Lemon and Blueberry Rolls!

Deliciously sweet, soft and zingy lemon & blueberry sweet rolls just like you get in a bakery!

Sweet rolls

There’s something so comforting about a warm, soft sweet roll, and these lemon and blueberry ones truly deliver that bakery-style experience. Ever since the rise (no pun intended) of my homemade cinnamon rolls I have been baking new and different sweet rolls due to popular demand amongst my family and friends – I have so many recipes… such as sticky chocolate sweet rolls and Biscoff rolls.

But for this recipe I wanted something that felt bright and summery, yet still indulgent enough to enjoy all year round. The pairing of lemon and blueberry felt like an obvious choice, and once I tested it, I knew I had found a winner. Every roll is sweet, soft, and full of flavour, making them ideal for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon treat.

Even if sweet doughs intimidate you, this recipe is truly approachable. Following the method as written and weighing ingredients accurately makes all the difference in achieving that perfect texture. Plus, you get twelve large rolls for the price of what two would cost at a bakery, which makes the process even sweeter.

Dough

The dough calls for the usual simple ingredients of strong white bread flour, unsalted butter, caster sugar, yeast, whole milk and not forgetting the egg. As soon as someone sees the word ‘knead’ in a recipe they panic but there is really no need with this simple bake. I personally use a stand mixer to help with this however hand kneading can be so therapeutic its enjoyable.

• Flour – strong white bread flour is best for our sweet dough, plain flour or self-raising isn’t required as we are adding dried yeast to the mix.
• Yeast – Dried yeast packets are available in most supermarkets. We are adding this to the dry ingredients and using the lemon, milk and butter to activate.
• Sugar – I use caster sugar as this creates the best dough texture, you can use other sugars but fine granule sugars like caster or granulated will work best.
• Butter – Unsalted, cold and cubed to help create the breadcrumb texture between our fingertips before adding the wet ingredients.
• Lemons – the zesty flavour of the lemons will punch into the sweet dough and provide that summery flavour before we have even added the blueberries.
• Milk – I heat the milk until it is just about to begin steaming, this will be enough temperature to activate the yeast and create the perfect rise.
• Eggs – I use good quality free range eggs, traditionally I use medium eggs but for this recipe use one large.

Knead

Kneading is where the dough transforms from rough and shaggy into something beautifully smooth and stretchy. Using the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you, then folding it back and repeating, helps develop the gluten. About ten minutes of kneading by hand is all it takes to achieve the ideal texture.

If you’re using a stand mixer, you’ll only need around five to seven minutes with the dough hook. The dough should come together cleanly from the sides of the bowl and feel bouncy when pressed. This springiness tells you the gluten has developed well and the structure will be perfect for soft, fluffy rolls.

Once kneaded, placing the dough into a lightly oiled bowl helps prevent sticking during the rise. Covering it with clingfilm and leaving it somewhere warm gives the yeast time to work its magic. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this first prove may take one to two hours, but it is absolutely worth the wait.

Lemon and blueberry

Adding zest from two lemons directly into the dough gives the rolls a subtle brightness from the very first bite. The filling, made from lemon zest, sugar, melted butter and vanilla, provides that irresistible sweet and zesty sand-like texture. Once the blueberries are layered over the top, everything comes together into a burst of summery flavour.

The balance between lemon and blueberry is one of the best things about this recipe. The zest brings sharpness while the blueberries provide juicy pockets throughout the rolls, and neither overpowers the other. Every bite feels refreshing, sweet and perfectly balanced thanks to the mix of fruit and citrus.

Rolling the dough tightly helps keep the blueberries in place and gives you a beautiful swirl once the rolls are sliced. Cutting the longer roll into twelve even pieces ensures every roll bakes evenly and rises consistently. Once placed into the baking dish, they already look incredibly inviting, even before baking.

Baking and serving

After a second rise of about an hour, the rolls will look visibly puffier and softer. Baking them at 180°C allows the tops to turn a gorgeous golden colour while the centres stay fluffy and tender. You’ll know they’re done when the tops spring back lightly and the dough feels set throughout.

Allowing the rolls to cool fully helps the structure settle and makes the icing easier to apply. The simple lemon icing, made from lemon juice, icing sugar and a small amount of water, brings everything together. It drizzles beautifully over the rolls and enhances the zesty flavours without making them overly sweet.

