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Deliciously sweet, soft and zingy lemon & blueberry sweet rolls just like you get in a bakery!

Sweet rolls

Ever since the sudden rise of the cinnamon bun I have been baking and baking new and different sweet rolls due to popular demand amongst my family and friends – I have so many recipes that I can’t wait to share with you such as chocolate sweet rolls and even more!

These are incredibly easy to make – I can see why people may be scared by even the rolling out of the dough, but its so easy you’d be surprised! That along with the perfect marriage of lemon and blueberry flavour… YES PLEASE!

Following my method correctly (and others of course) and taking the time to weigh out the ingredients precisely, then you won’t have an issue! You won’t regret the wait of the bread rising, at first it might seem like a pain and pointless, but its so worth it! Also, you get 12 whereas it probably costs the same for 2 at a bakery!

Dough

The dough calls for the usual simple ingredients of strong white bread flour, unsalted butter, caster sugar, yeast, whole milk and not forgetting the egg. As soon as someone sees the word ‘knead’ in a recipe they panic but there is really no need with this simple bake. I personally use a stand mixer to help with this however hand kneading can be so therapeutic its enjoyable!

If you don’t have a stand mixer or a food processor it’s still very easy and possible to make these – you can add the flour, sugar and yeast to a bowl and rub the cold and cubed butter into the mixture with your fingers. This creates the breadcrumbs texture that you are after. You can then add the milk and egg and start to mix with a spatula, and eventually your hands. 

Knead

When you knead dough you want to have process where you are moving the dough about quite a lot on the surface, turning it slightly with each knead. I use the heel of my hand to push into the dough and stretch it, and then roll it back together and repeat for about 10 minutes. You get the most perfect smooth dough you could ask for! 

Lemon and blueberry

With lemon zest in both the filling and dough itself, it gives the perfect zesty balance along with the burst of blueberries. Neither is too overpowering for the other, the compliment each other in the best way. This along with the icing drizzle on top, every bite is filled with flavour.

Other flavours

I firmly believe there is always a flavour to be done with sweet rolls. My other favourites would be another fruity combination of white chocolate and raspberry or back to the classic flavour of the cinnamon roll. Adding a bit of naughtiness into the equation, you can try the sticky chocolate sweet rolls recipe or my mini egg rolls are a must – any time not just for Easter!

Savoury rolls

I have also got a savoury recipe for these rolls – garlic bread rolls. Need to say any more about this one?! I love making all the sweet/savoury rolls recipes with friends as we tend to use the tear and share technique… not that the bakes last very long! These are the perfect fruity sweet treats! You can have them for breakfast, as a sweet treat or sometimes a minute’s peace with one of these and a cup of tea can make everything that bit better!

Top tip!

And as a top tip – if you want to prep these the day before so that they can indeed be perfect for something such as breakfast, do the second prove in the fridge. Prep the dough, shape and fill the dough and place into your baking dish. Cover with clingfilm and prove overnight in the fridge (it just slows down the process a lot!) and then take out 20 minutes before placing into the oven for baking! Enjoy! x

Lemon and Blueberry Rolls!

Deliciously sweet, soft and zingy lemon & blueberry sweet rolls just like you get in a bakery!
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Category: Bread
Type: Bread Rolls
Keyword: Blueberry, Lemon
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Proving Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 12 buns
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

The Dough

  • 600 g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • 14 g dried yeast
  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 90 g unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 275 ml whole milk
  • 1 large egg

The Filling

  • 45 g unsalted butter melted
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 225 g blueberries

