of Lemon Curd.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-step instructions
Make the Tangzhong:
Weigh out your flour and milk and and add them to a sauce pan or small pot. Next, place the pan on medium heat and whisk to combine, then continue whisking until it forms a roux-like consistency. Place the Tangzhong paste in a bowl and set it aside to cool.
Make the milk bread dough
Make the Yeast mixture: In a small bowl, add warm milk, activated yeast and sugar and mix. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast activates and becomes foamy.
Combine bread flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, salt, yeast mixture and Tangzhong paste in the bowl of a standing mixture and knead using a dough hook for at least 10-15 minutes.
Then, slowly add the softened butter and knead for at least another 10-20 minutes. The mixture should look like the picture below. The dough should be smooth and silky.
Tip: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let proof for at least an hour.
Trick: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I'm in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it's especially cold.
Make the Toppings & Shape
Make the Raspberry Jam: In a medium sauce pan, add frozen raspberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and place over medium heat. Stir all ingredients together frequently and let it come to a boil, then let it boil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to thicken. Turn off the heat and let the jam cool completely. You can make this ahead.
Shape the lemon Raspberry Rolls: Flour your surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 16x20 or so). It doesn't have to be perfect, but generally in the shape of a rectangle and a pretty large one.
Spread the raspberry jam all over the dough and spread it out. You can reserve a couple tablespoon for the topping if you'd like. Add some frozen raspberries (optional)
Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 long strips (as pictured in the post), then start rolling them.
Line rolls in the baking pan and cover loosely with saran wrap and let rise for an hour.
Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (could take a few minutes longer). Depending on your oven, you might need to cover the rolls with aluminum foil halfway through baking so the inside can cook but to prevent the outside from burning.
Hint: If you aren't sure if the rolls are baked through, you can use a digital cooking thermometer to check for doneness. The thermometer should read 190° or above.
Make the Cream Cheese frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth, for about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined, then add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until each addition is incorporated, and beat for a few minutes until it's very smooth.
Make the Lemon Curd: Use my Small Batch Lemon Curd Recipe for full instructions.
Substitutions
Lemon Curd: Instead of making your own, you could buy store-bought. You'll need about ½ cup or so. Unless you want more.
Raspberry Jam: You can buy store-bought raspberry jam for this recipe. You'll need about 1 cup of raspberry jam.
Variations
Lemon Strawberry Rolls: Instead of raspberry jam, you can sub it with strawberry jam. Strawberries and lemon go so well together.
Lemon Blueberry Rolls: A blueberry jam would be delicious. We all know how well blueberries and lemon go together.
Omit cream cheese: You can completely leave out the cream cheese and just frost with lemon curd and raspberry jam.
Equipment
Kitchen scale: This recipe requires measuring with a kitchen scale, so this tool is non-negotiable. It's very important for accurate measurements for the dough.
Stand mixer: Using a stand mixer is not required but it is highly recommended. Kneading the dough for 20-30 minutes by hand will be a chore. It could be done, but it will require a lot of elbow grease.
9x13 metal baking pan: My favorite brand of baking pans is USA pans. I highly recommend a light colored metal baking pan. They cook evenly and don't burn or brown the baked goods too much.
Storage
Room temperature: The Lemon Raspberry Rolls will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days, covered tightly.
Fridge: Wrap in airtight container and store for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Pro Tips
Weigh your ingredients. There’s no way around it. Using a kitchen scale will yield the most accurate measurements for both dry and liquid ingredients called for in this recipe.
Don’t skip the tangzhong method! It may seem daunting if you’ve never tried it before, but don’t skip it. It’s incredibly important and absolutely worth it!
Don’t skimp out on the kneading time. Kneading the dough develops the gluten, and creates the soft and silky dough.
Don’t add more flour! At first, you’ll be tempted because it will look as though the dough is wet and not coming together, but that is why it’s so important to knead, knead, knead! Let the dough knead for at least 10-15 minutes. Add the softened butter, then knead again for 10-20 minutes and it should all come together perfectly!
Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I'm in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it's especially cold.
FAQ
My favorite way to measure my ingredients for almost all recipes is using a scale. This particular recipe I find best when I use the absolute exact measurements, especially the flour to milk ratio. Because of that, I prefer that this recipe be measured out using a scale, so I did not give an option for cup measurements as that can really change the recipe if not measured correctly.
With this recipe, yes! It was tested out specifically with this method, and it is so important to achieve that soft and fluffy rolls that will stay delicious for days.
Absolutely, but be prepared to use a lot of elbow grease. It will probably take much longer than 10 minutes per kneading process, so just be warned!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Raspberry Rolls
Equipment
- 1 9x13 metal pan
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Stand mixer
Ingredients
Tangzhong Paste
- 100g whole milk
- 25g bread flour
Yeast Mixture
- 212g whole milk 110°
- 1 package active dry yeast 7g
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Rolls Dough
- 485g bread flour
- 70g granulated sugar
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter melted
- 42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
Homemade Raspberry Jam
- 2 cups (12 oz.) frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese cold or room temperature
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Lemon Curd
Instructions
Tangzhong Paste
- Add milk and flour into a sauce pan over medium heat.100g whole milk, 25g bread flour
- Whisk the mixture until it comes together and thickens (see image in post). Remove from heat and add to a bowl and let cool.
Yeast Mixture
- Combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a bowl, stir and let sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast activates and foams.212g whole milk, 1 package active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar
Lemon Rolls Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixture, add bread flour, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, salt and melted butter, yeast mixture, and Tangzhong Paste. Using a hook attachment, knead the dough for at least 10-15 minutes.485g bread flour, 70g granulated sugar, zest of 2 lemons, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon salt, 42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- After 10 minutes, slowly add in the softened butter, then knead for another 10-20 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic and as pictured in the post.42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- Add the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for at least an hour until doubled in size.
Homemade Raspberry Jam (make ahead at least a few hours)
- This jam will make a little over a cup. You can reserve a tablespoon or 2 for topping if you'd like.In a medium sauce pan, add frozen raspberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and place over medium heat. Stir all ingredients together frequently and let it come to a boil, then let it boil for 5-7 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the jam cool completely. You can strain the jam if you don't want the seeds. This jam can be made and refrigerated overnight until ready to use.2 cups (12 oz.) frozen raspberries, ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon
Shaping the Lemon Raspberry Rolls
- Grease a 9x13 baking pan with melted butter and set aside. Or line it with parchment paper (my favorite method)
- Flour your surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 16x20 or so). It doesn't have to be perfect, but generally in the shape of a rectangle and a pretty large one.
- Spread the raspberry jam all over the dough and spread it out. You can reserve a couple tablespoon for the topping if you'd like. Add some frozen raspberries over the spread out raspberry jams (optional)
- Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 long strips (as pictured in the post), then start rolling them.
- Line rolls in the baking pan and cover loosely with saran wrap and let rise for an hour.
Baking the Rolls
- halfway through second rise, Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (could take a few minutes longer). Depending on your oven, you might need to cover the rolls with aluminum foil halfway through baking so the inside can cook but to prevent the outside from burning.
- If you aren't sure if the rolls are baked through, you can use a cooking thermometer to check for doneness. The thermometer should read 190° or above.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth, for about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined, then add the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until smooth.4 oz. cream cheese, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt
Topping
- Once out of the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then top with cream cheese frosting, dollops of lemon curd, and the remainder of the raspberry jam. Enjoy warm or room temperature.Small Batch Lemon Curd Recipe
Storage
- The Lemon Raspberry Rolls will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days, covered tightly.
- You can warm them for a 15 seconds in the microwave before eating, if you like.
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