Savoury rolls

I love making all the sweet/savoury rolls recipes with friends as we tend to use the tear and share technique… not that the bakes last very long. These are the perfect fruity sweet treats! You can have them for breakfast, as a sweet treat or sometimes a minute’s peace with one of these and a cup of tea can make everything that bit better. 

For chocolate lovers, adding white chocolate chips with raspberries creates a richer, dessert-like roll. Alternatively, a simple cinnamon sugar filling will always remain a firm favourite. Sweet rolls are the perfect canvas for experimenting, and once you master the dough, there are endless flavours to try.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even explore savoury versions, I love making garlic bread rolls, marmite and cheese rolls and who doesn’t love pizza rolls?!? They make an amazing snack or side dish, and they share the same satisfying tear-and-share style. The buttery, cheesy, savoury fillings transforms the dough into something hearty and comforting, perfect for dinners or gatherings.

Tips & tricks

• If you want to prep these the day before so that they can indeed be perfect for something such as breakfast, do the second prove in the fridge. Prep the dough, shape and fill the dough and place into your baking dish. Cover with clingfilm and prove overnight in the fridge (it just slows down the process a lot!) and then take out 20 minutes before placing into the oven for baking.
• You don’t have to include the blueberries into the rolls, but I love the lemon & blueberry combination – You could swap it out for another berry, but remember that some berries produce more water than others!
• If you are using frozen fruit then put them in still frozen, thawing them might make them produce too much liquid, but if you do thaw them then make sure they’re dry before they’re put into the dough.
• These are best eaten on the day of baking, but they will last covered in the fridge for 3 days – or covered overnight at room temperature.

Lemon and Blueberry Rolls!

Deliciously sweet, soft and zingy lemon & blueberry sweet rolls just like you get in a bakery!

Print Pin Rate

Category: Bread

Type: Bread Rolls

Keyword: Blueberry, Lemon

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Proving/Cooling Time: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 5 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 buns

Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

The Dough

• 600 g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 14 g dried yeast
• 75 g caster sugar
• 90 g unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 275 ml whole milk
• 1 large egg

The Filling

• 45 g unsalted butter melted
• 150 g caster sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 225 g blueberries

The Topping

• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

• Sift the strong white bread flour into a large bowl then add the caster sugar and yeast and mix until evenly distributed
• Rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you're feeling lazy, then whizz these ingredients in a food processor until breadcrumbs
• Zest the two lemons and add to the dry mixture
• Heat the milk gently until warm, it should just about start stemaming in the pan.
• Mix the milk and the egg into dough and mix/knead for 7-10 minutes. I use my KitchenAid with the dough hook, it only takes 5-7 minutes to knead! It should spring back when touched
• Move to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm
• Leave in a warm place and leave to rise for 1-2 hours. I made these on a relatively chilly day so it took the full two hours
• Whilst the bread is proving you can make the lemon sugar - zest the two lemons and mix this with the caster sugar and vanilla extract until a sand like texture is formed
• Leave to the side
• Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl and roll out onto a lightly floured work surface. I rolled mine to 50cmX30cm. (20"X12")
• Gently brush the surface with the melted butter, then sprinkle on the Lemon Sugar and the blueberries so they are even across the dough.
• Roll from the long side to the long side (so that a 50cm sausage is formed, you roll the 30cm length)
• Cut this into 12 pieces and place into an oven proof dish. I used a rectangular dish 30cmX24cm (12"X9.5")
• Cover again and leave to rise for 1 hour
• Towards the end of the hour heat the oven to 180ºc
• Once the hour is up, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through
• Leave to cool
• Once cooled, mix the topping ingredients together and drizzle onto the sweet buns

Notes

• I use this 9x13" tray bake tin
• If you want to prep these the day before so that they can indeed be perfect for something such as breakfast, do the second prove in the fridge. Prep the dough, shape and fill the dough and place into your baking dish. Cover with clingfilm and prove overnight in the fridge (it just slows down the process a lot!) and then take out 20 minutes before placing into the oven for baking.
• You don't have to include the blueberries into the rolls, but I love the lemon & blueberry combination - You could swap it out for another berry, but remember that some berries produce more water than others!
• If you are using frozen fruit then put them in still frozen, thawing them might make them produce too much liquid, but if you do thaw them then make sure they're dry before they're put into the dough.
• These are best eaten on the day of baking, but they will last covered in the fridge for 3 days - or covered overnight at room temperature.