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Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls with Pistachios

Two weekends each year (in April and in October), my family gathers with other members of our faith worldwide to participate in the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over two days, we listen to the general authorities and officers of the Church as they provide us with messages of hope and inspiration to guide our lives for the coming six months.

Modern communications allow us to participate in the conference from the comfort of our own home. And so we have turned the conference into a culinary experience as well as a spiritual one.

I like to make sweet rolls for our conference breakfast. In October, I made cinnamon rolls using challah dough as the foundation. But I’m always game for something new, so my eyes got big when I came across a recipe for Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls with Pistachios in the Breakfast 2020 issue of Fine Cooking magazine. Spoiler alert: it’s as good as it sounds.

Sweet raspberry preserves blend well with the tart lemon glaze. Toasted pistachios provide additional crunch and flavor. What a great way to start your day.

Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls with Pistachios

The Best of Fine Cooking: Breakfast 2020

Dough

  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Filling

  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter,  softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup raspberry preserves
  • flour as needed

Glaze

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • Heavy cream as needed
  • 1/4 cup toasted pistachios, chopped

Making the Dough

In a small pan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Watch it closely so it doesn’t boil over. Remove the milk from the heat, and melt the butter in the milk. Let the milk cool to 110* to 115*.

In a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, lemon zest, and salt on medium speed. Add the milk mixture and eggs and mix just to combine.

Knead the dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes in the mixer. If mixing by hand, turn out the dough onto the countertop and knead for about 12 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball. Place it in a buttered bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the dough aside to rise until doubled in size (about 1 to 2 hours).

Shaping the Rolls

Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix the sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12×16 inch rectangle. Using a spatula or our hands, spread the softened butter evenly across the dough. Then spread the preserves across the entire surface of the dough. Coat the preserves evenly with the sugar and salt mixture.

Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the long seam and the ends closed. Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 12 one-inch wide pieces. Place the rolls into the buttered dish. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature until the rolls are touching (about 1 to 2 hours). During this second rise, preheat your oven to 350*.

Baking and Glazing

Whisk the egg yolk and about 2 teaspoons of water to form an egg wash. Brush the wash across the top of the rolls. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

While the rolls are cooling, mix the powdered sugar, butter, and lemon zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add heavy cream to bring the glaze to your desired consistency. Spread the glaze on the warm rolls. Sprinkle the pistachios over the glaze.

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Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you are looking for a treat and have some time to spare, try my twist on cinnamon rolls.

The foundation of the rolls is a rich, eggy challah dough. We then couple the tangy tartness of craisins with a light lemon cream cheese frosting. It’s a sweet treat that is not overpowering and is family approved.

Start with one of my favorite bread doughs, challah. We’ve made this recipe in my home for 20 years or more. The dough is smooth and easy to handle. It adapts well for use in cinnamon rolls and other desserts. (See my prior blog post that uses challah loaves in a bread pudding.)

When Rebecca and I married more than 30 years ago, my Grandmother Gibson gave us a Bosch bread mixer. We use it all the time; it’s still going strong after all these years. I can’t imagine making bread without our Bosch.

Challah

  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups warm milk (about 110*)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup milk mixed with the sugar. It will be frothy in about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remainder of the milk and the two cups flour. Cover the bowl and let it stand for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The sponge will be bubbling when it’s ready.

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil or other vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the sponge, then add the oil and the vanilla. Gently beat the eggs; pour the eggs into the sponge. Mix the sponge until the ingredients are incorporated.

Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is incorporated. You will start to get a soft dough. If the dough is too wet, add flour gradually, 1/4 cup at a time. Knead the dough until it is soft and springy.

Grease a large bowl with about 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl, then turn the dough over so that it is oiled on all sides. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 12 x 18 inches. You will repeat these steps three times (once for each piece of dough), so remember to divide the remaining ingredients into thirds as you proceed forward. If you have more dough than you can use in one sitting, you can freeze it for later use. (Or you can bake it into a gorgeous loaf of challah bread.) If you choose to freeze the dough for later use, remember to decrease the remaining ingredients as you move forward.

Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 20 tablespoons melted butter (2 1/2 sticks), divided
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups craisins (or other dried fruit)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Melt the butter. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread about 1/4 cup of melted butter over the dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread about 1/4 cup of the mixture over the dough. Spread 1/2 cup each of craisins and nuts over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log.  Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch segments. You should have about 8 or 9 rolls from each piece of dough.

I like to bake cinnamon rolls in disposable foil trays. I can give some cinnamon rolls to friends and they won’t have to worry about returning a pan to me. But you may want to bake the rolls in a 9 x 13 pan instead.

Pour 1/2 cup of the melted butter into the bottom of your baking pan. Sprinkle in about 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then place your cinnamon rolls in the pan.

I

Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel, and let them rise about 1 hour.

Bake at 350* until the rolls are golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Top the cinnamon rolls with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Molly’s Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 6 to 8 cups of powdered sugar
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • juice of 1 lemon (to taste)

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until it is creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese, and mix for about 3 minutes more.

Add the lemon zest, vanilla, and (approximately) 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the butter and cream cheese mixture. Then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Add lemon juice to taste.

I typically use all of the lemon juice and no more than 6 cups of powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter frosting. The frosting should be fluffy and spreadable. If it is too thick, mix in some milk, one tablespoon at a time.

When the cinnamon rolls have cooled, frost the rolls. If you have some frosting left over, it makes a great topping for pancakes or waffles.

Enjoy.

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Tabasco Cheese Rolls

I love good bread, especially when it is slathered in butter, fresh out of the oven. Good bread turns a sandwich into something extraordinary, a meal into a feast.

My Grandmother Gibson gave us a Bosch bread mixer when we got married more than 30 years ago. It is perhaps our most beloved and well-used kitchen appliance. I hope it lasts long enough that we can pass it one to one of our children.

One of my favorite types of bread is a Tabasco cheese roll. The recipe initially contemplated baking a single loaf, but we learned years ago that it makes great rolls. It’s one of my Thanksgiving baking traditions.

The recipe calls for sharp cheddar cheese, which pairs nicely with the acidic heat of Tabasco sauce. But if you don’t have sharp cheddar, you can substitute another strong cheese. For the rolls pictured here, I used a combination of cheddar with pecorino romano.

While the rolls are a great side to your meal, they are a tasty foundation for any sandwich.



Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 cups milk (heated)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup (or more) grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • Tabasco sauce to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Instructions

Combine 2 cups flour with the yeast and salt. Heat the milk to 120 to 130 degrees, and add to the dry ingredients. Add the butter and mix for about 2 minutes until the butter is incorporated into the batter. Add the Tabasco sauce.

Add the additional flour a little at a time until the dough no longer clings to sides of the mixer. Knead the dough in the mixer for about 1-2 minutes, until it is stretchy and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough has risen. turn the dough out on a clean, floured surface. Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into equal sized pieces. Roll the dough into round balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

Cover the rolls with a towel. Let the rolls rise until they have nearly doubled in size, about 50 minutes. While the rolls are rising, heat your oven to 400*.

Bake the rolls for 10 minutes at 400*, then turn the oven down to 350* and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.

Give your family hot rolls. They will love you forever.