These lemon sweet buns are a bright and buttery take on a breakfast pastry. The brioche dough provides a rich and tender crumb and is rolled up with lemony sugar for a crunchy, citrusy, caramelized result.
Brioche dough is a special animal in the baking world. It has one of the fluffiest, softest, richest crumbs and a reputation that keeps people from ever attempting to make it at home.
The reputation is somewhat warranted if you’re doing it by hand because it’s a greasy mess that always seems to get worse before it gets better. While making it by hand is doable, and eventually very satisfying, for me it’s one of those “drop $400 on a mixer to make next time” recipes.
With a stand mixer, it’s easier than cookie dough. You literally dump everything in a bowl, turn it on, and come back in 15 minutes to find a perfect ball of satiny dough. The best flavor develops after an overnight rise in the refrigerator, which also happens to make the dough easier to work with, then the real fun begins.
I coat the dough with melted butter, a layer of fresh lemon zest and granulated sugar, then roll it up and braid it for a beautiful set of braided buns.
These lemon sweet buns are soft, buttery, and laced with sweet, fragrant lemon zest. And I can’t think of a better aroma on a crisp spring morning.
notes on the sweet buns:
- in the initial stages, the dough will look like a wet and hopeless mess. Don't stress about it or throw in the towel, just give the dough a full 15- 20 minutes to come together! Sometimes it may need a little longer to fully clean up the bowl, but if it still isn't coming together after 25 minutes, sprinkle a little more flour in to help it along.
- the dough is easiest to work with, and has the best flavor, if it rises in the refrigerator overnight. It'll be rock hard when you take it out but will soften quickly once you start working with it.
- this also makes a gorgeous giant braided sweet bun, so if you're short on time simply roll the whole piece of dough out to 16"x 24" rectangle and proceed with the rest of step 4.
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Printlemon sweet buns
These lemon sweet buns are a bright and buttery take on a breakfast pastry. The brioche dough provides a rich and tender crumb and is rolled up with lemony sugar for a fluffy, citrusy, caramelized result.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, plus overnight to rise
- Yield: 6
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
sweet bun brioche dough
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup milk, room temperature
- 10 tbsp butter, sliced into 10 pieces, room temperature
lemon filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine dry ingredients and whisk by hand to briefly mix. Pour in the milk, eggs and butter and mix on low speed for about 1 minute until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test, 15- 20 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball (it'll be very soft), place it in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, until well chilled.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest and mash together with the back of a spoon until fully mixed. Set aside.
- Cut the dough into 6 pieces of equal size. Working one piece at a time, roll out the dough to a 7" x 10" rectangle, using a light dusting of flour if needed. Brush surface with melted butter, leaving ½” border, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of sugar-zest mixture. Roll up dough lengthwise to form a 10" long cigar, seal long edge with water, then place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.
- Place sheet pan in freezer for 2-3 minutes so dough is firm and easier to shape. Working one at a time, use a sharp knife to cut the cigar in half lengthwise, leaving ½" attached at one end, and gently rotate halves so the cut sides face up. Cross the right strand over the left and repeat to form a twisted log, leaving cut sides exposed, then pinch the loose ends together. Shape braided dough into a loop, with the ends overlapping, then tuck ends under the loop and pinch to secure, if needed. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with at least 2 inches of space on all sides. Repeat braiding and shaping the remaining dough pieces, returning the cigars to the freezer to firm up as necessary.
- Cover braided buns lightly and let rise for about 1 ½ hours, until puffy and slightly larger (they won't double in size). Preheat to oven to 375°F towards the end of the rising time.
- Bake buns for 25- 30 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if browning too quickly. Buns are done when skewer inserted into center of braid comes out clean and the exposed layers are firm to the touch. Transfer buns to a rack, cool slightly, and enjoy!
Notes
- makes 6 buns
- lemon sweet buns can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ bun
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 411mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5.2g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
Keywords: sweet buns, lemon sweet buns
Deanna says
WoW!! Getting the yeast rising now!!
Allie says
Loved these! Didn't know brioche could be this easy! And the twists look so professional but were so simple to execute.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Indi Hampton says
I'm so happy to hear this!! Brioche is SO great if you have a mixer! 😀
Alexandra says
Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe! am so eager to make It!
Quick question: do these rolls do well being frozen once completely baked? I’m sure the bread part would be okay, but I wasn’t sure about the filling.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Indi Hampton says
Hi Alexandra! I think it should be okay. I'd prefer to freeze them before baking, but nothing weird will happen to them if frozen afterward. They might just be more dry and crumbly. I've never done it, so please report back if you try! I'd love to know!
Taylor says
Hi! I’m really excited to use this dough recipe! I’m gonna make some morning like buns with some different fillings with this brioche dough. If I wanted to roll out dough, top with filling and then cut individual pieces and place in the muffin tins, would they hold up in the fridge overnight before baking them the next day? I would love fresh ones to have ready to throw in the oven for breakfast without having to roll out dough beforehand!
Indi Hampton says
Hi Taylor! I think that should be fine! Give it a shot!