Raspberry Rolls with Lemon Glaze

I moved to a new apartment recently, and I have been enjoying the extra space.

I don't have to walk through my roommate's bedroom to access the kitchen.  I can turn the lights on in the common areas each morning as I prepare for work.

There have been many perks to my new apartment.  In particular, I have enjoyed inviting friends over to my apartment.

I made these rolls for a brunch a couple of weeks ago, and I am having dinner at my apartment this evening after church. 

At my old apartment, I could only invite people to events in the community or to restaurants.  Being able to invite friends to my apartment seems more homey and friendly.

The recipe came from food.com.  The original recipe makes orange rolls.  I switched the orange zest in the filling for raspberry spread.

The ingredients for the dough are 1 1/4 ounce package yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, 1 cup warm milk, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, and 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups flour.  The filling ingredients are 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 3/4 cup raspberry spread.  The glaze ingredients are 1 1/2 cups or more powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, 4 teaspoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract.

To make the dough, I dissolved the yeast in the warm water.

In another bowl, I added the milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, and egg.

I added the yeast and water and blended well.

I slowly added the flour until a soft dough formed.  I mixed the dough throughout the process.  I kneaded the dough for seven minutes with a bread hook.

I put the dough into a greased bowl, turning it around in the bowl to coat it with grease.  I covered the dough and let it rise for about an hour.  The dough had doubled in size.

I punched the dough down and rolled it into a rectangle.

I added the butter and sugar over the dough in a thin, even layer.  The butter should be softened and not melted.

I spread on a layer of the raspberry spread over the butter and sugar mixture.

I rolled the dough up.

I cut the roll into one inch thick slices and placed them in a greased baking pan.

I covered the rolls and put them in the fridge overnight before letting them rise a second time.  I could have let them rise directly after slicing the roll.  The dough needs to double in size.  If the dough starts at room temperature, this will take around 45 minutes.  It took more time when I took the dough from the fridge.

The raspberry spread released some juice overnight.  It thickened up and became a sticky and delicious jam at the bottom of the rolls after baking.  I baked the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes at 375.

I prepared the glaze while the rolls baked.  I add the milk, butter, lemon extract, and powdered sugar into a bowl.

I only added 1 cup of powdered sugar initially but added more to reach a thicker, creamier consistency. 

I let the rolls cool a few minutes before smothering on the lemon glaze.

 I dolloped a scoop on each roll.

I didn't need to spread the glaze out too much because the heat of the rolls melts the glaze into the nooks of the bread.

As you can imagine, these were best when they were warm and fresh from the oven.  The bread was tender and soft.  The outside was golden.

The raspberry filling was sweet and jammy.   Some of juice from the spread released and firmed up and formed a thick and fruity layer at the bottom of each roll.

 
 The lemon glaze helped cut through the sweetness of the rolls and paired well with the berry filling.  It was creamy and bright.

 This was a popular and decadent brunch item.  Everyone had at least two.  The smell of sugar and yeast made everyone hungry.

It was superb, comfort food at its best.