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Meyer Lemon Morning Buns

ByLaura Kasavan Updated
Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 3 reviews

Meyer lemon morning buns are a breakfast dream! Reminiscent of both a sweet roll and a flaky pastry, nothing tastes quite so delicious with your morning coffee (or for Easter brunch!) as these golden twists.

Meyer Lemon Morning Buns

Filled with Meyer lemon curd and Meyer lemon-sugar, these morning buns are simply irresistible warm from the oven and the perfect taste of spring.

How to fill and shape the morning buns:

  1. To fill the buns, visualize the rectangle of dough like a piece of paper, divided into thirds. Spread Meyer lemon curd across the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the edges.
  2. Fold the right side of dough over to the middle and sprinkle with Meyer lemon-sugar.
  3. Next, fold the left side of dough back across over the layers (just like folding up a sheet of paper to place it in an envelope).
  4. Seal the edges of the rectangle, dust lightly with flour, and roll out again (this encloses the filling in the dough).
  5. Use a sharp knife to cut 1-inch strips of dough, twisting each strip and spiraling into a “knot” with the ends tucked through the center.
  6. Let the knots rise until doubled in size, then brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar, and bake until fragrant and golden!
Meyer Lemon Morning Buns
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Meyer Lemon Morning Buns

Meyer Lemon Morning Buns

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Laura Kasavan
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 8-10 morning buns
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Meyer lemon morning buns are a breakfast dream! Reminiscent of both a sweet roll and a flaky pastry, these golden twists are delicious!

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups (490 g) flour, divided
  • 1 package (7 g) Red Star PLATINUM Yeast
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (240 g) low-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

Filling

Topping

  • 1 Tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • sugar

Instructions

  1. Combine 2 cups (280 g) flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixer bowl; mix on low speed until incorporated. Heat milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until very warm (120-130°F). Add warm milk, butter, and egg to flour mixture and mix until combined; mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour. Switch out the flat beater for a dough hook, and knead dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it feels tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers (if necessary, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time while kneading).
  2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with nonstick spray and cover with plastic. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. To check if dough has doubled, lightly flour two fingers and press them down into center of dough. If indentations remain, gently press down dough; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Turn dough out on a lightly floured board and roll into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread Meyer lemon curd gently over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the edges. Fold over the right section of dough. Place sugar and Meyer lemon zest in a food processor and pulse for one minute. Sprinkle  Meyer lemon-sugar over dough, pressing in gently with the rolling pin. Fold over the left section of dough (you will now have a 12 x 6-inch rectangle) and press the edges of the rectangle gently with the rolling pin to seal.
  4. Dust rectangle with flour and roll out dough again into a rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1-inch strips. Twist each long strip and make a spiral, then tuck the ends through the center to “knot” and place on prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 25 minutes. While the morning buns rise, preheat oven to 350°F.
  5. Brush morning buns lightly with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for about 30 to 32 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before serving.

Keywords: Meyer Lemon, Lemon, Morning Buns, Breakfast

Craving more Meyer lemon recipes?

Meyer Lemon Brown Butter Bars
Meyer Lemon Earl Grey Tea Cake
Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

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43 Comments

  1. Hi Laura! Can’t wait to make these lemon morning buns they look delicious! Can the first rise be done overnight in the fridge and shaped/baked the next morning? Love your recipes!

    Reply

    1. Hi Donna, I’ve never tested the first rise of dough in the fridge. For yeast breads that I want to make ahead, I usually do the second rise overnight in the fridge, and then bake the next day. If you’re looking for a lemon roll that you can make in advance, I recommend my sweet lemon rolls.

      Reply

  4. Sorry which way are you cutting the strips? Longer skinnier strips or shorter wider strips?
    Thanks! I’m dying to make these!

    Reply

    1. Hi Allison, I cut longer, skinnier strips of dough. They are easier to shape into a knot. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

  6. Any chance you could make a video of this? I’m thinking you roll the dough out, cover with curd, fold both sides over so there’s a seam down the middle,. Then sprinkle both sides with lemon sugar and roll over again. And then I get lost.

    Reply

    1. Hi Julie, you’re very close! Roll out the dough into a rectangle and cover with lemon curd. Fold just the right side to the middle and sprinkle with Meyer lemon-sugar. Next, fold the left side of dough back across the top over the layers. If you visualize a piece of paper divided in thirds, the left side will end up on top. Hope that helps and I’ll keep a video or step-by-step tutorial in mind!

