Lemon Buns

5 from 3 votes

Sweet lemon-scented rolls with cream cheese frosting, these are like a cinnamon roll gone rogue!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Proofing time1 10

Total Time2 5

Course: Afternoon Tea, Breads, Breakfast, Dessert, Morning Tea, Snack

Cuisine: American, Australian, Western

Keyword: lemon buns, lemon cream cheese rolls, lemon rolls, lemon sweet rolls

Servings: buns

Calories: 467kcal

Mix the milk and sugar together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the yeast over the top and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
3/4 cup whole milk, 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Put the flour, eggs, salt and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Give the yeast mixture a stir and tip into the bowl. Mix on low speed to combine everything for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth and glossy, about 6 minutes. The dough will be very soft, so don’t worry if it doesn’t pull away from the sides of the bowl easily.
4 cups all-purpose flour, 3 eggs, 1 tsp fine salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Set your oven to dough proofing setting (or steam-only setting, if you don’t have dough proofing), 38ºC/100ºF. Put the uncovered bowl in the oven for 40 minutes, after which the dough should have doubled in size.

While the dough proves, make the filling by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips. Mix in the soft butter and set aside.
2 lemons, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 6 Tbsp unsalted butter

When the dough has finished the first prove, scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured bench. Gently press to knock out any large air bubbles, then roll it into a rectangle about 40cm/16 inches wide and 30cm/12 inches long.
Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, gently spread the butter and sugar mixture all over the dough, leaving a half inch of space on one of the long edges.
Roll the dough up tightly from the other long side, so you have a 40cm/16 inch long spiral. Put the entire roll into the fridge for 40 minutes or the freezer for 20 minutes; this makes it much easier to slice into pretty buns.
Carefully cut the chilled dough into 12 even pieces with a serrated knife. Lightly grease your baking pan, or line with parchment paper, and arrange the rolls evenly into it.

Set oven to dough proving setting (or steam only setting) again, 38ºC/100ºF. Put the uncovered dish in the oven for 30 minutes. The rolls should look puffy and be starting to fill out the baking dish.

Set oven to 350ºF/180ºC, combi steam setting (if you have variable steam settings, use 30% – if you can’t vary your steam, just set to combi steam and let the oven take care of the humidity). Leave the pan in the oven while it heats up. Bake the rolls until deep golden brown and risen, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and spread the cream cheese frosting over the hot rolls – it will melt in slightly and form a glaze as they cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mix this up while your lemon buns are baking. Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until smooth and creamy.
8 oz cream cheese, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 lemon

Makes 12 generous rolls. You can cut them smaller and make 16 smaller ones if you prefer.
You’ll need a wide, shallow dish for baking these. I use a 9×12 inch (23x30cm) baking dish or a round 30cm/12 inch low cast iron pan. A ceramic baking dish will work too.
A note on yeast: I use active dried yeast. If you’re using instant, you can skip the first step and just mix the yeast, milk and sugar straight in with the dough. Instant yeast might take a little longer to complete the first prove, so allow anywhere up to 60 minutes.
If you'd like to make these ahead of time, prepare the recipe up to the second proof. Instead of doing this proof in the oven, cover the pan loosely and refrigerate overnight. The buns will slowly proof in the fridge. When you're ready to bake, take them out and proceed with the baking step.