First of all, thank you guys so much for all of your kind comments on yesterday’s post on The Scoop. Thank you for reading it, thank you for sharing it. It was so hard to write. Like, really, really hard. So to have such a positive response means so much to me.
We have a lot of sweet roll recipes on the blog. And they’re all Sara’s. For me, sweet rolls are one area where I am just not really willing to experiment once I find a recipe I love. I have been hopelessly devoted to The Pioneer Woman’s dough recipe for a long time now. I can’t go back now.
Growing up, sweet rolls meant a few things: it was a special occasion, my dad was making them, and they were baked in a Dutch oven. Like…with hot coals in the backyard. He was hard core. Now he has two dogs that he makes me talk to on the phone and I’m in charge of the sweet rolls. And I am definitely not cool enough to make them in my backyard.
One thing I love about this dough recipe is that you can either make the rolls right away or you can refrigerate the dough and make it when you’re ready. I’ve used it for cinnamon rolls, I’ve used it for orange rolls, and now we have our new favorite, Lemon Blueberry Rolls. And they were a huge hit.
If you don’t want to use this dough, you can use one of our many other doughs like this one or this or this or this or this. So pick a dough. Whatever works.
There’s no shortage of dough recipes here. You’re also going to need butter, sugar, the zest of a couple of lemons, and blueberries.
I used wild blueberries–I just get them in the frozen section of my Kroger. I like the flavor and texture better than regular blueberries; they are juicier and more flavorful and they’re also smaller, which lends themselves better towards recipes like this.
Lightly spray a work surface with non-stick cooking spray and roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s about 6×18″. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest.
Spread the butter mixture over the dough and then sprinkle with the blueberries.
Roll up tightly, making a log about 18″ long.
Preheat oven to 375.
Spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Using dental floss, mark the dough into 12 equal pieces. Use the dental floss to cut the dough along the spots that you marked. Place the dough pieces, cut side up, in the pan.
Cover and rise for 30 minutes. Bake the rolls for 15-22 minutes or until golden brown and the innermost rolls are cooked through.
If the edge pieces are getting too brown, lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan to prevent further browning.
When done, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool. When the rolls are almost cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle evenly over the slightly warm rolls.
Makes 12 rolls.
Lemon Blueberry Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 c. whole milk
- 1/2 c. canola oil
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour divided
- 1/2 heaping tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 scant tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
For the Filling
- 7 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup blueberries wild, if you can get them easily
For the Glaze
- 2/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons
Instructions
- To make the dough, combine the milk, sugar, and oil In a large (at least 4-quart) pot or saucepan. Heat just to boiling, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat.
- If you’ve got lots of ice handy, dump all that you have into a clean sink and then place the pan of scalded milk over the ice. This way, the milk mixture cools quickly and the melted ice just drips down the drain.
- When the milk is warm (around 105-115 degrees), remove from ice and sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir. Mix in 4 c. flour and cover. This can be done with a wooden spoon; the dough is VERY soft, more like a batter. Allow to stand for 1 hour.
- Mix remaining 1/2 c. flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle over the dough and then mix it in with the wooden spoon. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pan and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to a few days. You can also allow it to rise at room temperature for about an hour if you want to make these right away.
- When you’re ready to make the rolls, lightly spray a work surface with non-stick cooking spray and roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s about 6×18″. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Spread the butter mixture over the dough and then sprinkle with the blueberries. Roll up tightly, making a log about 18″ long.
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Using dental floss, mark the dough into 12 equal pieces. Use the dental floss to cut the dough along the spots that you marked. Place the dough pieces, cut side up, in the pan. Cover and rise for 30 minutes. Bake the rolls for 15-22 minutes or until golden brown and the innermost rolls are cooked through. If the edge pieces are getting too brown, lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan to prevent further browning.
- When done, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool. When the rolls are almost cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle evenly over the slightly warm rolls. Makes 12 rolls.
