Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Sweet Rolls.
When I say I worked weeks on these, I really do mean it. I first attempted these rolls (or buns) over a couple of weeks ago, before I left for the east coast portion of the book tour. I wasn’t happy with the recipe, so I had to put a pin in it for when I returned.
When I returned I started off with these as my first recipe back in the kitchen. And yet again, I still wasn’t happy. It took me 3 more failed attempts to finally come to this recipe, which is crazy seeing as the recipe itself is not very difficult!
But that’s my process, these needed to evolve with each failed attempt. I started with a straight lemon roll and ended with a sweet, sticky blueberry roll instead. And I’m finally so excited to share these! Thankfully, just in time for Easter Sunday.
Here are the details
These are not your typical sweet roll. I wanted them to be extra soft, hinted with lemon, and full of blueberries.
To make the dough, simply mix flour with a bit of instant yeast, a touch of cardamom, and a pinch of salt. Add warm milk, eggs, salted butter, and some lemon zest. Then mix until smooth and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, usually about an hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough out, spread it with a small amount of butter, then top with a thick, high-quality blueberry jam. You want the jam not to be runny. I used a runny jam during one of my trials and it just made the rolls really difficult to roll. Still delicious once baked, but trickier to work with.
Add lots of fresh lemon zest, then roll the dough up into a log, cut into rolls, and place each roll into a muffin/cupcake pan cup. Using a muffin pan allows the rolls to roll nicely and get really big in the oven. They come out more bakery-like.
Make the honey butter glaze while the rolls rise
This is just honey and butter boiled together. I brushed it over each roll before baking. The glaze helps the roll caramelize in the oven and gives them a bit of a sticky bun feel and taste, which I love.
While the rolls bake
Whip the ricotta into cream. Most lemon rolls are served with a cream cheese frosting, but I wanted to switch it up. Take ricotta cheese and whip it in the food processor until creamy, then add powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla.
Simple, simple and so creamy.
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, I would recommend topping with whipped cream or whipped cream cheese. Either would also be good!
I love to enjoy the rolls, warm out of the oven. And to be completely honest, they really don’t even need the icing. But of course, I also have to say that the icing makes them better. Just a touch more special, which if you’re serving these for Easter, is perfect!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup whole milk, warm
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 1 jar (8 ounce) high-quality thick blueberry jam
- 1/4 cup honey
Ricotta Icing
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- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
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1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 3 ½ cups flour, the cardamom, salt, eggs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour.
2. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan.
4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread 2 tablespoons softened butter evenly over the dough. Spread over the jam, then sprinkle the lemon zest. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, it’s going to be a little messy. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12-16 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish, they should just fit, but it’s ok if they seem slightly big. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt together the honey and 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil, cook 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Brush/drizzle the honey over each roll. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch towards the end to make sure they are not getting too dark on top.
6. To make the icing, whip the ricotta in a food processor until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and lemon zest, then gently pulse until just combined. If the icing is runny, add additional powdered sugar.
7. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve warm and enjoy!