Yield: 8 lemon raspberry rolls // Total Time: 3 hr. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
milk bread lemon raspberry rolls
Hello hello! I’m here today with a SUPER fresh and delicious recipe. If you love lemon, you’re in the right place! These milk bread lemon raspberry rolls are ridiculously light and fluffy thanks to the use of tangzhong, and are filled with tangy homemade lemon curd and fresh raspberries. After all that, they’re topped off with cream cheese icing and some more lemon curd. I know yeast bread can seem like a lot of work, but once you get the dough down, most of the time spent is really just waiting for the dough to rise. Below I have a lot of tips and tricks on dealing with yeast bread that I hope are helpful, but please feel free to leave any questions you might have below on the post. But anyways, let’s get into it!
what is tangzhong?
Tangzhong is a cooking method that involves cooking a portion of the flour in a recipe with 4-5x the amount of liquid. Cooking the flour pre-gelatinizes the starch present in the flour, allowing it to hold on to more liquid. This leads to a bread that is able to hold way more liquid than it normally would be able to, which makes the bread softer, fluffier, and keeps it from staling as fast. It’s basically a secret ingredient for better bread, using ingredients you already need for the bread! If you ever see the word “milk bread”, that simply means that that bread is using tangzhong!
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
the dough will need to knead..for a while
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Also, please make sure you are using a higher protein all purpose flour that has at least 11%, not 10% protein (I use King Arthur Flour, 11.7%.) The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
try to avoid metal utensils when making the curd
It’s possible for the curd to take on a metallic taste if you are using a metal bowl or whisk, so to be safe I would recommend staying away from those when making the curd.
use room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg and butter at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5 second intervals!
be careful when heating the milk
Heating the milk is important for bringing the yeast to an optimal temperature for rising. The milk should be heated to ~100°F / 38°C but it does not have to be exact. As long as the milk is between 95°F – 110°F, it is good to be used. If the temperature exceeds 110°F, wait for it to cool down before using so that you do not kill the yeast!
ingredients and substitutions
For the dough:
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness. Please be sure that you are using a high-quality flour that has a high protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche, which will alter the dough!
Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising.
Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
Lemon extract: we’re going to use lemon extract in order to get the most flavor, because it would take too much lemon juice to add the same amount of flavor, which would also end up altering the texture.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is quite variable.
Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
For the lemon curd and filling:
You can use store-bought lemon curd here as a quick substitution as well, but for the best flavor, here’s what you’ll need to make your own!
Egg yolks: thickens up the curd.
Granulated sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the curd. I would recommend against trying to cut the sugar here as it would affect the flavor/texture too much.
Lemon: the star of the show – we’ll be using both the zest and the juice for maximum flavor.
Salt: like with the dough, a bit of salt helps with the flavor and sweetness of the curd.
Unsalted butter: helps thicken the curd and make it creamy. You can substitute in salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the curd! You can also use your favorite dairy-free butter stick as a substitute.
Fresh raspberries: you’ll want fresh rasbperries here because we’re just going to mash them up with a little bit of sugar for the filling. You could use blackberries here as well for a lemon blackberry situation.
For the cream cheese glaze:
Cream cheese: the base of the glaze, we’ll use cream cheese because the tanginess just pairs so well with the sweet rolls.
Milk: a bit of milk will help thin out the glaze.
Powdered sugar: for sweetening the glaze.
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
lemon raspberry rolls q&a
how to store these rolls
I’d recommend only frosting these rolls as you want to eat them. The baked unfrosted rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature where they’ll keep fresh for 5 days, and the cream cheese icing can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you frost the rolls, you’ll need to keep them stored in the fridge which is why I recommend against it. When you want a roll, pop it into the microwave for 5-10 seconds, then frost it, serve, and enjoy!
can I double this recipe?
Yes! I can’t emphasize using a kitchen scale enough for especially this recipe already, but if you are going to double or half the ingredients it is even more important that you weigh your ingredients. The dough is very hydrated and slight alterations can change the texture of the dough.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Yes of course! Instead of mixing the heated milk, sugar, and yeast together, just pop all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl to start kneading. I do highly recommend refrigerating the dough overnight to make it easier to work with and more flavorful. However, if you are making the recipe all in one day, and using instant yeast, simply let the dough rest for just 10 minutes as the first rise, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Simply knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight. When ready to make the rolls, simply take it out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
my yeast mixture isn’t foaming, what should I do?
The mixture should start foaming around 5 minutes in. If it has not foamed after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely dead. You want to make sure that the milk temperature does not exceed 110°F / 43°C or it will kill the yeast. If you try it again and it still does not foam, the yeast you are using may be expired and you will want to purchase some more before proceeding.
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale
a note on oven temperature.
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you. I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here
did you make these lemon raspberry rolls?
If you made these lemon raspberry rolls I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Lemon Raspberry Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 24 g all purpose flour (3 tbsp.)
- 100 g whole milk (3 ½ oz.)
Brioche
- 90 g whole milk (3 oz.)
- 1 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 240 g all purpose flour (2 c.)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.) room temperature
Lemon Curd and Filling
- zest of 2 medium lemons
- 60 g lemon juice (2 oz.)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.) cubed
- 160 g fresh raspberries (1 ⅓ c.)
- 1 tbsp. sugar
Cream Cheese Icing
- 113 g cream cheese (½ c.) room temperature
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 45 g powdered sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 2 tbsp. milk room temperature
Instructions
Brioche
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam. (~5 minutes)
- In the meantime, make the tangzhong.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, continuously stir together the flour and milk until the mixture thickens into a thick slurry, then remove it from the heat.
- Add all of the ingredients, including the tangzhong, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Knead on medium speed for 10-20 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides and bottom of the bowl and passes the windowpane test.
- At this point you can either continue making the recipe in one day, or leave it overnight. If you're making the rolls in one day, shape the dough into a ball in the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel and leave it to rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~1 hr.) If you're making the rolls overnight, shape the dough into a ball in the bowl then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Make the lemon curd at this point. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week before baking.
Lemon Curd
- Add the zest, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and egg yolks to a small saucepan.
- Whisk the mixture vigorously over medium heat until it thickens, and reaches at least 170°F / 76°C. (This took me about 3-5 minutes)
- Remove the curd from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any accidental cooked egg.
- Immediately whisk in the cubed butter until it melts and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Transfer the lemon curd to the fridge to chill until you're ready to assemble the rolls.
Shaping the Rolls
- In a small bowl, mash together the fresh raspberries and the sugar. Butter a 9" cake pan or pie dish.
- Once the dough has doubled in size (or after taking it out of the fridge after rising overnight), punch it down to remove excess air. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface, then roll it out to a 12″ x 16″ (30 x 40 cm) rectangle.
- Spread the chilled lemon curd over the dough, reserving some for the top of the rolls if desired.
- Place the mashed raspberries in dollops over the lemon curd, then swirl it around evenly into the lemon curd.
- Start rolling up the rolls into a log from the longer side. This part will be a little messy but that's perfectly okay! Cut the log into 8 even slices.
- Transfer the rolls evenly spaced apart in your prepared baking dish. Lightly cover the pan with a towel, and let the rolls rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~30-45 minutes).
- Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake them at 350°F / 175°C for 25-30 minutes. Use a thermometer to check when the rolls are done cooking (190°F / 88°C.)
Cream Cheese Icing
- In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the mascarpone with the salt to make sure it's smooth. Then beat in the powdered sugar, followed by the milk.
- Top the rolls with the cream cheese icing and swirl it with the leftover lemon curd. Serve and enjoy!
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