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These Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls are made with a soft, fluffy milk bread dough, that is filled with a bright lemon poppy seed filling, and topped with a silky lemon cream cheese frosting. The rolls bake up light and pillowy, with a fresh citrus flavor that balances sweetness and tang perfectly. If you love bakery-style sweet rolls, that stays soft for days, then these are for you!
These Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls are the softest rolls, that will stay soft for days! Each roll is swirled with a bright lemon poppy seed filling that’s sweet, citrusy, and full of fresh lemon flavor. The smooth lemon cream cheese frosting melts right into every layer, making them soft, cozy and a perfect spring bake or to serve for Easter.
For more sweet roll recipes, try Blueberry Cream Cheese Buns, Giant Cinnamon Rolls and Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Ultra soft milk bread dough: The milk bread method makes sure you get the softest rolls, that will stay soft for days!
- Bright and fresh lemon flavor: These rolls has lots of lemon zest in the filling and are topped with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting.
- Great for brunch, Easter or spring baking: These buns are perfect to serve for Easter or brunch during the spring and summer time!
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Yeast: I use fresh yeast but you can also use instant yeast
- Butter: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Whole milk and water: Heat the milk and water up to 37ºC, make sure it's not warmer as it can kills the yeast if it's too hot.
- All-purpose flour: I use all-purpose flour. It is used both in the tangzhong and with the rest of the dough. If you want to use bread flour then you 495 g instead.
- Lemon: The zest of the lemon is used in the filing and the juice is used in the cream cheese frosting.
WHAT MAKES THEM SO SOFT: TANGZHONG MILK BREAD METHOD
Tangzhong origins from Japan’s yokone (or yudane). Tangzhong is a method used in yeasted bread and was popularized around Asia by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen. It is a slurry that is made of flour and a liquid before adding it together with the rest of the ingredients. By precooking the flour and milk, it makes your bread incredibly soft and fluffy, more tender and extends the shelf life.
Source: King Arthur Baking
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and a 24x34 cm (9 x 13 inch) baking tray lined with parchment paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
STEP 1: Start by making the tangzhong for the dough. Add the milk and flour to a small saucepan and heat it up on the stove until it becomes a thick paste. Add the tangzhong to a bowl and place it in the fridge until room temperature.
STEP 2: Heat up the milk and water until it’s lukewarm (37ºC). Crumble the fresh yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer and pour in the heated milk and water. Stir it together until the yeast has melted. If you are use instant yeast, mix it instead together with the flour before pouring over the milk and water mixture.
STEP 3: Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, tangzhong, egg and using the dough hook, mix the dough on low speed for 4 minutes.
STEP 4: Continue on medium speed and add salt and the butter in two parts. Add the second part of the butter, once the first part has mixed into the dough. Keep mixing the dough for 6-7 minutes. It should end up looking smooth and glossy.
STEP 5: Add the dough to a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour.
FILLING AND ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: While the dough rises, mix together all of the ingredients for the lemon poppy seed filling until one paste and set it aside.
STEP 2: After the first rise, roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle. Spread the lemon poppy seed filling over the dough in an even layer.
STEP 3: Use a pizza cutter, and cut 12 strips, and gently roll each individually. Place them in a baking tray and let them rise for a second time on the kitchen counter for 40 minutes under some cling film and a tea towel.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190ºC/ 375ºF conventional oven.
STEP 4: After the second rise bake them for 24-26 minutes on the second lowest rack.
STEP 5: Once baked, make the cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl, start by creaming the butter and cream cheese together for 1 minute with a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix it together until smooth and combined. Spread the frosting over the rolls while they are still warm. They are ready to be enjoyed
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, start by reducing the yeast to 2 g instant yeast or 6 g fresh yeast. Mix the dough together as written, then let it rise for 20 minutes on the kitchen counter before letting the dough rise the rest of the 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight, proofing for no more than 16 hours. Then follow the recipe instructions and let the dough do its 2nd rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes depending on how warm your home is.
You can test if they are done proofing with a finger poke test. Lightly press the surface of the bun with your fingertip. If it springs back slowly, leaving a slight dent it is perfect and ready to bake. If it bounces back immediately it needs more rising. If it doesn’t spring back at all it is overproofed.
HOW TO STORE
Store the lemon poppy seed rolls in the fridge covered tightly with cling film or in an airtight container. Best enjoyed within a 2-3 days. They taste the the best when reheated in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Other Sweet Roll Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
DOUGH
TANGZHONG
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g whole milk
DOUGH
- 90 g whole milk
- 90 g water
- 6 g instant yeast or 25 g fresh yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 510 g all-purpose flour
- 1 egg preferably 60 g egg with shell
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g butter room temperature
LEMON POPPY SEED FILLING
- 100 g sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 100 g butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 35 g butter room temperature
- 70 g cream cheese
- 125 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
TANGZHONG
- Start by making the tangzhong. Add the milk and flour to a small saucepan. Stir it together with a whisk until the flour has mixed together with milk. Then place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Keep constantly stirring until it becomes a thick paste, similarly to smooth mashed potatoes. Take it off the heat and add it to a flat surfaced bowl so it can cool down faster. Place it in the fridge to cool down so it becomes room temperature. It’ll take about 20-30 minutes.30 g all-purpose flour, 150 g whole milk
DOUGH
- Heat up the milk and water until it’s lukewarm (37ºC). Crumble the fresh yeast into your mixing bowl and pour in the heated milk and water. With a spatula stir it together until the yeast has melted. (If you are use instant yeast, mix the yeast instead together with the flour before pouring over the milk and water mixture)90 g whole milk, 90 g water, 6 g instant yeast
- Add the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, tangzhong, egg and using the dough hook, mix the dough on low speed for 4 minutes.50 g granulated sugar, 510 g all-purpose flour, 1 egg
- Continue on medium speed and add salt and the butter in two parts. Add the second part of the butter, once the first part has mixed into the dough. Once the second part has incorporated, keep mixing the dough for 6-7 minutes. It should end up looking smooth and glossy.1 teaspoon salt, 100 g butter
- Add the dough to a clean bowl, with a bit of vegetable oil, and cover the bowl with cling film and a tea towel. Place it in a warm room temperature area in your house. Let it rise for 1 hour. See FAQ above for overnight rising.
LEMON POPPY SEED FILLING
- While the dough rises, mix together all of the ingredients until one paste and set it aside.100 g sugar, zest of one lemon, 100 g butter, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
ASSEMBLING
- After the first rise, it should now be double in size. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle of around 30x38 cm/ 12x15 inches, with the longest side towards you. Spread the lemon poppy seed filling over the dough in an even layer with a spoon or offset spatula.
- Use a pizza cutter, and cut 12, 3 cm/1.25 inch strips, on the long side, and gently roll each individually. Place them in a baking tray and let them rise for a second time on the kitchen counter for 40 minutes under some cling film and a tea towel.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190ºC/ 375ºF conventional oven.
- After the second rise, bake them for 24-26 minutes on the second lowest rack. For the last 8-10 minutes of the baking time, or when they start to become golden in colour, cover the rolls with aluminium foil, to prevent too much browning.
- Let them cool down while making the frosting.
LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In a mixing bowl, start by creaming the butter and cream cheese together for 1 minute with a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix it together until smooth and combined.35 g butter, 70 g cream cheese, 125 g powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread the frosting over the rolls while they are still warm. They are ready to be enjoyed.
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