Spring is here and there is nothing better than making some fresh rolls to make the house smell amazing. What’s even more amazing? Pulling out these amazing lemon blueberry cinnamon rolls from the oven and letting that smell take over the entire place.
I don’t know what it is about lemon, but for me it always just smells fresh and clean. I feel like I just cleaned the entire house, when really all I did was make an even bigger mess than I had before I started. I really have to clean the whole house before I bake or cook anything because I know it is going to get real messy once I start this process.
As you know, we have a major crush on making home made rolls, so when we came across these lemon blueberry cinnamon rolls we couldn’t pass them up. Trying new ways to bake your favorite things is always an adventure that I am not willing to pass up on.
Lemon Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe Type: easy
Cuisine: dessert rolls
Author:
Serves: 11 rolls
Soft & fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls filled with juicy blueberries and covered in a sweet lemon glaze. These are unbelievable!
Ingredients
- ROLLS
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package Red Star Platinum Yeast or any instant yeast* (1 packet = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (cow’s milk – I used skim)
- 2.5 Tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- FILLING
- 1 and 1/3 cups (225g) frozen* blueberries, not thawed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- SWEET LEMON GLAZE
- Juice from 1 large lemon*
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar (or more)
- 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) half-and-half (or heavy cream or milk)
Instructions
- Make the filling first: Combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Gently toss around and let sit while you prepare the dough.
- Make the dough: Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.
- Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 115-120F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and gently spread them to cover the dough surface. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2-3 hours. Here is what I do: heat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise. *Do not* refrigerate the rolls at any point during or after rising.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. I covered the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning.
- Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your blueberry rolls with glaze. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and then add salt to cut the sweetness, if desired. If you’d like it thinner, add more lemon juice or cream. Pour over sweet rolls.
- Makes 11 cinnamon rolls. Rolls are best enjoyed the same day, but stay fresh and soft in a covered container for 5 days. Glaze the rolls immediately before serving. The recipe may be made the night before through step 5. Allow the rolls to stay at room temperature before baking.
- Additional Notes:
- *Overnight: The dough may be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and let rise, about 1 hour.
- *If you replace Red Star Platinum with regular active dry yeast, you rise time may be 50% longer.
- *You must use frozen (not fresh) blueberries in this recipe.
- *Leave out the lemon juice if you do not prefer lemon glaze. Replace with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
