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These lovely lemon rolls are a piece of heaven and they literally melt in your mouth! Making them with frozen rolls makes them so easy!
If you know me at all you know what a lemon fan I am. Some of my other favorite lemon roll recipes include these: these lemon rolls may just replace your favorite cinnamon roll recipe! These Lovely Lemon Rolls are filled with lemon curd and then topped with a glaze. And this Citrus Cream Cheese Pull Apart Bread is amazing!
Now that the “red and chocolate season” is over and I’ve h ad enough of “green and mint season” I officially declare it “lemon season”. As far as I am concerned, it is always lemon season and I look for every opportunity I can to use lemons. Lemons make me happy. Today’s recipe is perfect for the upcoming Easter season or as far as I am concerned, any season.
Easiest Lemon Roll Ever
The best part of this recipe is how it tastes – full of lovely lemon flavor. The second best part is how easy the recipe is! It uses frozen roll dough! I actually found this recipe over at the Rhodes website and it was love at first site and first taste! After I made them, my husband tried them and loved them too. I had boxed up some for him to take over to the neighbors and after tasting them he added more to the box. Not because he didn’t like them but because he loved them and he knew he would be way to tempted to eat them all. I have to say when I saw how few were left and what he had done I was a little miffed at him because there were only a few left! Guess I’ll just have to make them again.
I used Rhodes frozen rolls but if you can’t find that brand use what is available or if you are feeling energetic you can totally make your own roll dough.
How to Make Lemon Pull Apart Rolls
- Remove frozen rolls from freezer, place on a baking sheet or plate and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to thaw at room temperature. You want them to be thawed but still cold. Depending on the temperature of your house, this will take around 1 1/2 hours. I used 12 rolls for my 10 inch cast iron skillet pan.
- Mix up lemon sugar mixture by combining sugar and lemon zest. Stir together with a fork or spoon, you can even use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar so it gets infused into the sugar.
- I like to use my 10 inch cast iron skillet every chance I get so that is what I used. If you don’t have one, you should! But you can also use a deep dish pie pan too.
- Cut the rolls in half and lay them into the pan. Pour melted butter over the top.
- Sprinkle half of the lemon sugar mixture over the top. Cover them with plastic wrap.
- Set the rolls in a nice warm location and let them rise for an hour or so or until they double in size. Then sprinkle the other half of the sugar mixture on top. They should look like this.
- Place in the oven and bake until they are baked through and nice and golden brown.
- While they are baking, mix up the lemon glaze combing powdered sugar, melted butter and lemon juice until you have a nice drizzling consistency.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool for five minutes before adding the glaze.
Aren’t they pretty!? They will look perfect sitting on your brunch or breakfast table. I serve them right out of the cast iron pan.
I couldn’t let them cool and I dug into them right away. I wasn’t sorry. The sugar creates a nice crunch, lemony texture on top and the inside of the roll is soft and sweet.
Let’s just say I ate my fair share before my husband delivered them to the neighbors. I probably really should thank him for sharing them or I would have definitely eaten them all! Make these lemon rolls now! Thank me later.
I can’t live without my cast iron skillet! One of my favorite kitchen items!
For all of my other favorite kitchen products and tools visit my Amazon Store.
Did you know I wrote a cookbook? Check out the Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook for 100 delicious recipes.
Some of my other favorite recipes made with frozen rolls:
- Quick and Easy Orange Rolls
- Everything Bagel Seasoning Pull Apart Rolls
- Magleby’s Rolls
- Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread
Lemon Pull Apart Roll Recipe
Lemon Pull Apart Rolls
Ingredients
- 12 frozen dinner rolls thawed but still cold
- zest from 2 whole lemons
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Citrus Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix lemon zest with sugar.
- Cut rolls in half and place in a 12-inch sprayed deep dish pizza pan or 9x13-inch sprayed baking pan.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over rolls.
- Sprinkle with lemon zest/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 of mixture to sprinkle on just before baking.
- Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size.
- Remove wrap. Sprinkle on remaining mixture.
- Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes. Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack.
- Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.
Nutrition Facts:
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Recipe from Rhodes Bread
Deb Ilardi says
Love your recipes
Leigh Anne says
Thanks so much!
Alyssa says
I’m wondering what type or brand of frozen rolls you use and if you’ve ever tried it with any homemade dough?
Leigh Anne says
Alyssa, I always use Rhodes frozen rolls and have never made it with homemade dough but I’m sure it would work fine
Rose says
I can’t wait to try these
Mary says
You say you use the cast iron pan, but don’t mention if you grease the pan or not?
Leigh Anne says
Mary, have actually done it both ways and it works fine either way.