The Topping

  • 200 g icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Sift the strong white bread flour into a large bowl then add the caster sugar and yeast and mix until evenly distributed
  • Rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you're feeling lazy, then whizz these ingredients in a food processor until breadcrumbs
  • Zest the two lemons and add to the dry mixture
  • Heat the milk gently until warm, it should just about start stemaming in the pan.
  • Mix the milk and the egg into dough and mix/knead for 7-10 minutes. I use my KitchenAid with the dough hook, it only takes 5-7 minutes to knead! It should spring back when touched
  • Move to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm
  • Leave in a warm place and leave to rise for 1-2 hours. I made these on a relatively chilly day so it took the full two hours
  • Whilst the bread is proving you can make the lemon sugar - zest the two lemons and mix this with the caster sugar and vanilla extract until a sand like texture is formed
  • Leave to the side
  • Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl and roll out onto a lightly floured work surface. I rolled mine to 50cmX30cm. (20"X12")
  • Gently brush the surface with the melted butter, then sprinkle on the Lemon Sugar and the blueberries so they are even across the dough.
  • Roll from the long side to the long side (so that a 50cm sausage is formed, you roll the 30cm length)
  • Cut this into 12 pieces and place into an oven proof dish. I used a rectangular dish 30cmX24cm (12"X9.5")
  • Cover again and leave to rise for 1 hour
  • Towards the end of the hour heat the oven to 180C
  • Once the hour is up, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through
  • Leave to cool
  • Once cooled, mix the topping ingredients together and drizzle onto the sweet buns
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe is inspired by many different I have tried and read over time, I've been baking these for a few years now so they have been tried and tested many a time!
  • You don't have to include the blueberries into the rolls, but I love the lemon & blueberry combination - You could swap it out for another berry, but remember that some berries produce more water than others!
  • If you are using frozen fruit then put them in still frozen, thawing them might make them produce too much liquid, but if you do thaw them then make sure they're dry before they're put into the dough!
  • These are best eaten on the day of baking, but they will last covered in the fridge for 3 days - or covered overnight at room temperature!

ENJOY!

Find my other Recipes on my Recipes Page!

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J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

54 Comments

  1. Becky on February 16, 2023 at 8:47 am

    These look and sound amazing Jane!

    Can these be made with lemon curd in place of the butter for the filling? Or do you think it would be too wet/sticky?

    With using frozen blueberries, you said not to thaw them unless completely drying them out. Will it make much difference to the texture (or bake time) as they begin to thaw during the final prove before going in the oven?

    Thanks!!

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 17, 2023 at 11:06 am

      Hiya! You can definitely give lemon curd a go – though it may be too sticky, yes! As for the blueberries – they should be fine because of the length of time! Hope this helps! x



  2. Naveed on May 27, 2022 at 3:45 pm

    Can’t wait to make these, thank you for sharing.

    It will be my first ever time using yeast. Is it fast action yeast that I need for this recipe?

    Thanks

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 6, 2022 at 4:17 pm

      Hiya, yes you can use this! Hope this helps! x



  3. Jo on May 16, 2022 at 1:59 pm

    Hi Jane

    I have made your garlic and marmite rolls which were yummy and the temperature in a fan oven is 160 for those but for these it’s 180 is that 160 fan or 180 fan?. Is it higher temp because of the fruit,? Thank you 😊

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 17, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      Hiya! This would be 160 fan – hope this helps! x



  4. Lydia on June 19, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    Hello Jane I love your recipes!! You’re amazing! Is it possible to let these prove overnight or would that ruin it? Thanks

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 19, 2020 at 7:28 pm

      It’s best to do the second prove in the fridge over night as the fridge slows down the process – then they are ready to bake straight away!



  5. Claire on June 18, 2020 at 9:06 pm

    Hi Jane, I made these today and they tasted amazing!!! The only thing was that they were a bit soggy at the bottom from the blueberry juice-is this expected or did I do something wrong? I used fresh blueberries. Thanks!

    • Jane's Patisserie on June 21, 2020 at 3:38 pm

      Hey! It may be that your blueberries sunk a smidge and were extra juicy, but it can be quite soft sometimes yes! X



  6. Annelie on January 31, 2020 at 7:13 am

    Hi! My friend is lactose intolerant, is it possible to swap soy milk for the milk in the recipe, or will it not work due to the lower fat content?
    Thank you:)

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 1, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      I haven’t tried it I’m afraid – but generally a fat whole dairy milk is the only one I would use if it was to contain lactose. It’s definitely worth a try – as I use almond/soy in vegan baking!



  7. Tina Johns on October 8, 2019 at 9:17 pm

    What could I do instead of lemon zest please? Can’t find any lemons on the island at the moment….
    Thanks
    T

  8. Shazia A on October 7, 2018 at 10:56 pm

    Hi! These look amazing. My sister in law made them for us and were simply amazing.
    Can i make these the night before? As have friends staying the night?

    Many thanks

    Shazia

    • Jane's Patisserie on October 8, 2018 at 9:30 am

      Hiya! Awh yay! I always say with these that eating the same day is best, but as long as they’re baked and left at room temperature they should be alright the next day! x



  9. Sarah on July 12, 2018 at 10:56 am

    Hi Jane,

    Going to try this recipe on the weekend, but just have one quick question. You say to preheat the oven to 180C, but is that fan or conventional?
    Thanks in advance!

