Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls (Printable)

Pillowy rolls featuring lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and a luscious vanilla icing topping.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 packet instant yeast (7 g)
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
06 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - 1 large egg, room temperature

→ Filling

08 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
09 - Zest of 2 lemons
10 - 1 cup fresh blueberries
11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

→ Vanilla Icing

12 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2 tablespoons whole milk
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# Directions:

01 - Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
02 - Add warm milk, melted butter, and egg to dry ingredients. Mix until sticky dough forms.
03 - Knead dough on floured surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, or use stand mixer with dough hook.
04 - Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled, approximately 1 hour.
05 - Combine sugar and lemon zest in small bowl, rubbing together to release citrus oils.
06 - Roll dough on floured surface into 12x16-inch rectangle.
07 - Spread softened butter over dough. Sprinkle evenly with lemon sugar and scatter blueberries on top.
08 - Starting from long edge, tightly roll dough into log. Slice into 12 equal pieces.
09 - Arrange rolls in greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise 45 minutes until puffy.
10 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
11 - Bake rolls for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
12 - Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
13 - Drizzle vanilla icing over warm rolls. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The combination of tart lemon and sweet blueberries creates this incredible bright flavor that cuts through all that buttery richness
  • They look impressive coming out of the oven but the dough is surprisingly forgiving, even for first time yeast bakers
02 -
  • These rolls really need to rise in a genuinely warm spot, so if your kitchen is cold, I turn my oven on to its lowest setting for 30 seconds then turn it off and let the dough rise inside
  • The blueberries will burst during baking and that is exactly what you want, creating these little pockets of jammy sweetness throughout the swirls
03 -
  • If the dough feels too sticky to handle, sprinkle just a little flour on your hands and the counter but resist adding more to the dough itself or the rolls will turn out dense
  • The secret to those beautiful spirals is rolling the dough as tightly as possible without stretching it thin, which creates more defined layers

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