lemon sweet rolls

31 Mar 2010 2 Comments

by radicalmuffin in bread, lemons, pastry, recipes, sweets, vegetarian Tags: baking, Brooklyn, butter, sweet rolls

lemon sweet rolls - wish you were here!

in making do on a tighter grocery budget—a sudden piece-meal grocery acquisition process—I have come to a special place of preciousness around butter.  Suddenly, I want it for everything; pound cakes are the only recipes calling to me.  Alas – those neatly quartered sticks can no longer be a perpetual purchase.  These sweet rolls use less butter than biscuits but deliver a soul-soothing buttery bready aroma as they cook and a no less satisfying gooey lusciousness upon consumption.  I am sticky with love.  Plus, they continue this year’s theme of “when life hands you lemons,” oh! the things you can eat!!!

in a big enough bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a packet of yeast.  In a really big bowl, cream together a generous 2 tablespoons of softened butter with scant ½ cup of sugar.  Beat in 1 egg (preferably at room temperature).  Alternating additions in three parts, stir in the flour along with ¾ cup of buttermilk. Stir until the dough hangs together, adding more buttermilk a bit at a time if necessary.  Knead the dough in the big bowl for 5 minutes or so, or until the dough is silky smooth and elastic.  You may need to add more flour or milk to achieve the right texture, and you’ll learn the right texture as you continue to bake these addictive rolls in their myriad possible incarnations.

butter a clean bowl and let it hold the dough, covered lightly with a damp kitchen towel, to rise for at least 2 hours (until doubled in size).  When your dough is at full height, dump it onto a floured cutting board and pat, stretch and roll it into a rough rectangle about ¼ of an inch thick.  Spread the flattened pre-bread with soften butter, about 3 tablespoons, and sprinkle generously with brown sugar.  More butter and more sugar and nothing else will give you basic caramel rolls—absolutely delicious.  We zested the rind of a (well-washed, organic) lemon across the entire thing.

when you have spread your sweet roll filling, gently roll the rectangle lengthwise (moving from one wide-end to the other) to make a pinwheel log.  Slice off “rolls” from 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.  Set side by side in a buttered (or parchment paper lined and buttered) baking dish that is big enough to accommodate the rolls only barely touching.  Cover and let rise for another hour, or cover tightly with foil and put in the fridge to be ready for baking first thing in the morning.

heat your oven to 400°.  Top each bun with a sliver of butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until golden brown.   Be sure your roommates, friends and neighbors are around to share in the yumminess, or you will eat the entire pan yourself.  Unless, of course, it is the sort of night you deserve to eat the whole damn pan yourself.  In which case, I recommend adding mini-chocolate chips, chopped pecans or both to the roll’s inner schmear.  For classic cinnamon rolls to bring along to your next apartment-warming or for Xmas morning, blend 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and ½ cup of sugar and sprinkle over the butter spread dough, adding ¾ cups currants or raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans as favored by your people.

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