As I sit here whining, "I don't know what to say" for this post, the boyfriend chimes in with the appropriate response:
"It's f*cking delicious."
Thanks babe.
We are literary geniuses.
But that's the beautiful simplicity of the truth. These are delicious. I want to make them for everyone I love. It's a cinnamon bun gone rogue. Replace the cinnamon with raspberries and the cream cheese with lemon. And there you have it... a breakfast roll. It is truly sublime. They are perfect at any hour of any day of any season. No joke.
The texture is soft and fluffy; they are tons of fun to pull apart; and they are wicked gorgeous. I added extra raspberries because I just couldn't get enough of them... granted it looks like a hot mess when you roll them up on the counter. Make sure you have some elbow room! I threw some fresh berries on top for breakfast.
As always, the only catch about making dough that rises is the extended time factor. Like all empires, it must rise and fall. Only then can you appreciate its goodness. Get it? Cause it's yeast... and it makes things rise? Oh shush. I never said I was a comedian.
So should you have the time... make these breakfast rolls because as the boys says.
They're f*cking delicious.
PS. I'm really feeling this track for some reason. Hard to explain the attraction.
Lemon Raspberry Breakfast Rolls
from Joy the Baker,
adapted from Food and Wine
makes 12 rolls
Dough
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted buttered, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup for kneading, plus more for sprinkling the counter
Filling
1 heaping cup fresh raspberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
1/3 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar for dusting
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, browned and slightly cooled
Glaze
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk to about 95 degrees. Pour the warm milk into the bow of an electric stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes. The yeast will foam and bubble. That’s how you know it’s alive. After frothy, add the butter, eggs, lemon zest, and sea salt to the yeast mixture. Add 4 1/4 cups flour. Beat on low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and replace the paddle with a dough hook. Beat dough with the dough hook on medium speed for about 10 minutes.
Dust a clean counter with flour. Scrape the dough out onto the work surface. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of flour and knead for about 2 minutes. Dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and place in a slightly warm place to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
While dough rises, grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter. Set aside.
To make the filling:
In a medium bowl toss together raspberries, sugar, lemon zest, and cornstarch. Crush the raspberries just slightly as you stir. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter until it is browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.
To assemble the rolls:
When the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead for 1 minute. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a roughly 10×20-inch rectangle.
Spread the butter over the dough. Spread the filling over the dough. Raspberries will be here and there across the dough. Sprinkle the dough and fruit with 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Working quickly, tightly roll up the dough into a 20-inch long log. Cut the log into quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Carefully and quickly lift the rolls into the prepared pan. The rolls will release juice into the bottom if the pan. That’s fine! Cover pan with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour, until puffed.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
To make the glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and water. Drizzle glaze over cooled rolls and serve. Rolls are best served the day they are made but will last up to 3 days well wrapped at room temperature.
