Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Buns

We’re already half-way through April! While I’m ecstatic about the upcoming warmer weather, I’ve still got so much to do before my little baby boy arrives this summer! My husband and I painted the nursery this past weekend, and I’m so in love with how it’s coming together. We painted it a turquoise color, and we’ll be adorning the walls with some colorful dinosaur plaques. We’ve got curtain rods, blackout turquoise shades, and a closet organizer to install next weekend. This room will surely be the most decorated room in our house! I’m 24 weeks along now, and feeling great. My doctor advised that my energy levels will deplete again once I reach my third trimester, so I’m going to take advantage of all this energy I have right now, while I can!

These are not your average cinnamon rolls, friends, they’re actually not cinnamon rolls at all! Instead of a deep cinnamon flavor filling, I’ve filled these buns with a bright-Springtime fresh blueberry jam filling! This pastry packs a big blueberry punch-so if you’re a fan of the berry, you’ve gotta give this recipe a try. A little lemon is laced throughout this bun, enhancing that blueberry flavor. You’re sure to impress with these buns.

I love the combination of poppyseeds and lemon, not only does it remind me of one of my favorite muffins, but the little specks of poppyseed make this bun stand out. This dough recipe is tried and true, I use it for all my cinnamon roll/enriched dough needs. I simply added lemon zest and poppyseeds to the recipe, just for a slight change. Feel free to change up the lemon to orange if you like! That would be an equally delicious, Springtime treat.

Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Buns

Yield 12-14 buns

Dough

Dry active yeast 2 ¼ tsp

Milk 1 cup

Sugar ½ cup

Butter, softened 6 Tbsp.

Salt 1 tsp

Eggs 2

Flour 4 cups

Lemon zest 1 Tbsp.

Poppyseeds 1 Tbsp.

Blueberry Jam

Fresh blueberries 2 clamshells

Sugar ½ cup

Lemon zest 1 tsp

Lemon juice 1 Tbsp.

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream cheese 1 cup, room temp.

Powdered sugar ½ cup

Lemon zest 1 Tbsp.

Vanilla ½ tsp

Milk 2 Tbsp.

Reserved Blueberry Jam 2 Tbsp.

Directions:

To make the jam, combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook down on medium low heat until thick and jammy, about 20 minutes. Transfer jam to a small bowl, and place some plastic wrap on the surface of the jam. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the dough, first microwave the milk for 30-45 seconds. Sprinkle over the dry yeast and a pinch of sugar and let it activate for 5 minutes. It should froth up.

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and poppyseeds. Next, pour the yeast mixture in your mixing bowl. Mix for 2 minutes, add in eggs, then butter. Continue to mix until the dough comes together in a smooth ball, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it proof until double in size, about 1-2 hours.

Next, sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll out the proofed dough to about 10”x18”.

Spread blueberry jam over dough and leave ½” of the sides clean. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of blueberry jam to make icing. Next, starting from the bottom, roll as tightly as you can until it is all rolled up.

The ABSOLUTE best way to cut pieces of dough is to use a flavorless piece of dental floss and tighten around the rolled dough. They come off much cleaner than if you were to use a perfectly sharp knife. Cut off 1 1/2“ pieces, you should get around 12-14. Place them in 2 cake pans, or on a cookie sheet to proof again. Proof for 30-45 minutes minutes in a warm area, no drafts, covered. Rolls with puff up, and that’s when you know to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the sides.

While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese icing.

To make the icing, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add in lemon zest, vanilla, milk, and reserved blueberry jam. Mix until smooth, and scrape down sides as needed.

When the buns come out of the oven, spoon the cream cheese icing over while the buns are hot. Serve and enjoy!