The combination of brioche dough and a hint of citrus makes these Lemon Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Glaze is the best thing to wake up to. They’re perfect for a quiet morning but decadent enough for a holiday brunch. You can’t go wrong with these gooey cinnamon sugar stuffed pillows of goodness, that are brightened up with a hint of citrus.
The dough is super simple to make, but the key is allowing it to rise and rest in the fridge uninterrupted overnight. This allows all of the butter and honey and yeast to do their thing and come together to form a brioche dough that is soft, sweet, and airy.
This recipe is enough for three batches of small rolls or two batches of really big rolls (which is my preference). Depending on how many rolls you want to make, you can save some of the dough for the next day!
Lemon Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Glaze
INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon Roll Brioche Dough:
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- 5 cups flour
Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons milk (more as needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Dough
- Add the water and yeast to a bowl and mix
- Add all the other dough ingredients to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined- the dough will be sticky and a bit messy.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it has puffed up and doubled in size.
- Cover and put the bowl in the fridge, overnight
- When you’re ready for rolls, remove the dough and cut the whole dough ball into thirds (or halve depending on how big you want your rolls)
Filling
- Mix the sugar, cinnamon and zest in a small bowl and set aside
Glaze
- In a medium bowl use a wisk to mix the powder sugar, lemon juice, milk and vanialla until combined and you get a smooth glaze.
Assembly
- Using a rolling pin, roll your dough ball out into a rectangle a little bigger than the size of a piece of paper – about 9×13. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon roll filling.
Cut the Dough
- Starting at the short side of the dough, roll the cinnamon rolls. You can cut off any uneven end pieces so both ends have a clean cut – I don’t mind the uneven finish. Gently cut your log evenly. If you’re making 2 batches, and bigger rolls, it should yield 4 large cinnamon rolls. If you’re making 3 batches and small rolls, it should yield 6 smaller cinnamon rolls per bathc.
- Place them in a 9×13 pan or a circular pan, with an inch or two of space between. Cover loosely with plastic and let the rolls rest at room temperature for 1 hour and 15 minutes before baking (this helps the rolls puff up a little further).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Glaze and Enjoy
- Let them cool for about 10 minutes before glazing and then pour the delicious lemony goodness over every nook and cranny!
- Enjoy!
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