These lemon sweet rolls are delicious as parkerhouse rolls, crescent rolls, or as cinnamon rolls topped with a delicious sweet lemon glaze!
Pin these Lemon Sweet Rolls for later.
My wooden rolling pin is almost 35 years old. I received it as a wedding gift 34 1/2 years ago. I love that. I love that one of my favorite kitchen tools has been with our family since the beginning. It’s like an old friend. And I actually can remember who gave this to us; my high school friend Pam.
I am still using my old Better Homes & Garden cookbook, our pressure cooker, sundae dishes, and Pyrex bowls. I know that is so old fashioned isn’t it!?! But when you love something and it still works why change it up or out for something new.
There are a few things to upgrade, update, or go new with like dishes, glasses, cookie sheets, muffin tins, cookbooks, or even recipes. I know styles change, dishes break, pans warp, or you just tire of the old ones. One of my favorite recipes that has been with me almost since the beginning are these orange sweet rolls. They will always be amazingly delicious. But I choose to go for an upgrade with these lemon sweet rolls. Switching to lemon juice and lemon zest is definitely an update but then I also added a bonus of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon for an upgrade. All that and more with candied lemon peels and you have the best lemon sweet rolls you can imagine.
Plus you have the bonus of one dough, three styles. You can make Parkerhouse rolls, crescent rolls, or lemon cinnamon rolls; it all just depends on how you shape your dough. All the rolls start the same but each ends differently. Each of the rolls have a buttery inside, the crescent rolls are covered with melted butter before rolling up. The Parkerhouse and cinnamon rolls have melted butter, brown sugar, lemon zest sugar, and candied lemon peels spread all over the dough before shaping. And I am still using my good old wooden rolling pin to roll the sweet lemon rolls’ dough out. It still works perfectly, will never go out of style, and hasn’t broken yet.
Lemon sweet rolls the upgrade of orange sweet rolls, both good, both worth adding to your family favorites.
Sweet Lemon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups scalded milk (cooled)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cardamon
- 6 3/4 tsp yeast (or 3 pkgs yeast)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 eggs (fork beaten)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- zest from 1 lemon
- 7 1/2 to 8 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup lemon sugar (or white sugar)
- 1/4 cup dried sugar lemon peel (or zest of one lemon)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup butter (softened)
- 3 - 5 TBS milk (depending on thickness)
- zest from 1 lemon
- juice from 1/2 lemon
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Heat your milk for a minute or two in the microwave in a microwave proof bowl, let cool
- Dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water, set aside to become all bubbly (about 2 to 5 minutes)
- In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, oil, and 3 tsp salt - stir until sugar is dissolved
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix in
- Add the 2 eggs and mix together well
- Add the lemon juice and zest to the dough and mix in - I use a large wooden spoon
- Add the yeast, mix
- Continue to add the flour 1 cup at a time and mixing after each cup - the last 2 cups add 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is the consistency of a sticky but not wet or dry dough
- Cover and let rise in a warm area until double - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours
- Once the dough is doubled, divide into thirds
- At this point you need to choose if you are making crescent rolls, lemon parkerhouse rolls, or lemon cinnamon rolls, or all 3
- Lightly flour a flat surface to roll the dough out on
- For crescent rolls - roll dough into a large 14' diameter circle, spread 1/4 softened butter over the top, cut like a pizza, from the wide end of the triangle start to roll up to the tip, curve like a crescent and place on a greased cookie sheet
- For the parkerhouse rolls - roll dough into a large rectangle about 14" x 14", spread melted butter over the top, sprinkle with the brown sugar, lemon sugar or zest, and dried lemon peel, cut into 8 even strips, lay 4 strips on top of each other and cut across into 6 squares, place each 4 layer square into a greased muffin tin, repeat with the rest of the 4 strips
- For the cinnamon rolls - follow the parkerhouse roll instructions but stop before cutting, from a long end start to roll up like a log, cut across the width into 12 even pieces and place each roll into a greased 9 x 12 pan
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Cover all the rolls and let rise again for about 30 minutes until doubled
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned
- Glaze cinnamon rolls and /or parkerhouse rolls if desired
Lemon Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, zest, and 2 TBS milk
- Add juice 1 TBS at a time, whisk inbetween each add
- Continue to add 1 TBS at a time milk or lemon juice until glaze is medium to thin consistency
- Drizzle over lemon rolls as desired
Julie (@JuliesEatsTreat) says
Love this burst of lemon in the dead of winter! These look delicious!
Ellen Garrett says
Just a little sunshine to spread around. The funny thing is my Meyer Lemons are ripe in the dead of winter here in California.
Megha says
Again a brilliant recipe. Wonderful pictures!
Ellen Garrett says
Ha, thanks Megha!
renee@ Two in the Kitchen says
I love that you have a rolling pin that old. How perfect! These lemon rolls look simply amazing! I can’t get enough lemon in my life right now. I swear it helps to get rid of my winter blues!! 🙂
Ellen Garrett says
I think lemons really will get rid of winter blues. At least they look bright and taste delightful. I hope you will enjoy these lemon sweet rolls. The rolling pin is the best.
fehrashley says
Oh my goodness, these look incredible! Lemon is one thing I can never get enough of!
Ellen Garrett says
It is amazing how many of us love lemon but stick to lemonade. I love trying something new with my lemons. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Kelly says
Love these lemon sweet rolls! Lemon desserts are my absolute favorite! They look so soft and delicious and I love all the different ways you can make them!
Ellen Garrett says
I so hope you enjoy them.