      Reply

  7. Hi Heidi, I did take pictures but then I changed the method a bit to make it easier, so the photos don’t show the steps exactly. For the folding, you want to fold the right section of dough to the middle and sprinkle with Meyer lemon-sugar, then fold the left side back across, just like if you were folding up a sheet of paper to place it in an envelope. Hope that helps!

    Reply

  8. Sorry, just to clarify step number 3….When folding, is it being folded in half right to left and then left to right in half again or is it being folded with the right side to the middle and then the left side to the middle? Thank you. The results look delicious!

    Reply

    1. Hi Kortny, great question – fold the right side to the middle and sprinkle with Meyer lemon-sugar, then fold the left side back across, just like if you were folding up a sheet of paper to place it in an envelope. Hope that helps!

      Reply

    2. It helped me to visualize the 18 inches being divided into thirds so I was folding the right third over the middle and then the left third over the two layers.

      Reply

  9. Greetings from Nelson,NH where it is cold and snowy.
    The recipe was linked in lemon tea br3ad not,lemon curd rolls.
    But, yes I got it,thanks

    Reply

  10. I came across this recipe and it looks really good. Do you happen to have pictures on how you shaped these? I’m not a very experienced baker but this looks like something I would definitely like to try 😀

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary, I actually did take step-by-step photos, but then I changed the filling method a bit after the fact to make the process easier. I’ll send you some screenshots that will hopefully help. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Thank you very much! I really appreciate your response! 😀 Have a great day! I’m new to your site but really enjoying what I have read so far!

  13. I made these today. Will try to post a photo on Instagram tomorrow. I shared them with my extended family for a taste test. They were a huge hit, and I will make them again for sure. They turned out so well. I do have a question though. After you fold the right side, add lemon sugar and fold left side over. You say roll into a rectangle. It already is a smaller rectangle at that point. I was a bit confused. I did roll it a bit to seal the dough, and hoped I did it correctly. Since they looked like yours, I think I passed the test. These are a lovely morning treat with breakfast. Next up I will try the coffee cake you posted today, It looks wonderful. I just love baking with yeast.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Kathleen! I love baking with yeast too. To answer your question, yes – after you add the filling and fold the dough, you do have a smaller rectangle. I then rolled that rectangle out slightly thinner, like you probably did as you were sealing the dough, before cutting the rectangle into strips. Hope you enjoy today’s bread as well! 🙂

      Reply

  14. Hi!

    How many gram of yeast is in one package in case I can’t find the same brand of yeast? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi, 1 packet of yeast is 7 grams – I do recommend using an instant yeast so that your rise times will be similar. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      1. I am excited to make these buns. Finally have a big batch of lemon curd I made so can use some for this. Wondering high, you say the package of yeast has 21grams. That is a lot of yeast- on the website you linked to the yeast, they say one packet is 7grams. They do show them 3 packages together though. Just want to be clear about how much yeast is needed before I start! Thank you for your beautiful recipes.

  15. I love lemon desserts this time of the year, and these meyer lemon buns with lemon curd sound wonderful! That must be a great surprise in the bite! 🙂

    Reply

  16. What do you suggest I do if I want to make these up to the point of baking and then travel 3 hours with them? Can I make up to the point of letting them rise as knots and refrigerate the night before?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jill, it’s a bit hard to say since I haven’t tested it – because of the lemon curd filling, I’m not sure how well these would transport unbaked. I’d probably just go ahead and bake them the night ahead, and then re-warm them at your destination. I do have another bread recipe coming next week that may work out better for transport, so watch for that! 🙂

      Reply

  17. I’m looking forward to making these! What are the dimensions of the final rectangle in step 4? Thank you for the great recipes.

    Reply

    1. Hi Nancy, looking back at my photos, the final rectangle is roughly about 16 x 9 inches. This doesn’t have to be exact – you don’t want to roll the dough out too thin, or you may lose too much of the lemon curd in the process. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

      2. I made these yesterday. Absolutely delicious! Next up…lemon tea cake.

        ★★★★★

  18. Curd AND lemon sugar. Oh my, this is my dream pastry and I’m ready to test my baking skills because of this lemony recipe !! Love the new design too!

    Reply

      2. Hi Kaylee! I would store them in an air-tight freezer bag for up to 6 weeks, and rewarm in a warm oven.

  19. So sorry, but I cannot seem to find the recipe for the Meyer lemon morning buns. I have opened and closed the post many times but no matter where I click nothing happens and the recipe does not seem to be here. Thanks for any help you can provide, I am anxious to make these

    Reply

    1. Hi Maura, so sorry for the delay – we just relaunched the site after a redesign and some things went missing in the process, including this recipe! I’ve just updated the post, hope you enjoy these! 🙂

      Reply