Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Sweet Rolls

These fluffy lemon poppy seed rolls are filled with tangy lemon curd and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Bursting with natural lemon flavor, this poppy seed sweet rolls recipe serves as the perfect weekend breakfast.

The lemon poppy seed bread dough is a pillowy soft yeast dough and each roll has a gooey lemon curd center. The curd can be bought or you can make homemade lemon curd to use for this recipe.

These lemon poppy sweet rolls are a great option if you want a change from cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients

Find the actual recipe amounts for these lemon poppy seed sweet rolls in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Here is a rundown of what you will need –

• A strong all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%. You could use bread flour too, but this will make a chewier lemon roll.
• Yeast. You can use active dry yeast or instant dry yeast. 
• Granulated white sugar – Only a little bit of sugar to feed the yeast and enhance the dough’s flavor.
• Large eggs
• Salt
• Whole milk. 
• Butter 
• Poppy seeds
• Fresh lemon juice and zest
• Vanilla paste
• Lemon curd – homemade lemon curd or storebought.

Baker’s schedule 

This easy recipe doesn’t take a long time to make especially if you working in warm weather or give the dough a warm spot to rise.

• 9 am – Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Let it stand until foamy.
• 9:10 am – Add in the flour, egg, and salt. Knead, add in butter and knead for 10-15 minutes. Form into a smooth ball.
• 9:25 am – Place dough in a greased bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in a warm space (Around 77°F /25°C. The dough will take longer if your room is cooler.)
• 10:30 am – Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread with softened butter and lemon sugar. Roll up from the long side. Cut into 9 equal pieces using a sharp or serrated knife, or unflavored dental floss. Place in a pan. Pipe lemon curd into the middle of each bun. Let them rise until doubled.
• 11:45 am – Bake for around 25-30 minutes until browned. Top with cream cheese frosting while still warm.

Overnight lemon poppy seed rolls

You can make the dough for these delicious sweet rolls the night before and let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out and shaping, and let it rise for the second time.

How to make lemon poppy seed rolls

Dough

In a small saucepan or in the microwave, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C (but not hotter) and pour it into a bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast this step can be skipped.

Add the flour, lemon zest, vanilla, poppy seeds, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed to form a thick dough.

Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, and keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the soft dough is smooth and strong and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

Alternatively, knead by hand until shaggy, then tip it onto a lightly floured surface and add in the butter. Knead for around 10 minutes until it becomes a strong and smooth dough. If you need a break, take it. The dough responds well to resting time.

Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp clean towel.

Let the dough rise in a warm area until doubled in size, around about 1 hour. The exact rise time will depend on your room temperature.

Shaping

Punch the dough down and pull the risen dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff. You can let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes first before rolling.

Grease of line a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a small bowl add granulated sugar and lemon zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, releasing the lemon oils.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle measuring around 12×16 inches (30cmx40cm) – Spread the surface of the dough with softened butter and sprinkle with the lemon sugar.

Leave about a 1-inch border along the long side of the dough that you will roll towards. Carefully, from the opposite long side, roll the dough up into a log.

Use dental floss or a serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 pieces.

Place the pieces into the lined dish.

Spoon the lemon curd into a piping bag and squeeze about a tablespoon worth into the center of each shaped bun.

Let the buns rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). 

Bake the lemon poppy seed buns for around 25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the buns with aluminum foil. 

Frosting

While the buns are in the oven, prepare the cream cheese frosting.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Beat it together until creamy.

Spread the frosting over the still-warm lemon rolls. Serve while warm.

Storing

Storing: Leftover lemon poppy seed rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can be gently heated in the microwave on the following days to soften them up.

Freezing: The sweet rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up in the microwave before serving.

Related recipes

For more sweet roll recipes or lemon recipes, check out these!

• Small batch cinnamon rolls
• Sweet strawberry rolls
• Brioche cinnamon rolls
• Meringues with lemon curd
• Lemon curd donuts