  10. Ros McGill on May 24, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    Made these for friends at work, they were delicious and so easy to make. Well done Jane, another super recipe x

  11. […] Lemon with other fruits is always delicious, such as with my Lemon & Blueberry Sweet Rolls. However, in Cake form, it is just that much better. It’s so fresh, and somehow you feel less […]

  12. Emma on August 2, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    Hi Jayne
    Could you used vanilla extract instead of vanilla pod…if so how much? Thanks x

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 3, 2017 at 11:36 am

      Use 1tsp if its a good quality one x



  13. Meadow Brown Bakery on April 22, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    Looks like a nice cinnamon roll alternative

  14. […] Lemon and Blueberry Sweet Rolls!. […]

  15. sweetartisan on May 9, 2015 at 6:59 am

    They look simply delicious….I can’t wait to try them. Since baking Focaccia last month I am hooked on to baking bread. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 9, 2015 at 10:05 am

      Thank you so much! I love baking bread, it’s so much nicer fresh out of the oven!!



  16. jane on May 6, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    These look amazing! Making them for work (they may not make it there!). But how much butter in the dough? I can’t see it on the recipe? Thaaaanks! 🙂

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 6, 2015 at 8:43 pm

      Oh noo! I am so sorry! I went on to edit the post and it has published an older version! I have corrected it now though! 🙂



  17. Whisked Away on May 6, 2015 at 9:12 am

    I love cinnamon rolls, and I’m thinking that since these have fruit in them I can justify eating like five :). They really do look delicious!!

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 6, 2015 at 9:29 am

      That’s exactly my thinking!! Haha and thank you!



  18. robbylicious on May 6, 2015 at 6:37 am

    Thank you very much for the recipe and the beautiful pictures.
    Now I have one more on my to-do-list 🙂
    Greetings
    Robby(licious)

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 6, 2015 at 8:33 am

      Thanks, Robby! Let me know how they go if you do try them ☺️



    • robbylicious on May 6, 2015 at 8:46 am

      I will! ?



  19. arlingwoman on May 6, 2015 at 2:04 am

    Oh, I’ll be making these. What a nice change of season from cinnamon rolls. And blueberries will be rolling in for the next few weeks!

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 6, 2015 at 8:33 am

      Oh that makes me so happy!! And yes just in time for the perfect season ☺️



  20. Jess on May 5, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    These look simply GREAT. I’m very impressed….I’m also very hungry now lol

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 10:06 pm

      Thanks, Jess!! That’s so sweet 🙂 haha and sorry about that…!!



  21. kristenchan0921 on May 5, 2015 at 5:57 pm

    These look heavenly! Defined on my list of things to try 😉

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 6:05 pm

      Thank you!! And yay please let me know how they go!! X



  22. heycakes on May 5, 2015 at 5:26 pm

    Yum! They look delicious!

  23. apuginthekitchen on May 5, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    Those sweet rolls are just beautiful, never thought of adding blueberries. Great idea!

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you! And it makes them so fruity and delicious 🙂



    • Sophie on July 25, 2023 at 8:15 pm

      Hi Jane! I made these without the Blueberries but they came out rock hard 😭 I don’t know what I did wrong as I’ve made your oreo ones and they came out perfect! Any tips please 🙏🏼



    • Jane's Patisserie on July 28, 2023 at 9:29 am

      Hiya! The lack of moisture from the blueberries may have had something to do with this, or they were over baked! x



  24. skd on May 5, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    You are amazing Jane. Your food makes me hungry ?

  25. Ema Jones on May 5, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    Can I use coconut sugar instead of this sugar?

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 2:14 pm

      I would assume so as not much is used? I haven’t personally tried it however 🙂



    • Ema Jones on May 6, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Coconut sugar takes more time to blend than normal sugar, its texture is coarse, but it enhances the flavor and people fond of the coconut flavor, enjoy it to the fullest, that is what my learning says.



  26. maryambakes on May 5, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Oh em gee! Those will make the best brekkie ever! And mid afternoon snack. And after lunch snack. Good job the recipe makes 12.

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 11:38 am

      Thank you Mary! I can’t stop eating them!!



  27. elyann14 on May 5, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Now I’m hungry! These must be so tasty!

    • Jane's Patisserie on May 5, 2015 at 10:13 am

      Thank you!! And they really are if I can say so myself! Prefect breakfast! 🙂



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