Lemon Berry Sweet Buns with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

It may take some planning to make soft, fluffy sweet buns from scratch, but isn’t it ALWAYS worth the effort? This recipe is a good one because the sweet roll dough is super easy to work with and after the first rise, you just roll it out and sprinkle it with the lemon sugar filling and fresh berries. Gild the lily with a tangy sweet lemon cream cheese glaze. These sweet, tangy, gooey, lemon berry breakfast rolls are perfect for weekend brunching.

Nothing makes people happier than when you pull out a big platter of homemade  sweet buns. The luscious fillings, the sweet glaze — they’re like a siren call to even the most curmudgeonly folk. With spring soon approaching, I can think of several holidays that call for a showstopper dish like this one. Easter comes to mind… and Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. 4th of July. A random weekend when you’re bored and just want something sweet… you know what I’m saying. Sure, serve up the eggs and bacon with a side of fruit, but don’t forget a sweet treat for dessert.

Ingredients For Sweet Roll Dough

• All Purpose Flour
• Sugar
• Yeast
• Nonfat Dry Milk (I used powdered Carnation)
• Salt
• Large Egg + Water To Measure 1 Cup
• Vanilla
• Butter

The basic sweet roll dough is adapted from the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook.  What I like about this sweet roll dough is it’s VERY straightforward.  All of the ingredients go into a bowl, it gets mixed and you let it rise. Easy.

Making Sweet Roll Dough

1. Measure out the dry ingredients and add them to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
2. Crack an egg into a one cup glass measure.
3. Fill the remainder of the measuring cup with water until it measures one cup.
4. Add the vanilla and butter to the bowl and mix in the stand mixer or by hand until you have a soft, smooth dough.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean dish towel to rise until doubled in size (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

While the  sweet roll dough is rising, make the luscious lemon berry filling.

Ingredients For Lemon Berry Filling

• Softened Butter (for spreading on the dough)
• Sugar
• Lemon Zest
• Cardamom
• Powdered Vanilla (optional)
• Mixed Berries

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices — it doesn’t take center stage very often, but it’s subtle sweet and floral flavor and aroma make it the perfect choice for the lemon berry filling in these sweet buns. Cinnamon would overpower the delicate flavors where cardamom doesn’t. Also making an appearance is the powdered vanilla.  Vanilla extract won’t work in this application, so if you don’t have any, you can skip it.  But if you do — you definitely want it.  It adds a warmth and roundness to the buns so they’re not overly tart.

Prepping Lemon Berry Filling

1. Leave the butter on the counter to come to room temperature. The butter will be spread over the sweet roll dough before adding the lemon sugar.
2. Make the sweet filling by combining the sugar, lemon zest, cardamom and powdered vanilla in a bowl and mix until you have a sandy looking mixture. Set aside.
3. Rinse the berries and cut them into small bite-sized pieces.  Blueberries generally don’t need to be cut, but strawberries can be pretty big. Chop the fruit so they are about equal in size.

When the sweet roll dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You want to get it to about 11″ x 20″ or if you’re limited on counter space, like I am, you can roll out two sheets of dough into 11″ x 10″. (Note: if you’re new to working with pastry, this might be easier to manage, anyway.)

Filling the Sweet Buns with Lemon Berry Filling

1. Spread the softened butter in an even layer over the pastry, leaving one inch uncovered on the long side facing you. {I use a large, offset spatula for this.}
2. Sprinkle the lemon sugar filling evenly over the butter layer.
3. Evenly distribute the berries over the sugar.
4. Carefully fold the long side over and begin to roll the dough into a cylinder. Finish with the seam side down.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into equal sized pieces.  {The easiest method for this is to cut the dough in half, then cut each half in half and so on. Each piece should be about 1 to 1 1/2″ wide.

Baking The Sweet Rolls

1. Place the lemon berry sweet buns into a prepared baking pan (works well in a 13″ x 9″ pan or two 9″ cake pans).
2. Cover with a dish towel to rise for an hour
3. Bake until lightly golden brown. If you’re oven has hot spots, rotate the rolls about halfway through baking, to ensure even cooking.

For Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

While the rolls are in the oven, it’s time to make the lemon cream cheese glaze. This sweet-tart topping is the perfect gooey crown for the rolls. Lightly sweet with just enough tang to know that “it’s lemon”, this glaze is thick, but not too thick. It’s pourable and spreadable.

1. Use a hand mixer to  beat the room temperature cream cheese until it’s smooth and creamy.
2. Add the lemon juice and powdered sugar and beat again until smooth. Set aside.

When the lemon berry sweet buns have cooled turn them out onto a serving platter or cake platter and pour the lemon cream cheese glaze evenly over the top.  Use an offset spatula to gently spread the topping over the rolls, so that it oozes over the sides.

These rolls won’t last once they’re served. Guaranteed. In fact, I shared this batch with my landscapers who were installing a new Sylvester palm tree in my front yard (it took a heavy piece of construction equipment and 5 guys to get the behemoth into the spot). During a break, I set out a platter with the sticky buns and asked for their honest feedback.  There wasn’t a crumb left on the plate if that tells you anything.

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Lemon Berry Sticky Buns

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, breakfast, brunch, sweet rolls

Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Proofing Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 349kcal

A lemon scented sweet roll with bits of fresh berry sprinkled throughout.  Great for spring and summer brunching.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Instant Yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg + water to measure 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature.

FOR LEMON BERRY FILLING

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 lemons zested
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered vanilla (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup strawberries cut into a small dice
• 1/2 cup blueberries

FOR CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

• 1/2 cup cream cheese softened to room temperature
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 lemons juiced

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dough and mix and knead until the dough is soft and smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl and shape the dough into a ball. Place it in the bowl and cover with a clean dish towel for 1 1/2 hours to rise, or until the dough is almost doubled.
• While the dough is proofing, make the filling: Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften.  Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, powdered vanilla (if using) and cardamom.  Stir together until it's well combined and is the consistency of wet sand.  Set aside.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 13 x 9" pan or two 8" cake pans. Spray the pans with vegetable spray and place the parchment on the bottom of the pan, pressing so it sticks.  Spray the bottom of the parchment with vegetable spray and set aside.
• When the dough has proofed, roll it out into a rectangle measuring 11 x 20 inches. Spread the softened butter over all of the dough except for one inch running along the long edge. 
• Sprinkle the lemon sugar over the butter and spread over the dough evenly. Spread the lemon sugar evenly with the strawberries and blueberries. 
• Starting with the long edge that Is buttered and sugared, roll the dough into a pinwheel. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough in half at the center.  Divide each of those halves into 6 to 8 equal pieces. Do the same with the other half of dough and transfer the buns to the prepared pan 
• If there's any lemon sugar that falls out of the dough while rolling and shaping, sprinkle it over the rolls. Let the rolls rise a second time, about an hour or until they are very light and puffy. 
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, add the lemon juice and confectioner's sugar and beat until very smooth. Set aside.
• When the rolls are done, let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then top with cream cheese glaze, spreading evenly over the rolls. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 7.1% | Vitamin C: 28.2% | Calcium: 4.5% | Iron: 11.7%

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