Berry season has officially started and I cannot think of a better way to welcome it than these delicious Lemon and Raspberry Rolls filled with juicy fresh raspberries and zesty lemon infused sugar and, to top it all, a delicious and very generous sprinkle of sweet and tangy lemon drizzle.

Lemon and Raspberry Rolls with Lemon Drizzle

If you have been here for long enough you’ll know I love lemon everything, and I also love a good roll, so, to be honest, I am super excited about sharing this recipe with you. These rolls are not my usual ones, although they have the same ingredients, they are thinner, which gets the most out of the fresh raspberry pieces.

A few tips for success…

• Fresh raspberries are better, but frozen ones are completely fine – since we are in raspberry season, it felt like a crime using any other type. However, you can definitely use frozen ones if you need them, just make sure you defrost them ahead and remove any excess water!
• Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls – make sure your knife is quite sharp to cut these easily, avoid using a serrated edge knife as they’ll break the dough unevenly. These will be a bit messy when cutting them as the raspberries will release some juice, but nothing to worry about! Also, if any raspberries fall out of the dough, simply push them back in.
• Raise your dough in the oven – a great tip for raising dough, particularly in the colder months, is to raise it in the oven. Simply turn your oven temperature to the lowest setting (mine is 50 degrees celsius) for 2-3 minutes, it is important that the oven doesn’t reach that temperature! Then, turn it off and leave your dough in the oven, this will help it raise quicker and much more evenly than outside the oven.

Lemon and Raspberry Rolls with Lemon Drizzle

Ingredients (makes 10 – 12 rolls):

For the dough:

• 270 ml of whole milk
• 60 gr of butter
• 500 gr of bread flour
• The zest of one lemon (optional)
• 10 gr of dry active instant yeast
• 100 gr of sugar
• A pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 30 gr of butter at room temperature 
• 90 gr of granulated sugar
• The zest of 2 lemons
• 200 gr of raspberries cut in half

For the drizzle:

• 100 gr of icing sugar
• The juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• 2 tbsp of milk

Method:

1. Warm up the milk and let the butter dissolve in it, you’ll have to stir regularly. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Pour the milk and butter into the dry ingredients and mix them well until you get a soft and smooth dough. Knead it over a floured surface for 5 minutes, then, put the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest for at least an hour or until doubled in size.
3. Once the dough has risen, roll it in a floured surface until you have the shape of a rectangle. If you are struggling to get that shape, just cut the edges so it acquires that shape. 
4. Infuse the sugar with the lemon zest by rubbing them together with your fingers, transfer 1 tbsp and a 1/2 into a different bowl and set aside.
5. Spread the butter all over the dough making sure you reach up until the edges, then, sprinkle it with the larger amount of lemon sugar and finally add the raspberries making sure they are spread out evenly.
6. Start rolling the dough. Starting from one of the shorter sides of the rectangle, gently roll the dough all the way. Roll it as gently as possible so you don’t squash the raspberries.
7. Measure out approximately 10 to 12 rolls of 2 cm each and cut them out using a sharp knife (not a serrated one as it makes too much of a mess). Place the rolls on a lined baking tay. Allow the rolls to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
8. Once your rolls are ready, sprinkle the remaining lemon sugar on top and cook them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. I don’t use fan in my bakes, but if you do, you may want to reduce the oven temperature by 10 degrees, or give them a bit less time.
9. Once the rolls are ready, take them out of the oven and allow them to come to room temperature. Once they have cooled down, make the drizzle mixing the above ingredients and sprinkle it over the rolls.