blueberry, lemon & lavender rolls

Baking in time for breakfast typically does not pan out for me. Even on the weekends, when it isn’t so much an issue of time, I’m not patient enough and I end up eating a typical quick breakfast before any baking can get underway. Or sometimes I will hold out until something is in the oven–and then give in and eat while it is baking.

Thus for me, yeasted things are at best a brunch, not breakfast, item. Which is perfectly fine–as long as you have a chance sometime during the day, that is about all that matters.

These buns are extravagantly jammy, stuffed with warm blueberries and lavender sugar, and a tart lemon glaze. A bake with fruit and bread can’t go that wrong. If you must, they will even do for lunch. 

• Servings: 8 buns
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dough

• 215 g bread or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 125g whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 45g soft butter

filling

• 20g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp edible dried lavender flowers
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 50g butter, softened
• 160g fresh blueberries (about 1 heaping cup)
• beaten egg as egg wash for baking

glaze

• 33g icing sugar
• about 1 1/2 – 2 tsp lemon juice
• dried lavender flowers

For the bun dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the milk and the egg and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough is formed. Using the dough hook, knead for a few minutes or until smooth.

Add a knob of butter at a time to dough, working it in completely before adding any more. At the end you should have a very smooth and soft dough. Transfer to a container to let rise overnight in the fridge or 1 hour at room temperature.

To fill and bake, begin by preparing a 9-inch (23cm) round cake tin or springform pan. Butter the pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

For the filling, place the sugar and lavender into a spice grinder and blend together several seconds to partially break apart the lavender (alternatively, rub the lavender buds in the sugar with your fingertips to crush them). Transfer the sugar to a small bowl, add the lemon zest and rub in until fragrant. Finally add the butter and mix until combined.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough to a square about 12×12″ (30x30cm). Spread with a thin layer of the butter, sparing a strip along the edge furthest from you. Scatter with the bluberries. Roll up into a log starting from the edge closest to you, and seal along the bare strip of dough.

Use a knife, bench cutter or floss to slice the log into eight equal pieces. Arrange in the prepared tin with one bun in the middle and the rest in a circle. Cover and let rise until puffed and buns are touching, about 1 hour (more if started from cold dough, less if started from room temperature dough).

Near the end of the rise preheat the oven to 375F. Once risen, brush the buns with some beaten egg as egg wash. Pop in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Let cool on a rack.

To glaze, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice to form to form a runny glaze. Brush the tops of the just warm, or cooled, buns with the glaze and sprinkle with some extra lavender.

Like many fresh breads, these are best enjoyed day of while a little bit warm or at room temperature while the bread is soft and the glaze is set! For keeping the buns longer, as they have quite a bit of moisture, it may be safest to keep them in the fridge.

Update notes: Recipe and photos updated July 2023 to use my new favourite basic sweet dough and a lemony glaze. The previous version was sourdough, if you’re curious why there are sourdough comments below…