Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls

Name: Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 210 min
Ingredients: 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls (thawed but still cold); zest of 2 lemons; ½ cup sugar; ¼ cup butter (melted); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tablespoon butter (melted); 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Oh, boy are you in for a treat with these Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls! They are such an easy recipe to make up and bake until perfectly golden brown with a tasty lemony glaze to make the best lemon rolls.

2 Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls on a plate

There is no need for any instant yeast or dry ingredients for this recipe because you will be making this recipe with a premade piece of dough, aka no mixing with an electric mixer making this recipe as easy as can be.

Sweet breads are perfect to serve at a weekend brunch, or when you want an easy breakfast your whole family will love, yet keep it an easy lemon pull-apart bread yeast dough recipe with the best results when you use this sweet rolls recipe.

Ingredient Notes

Rhodes Dinner Rolls thawed but still cold
Zest of large lemons
Sugar
Butter melted

Citrus Lemon Glaze

Powdered sugar
Butter melted
Fresh lemon juice

How to make Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls:

Mix lemon zest from the lemon peel with the sugar in a small bow to create the lemon sugar

Lemon zest with sugar in a small mixing bowl

Cut rolls in half and place in a 12-inch sprayed deep dish pizza pan or 9×13-inch sprayed baking pan.
Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over the dough balls. Sprinkle with lemon zest/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 of the mixture to sprinkle on just before baking.

Rolls cut in half in a baking dish with butter and lemon sugar sprinkled on top

Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double in size in the prepared pan.
Remove wrap. Sprinkle on the remaining mixture. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes.
Remove immediately from pan and place on a cooling rack or wire rack.
Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.

Spooning glaze over freshly baked Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls

Storing and Other Tips

Super simple, all you have to do it store the rolls broken into individual rolls in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for at least 3 days.

Then just pop them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and serve them with a cup of coffee and enjoy them again!

A pan of Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls with lemons in the background

Other Sweet Bread Recipes You Might Like

Close up of 2 Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls on a plate

Serves: 6 servings

Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls

These are so light and refreshing- perfect for breakfast for a Sunday brunch!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 3

Total Time 3 30

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Ingredients

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls thawed but still cold
zest of 2 lemons
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter melted

Citrus Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon butter melted
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Mix lemon zest with sugar.
Cut rolls in half and place in a 12-inch sprayed deep dish pizza pan or 9×13-inch sprayed baking pan.
Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over rolls. Sprinkle with lemon zest/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 of mixture to sprinkle on just before baking.
Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size.
Remove wrap. Sprinkle on remaining mixture. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes.
Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack.
Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.

Notes

Serve with Fresh Fruit for Brunch

Nutrition

Calories: 463 kcal · Carbohydrates: 77 g · Protein: 8 g · Fat: 15 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 25 mg · Sodium: 535 mg · Potassium: 108 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 38 g · Vitamin A: 295 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 155 mg · Iron: 3 mg

Equipment

Recipe Details

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Cost: $5

Author: Steph Loaiza

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Questions & Reviews

Jenn says:

I make these, but with orange instead of lemon!! I love them.
Lark (SparkyLarky)@ Lark's Country Heart says:

Oh I love using Rhodes Rolls!
Michael Ann says:

Mmmmm, these sounds super good. I love lemony things!
Mrs. Jen B says:

Ooooh I can see why you had a hard time staying away! I'm going to need to make these for myself...or maybe I shouldn't, since I'd probably eat them for 3 out of 3 meals...plus snacks... ;)
GrannyG says:

Made these tonight plus a pan for a friend.....LUCIOUS.....and the lemon zest sugar....OH MY....had to make extra to put in a jar for tea. Thank you...
bookmom says:

SO yummy looking! I can't wait to try these!! I absolutely love making desserts! ;)
Helen Krahn says:

This comment has been removed by the author.
Jennifer says:

I'm going to try these with my own roll dough and see how it goes. I can be lazy, stay home and start dough in the bread machine, and still get a treat!
Beth says:

I'm just wondering if you can put the rolls in the fridge over night so you can bake this in the morning? I'm not a pro at using frozen dough, but this looks too yummy to pass up!!
Cyd says:

Putting them in the fridge overnight will slow down the raising process. Be sure you leave them enough time to raise before baking.
Lori says:

How long should it take these to rise?
Cyd says:

Takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. A lot of times it just depends on how warm the house is. Doesn't usually take very long.
Kathy says:

What are "Rhodes Rolls"? Are they like Parkerhouse rolls? Frozen dough balls?
Cyd says:

Rhodes Rolls is just frozen roll dough balls. Found in the freezer section. You could use store brand or whatever your store carries.
Eryn says:

Do you store these in the fridge or on the counter?
Cyd says:

They are fine to be left on the counter. Store them in a plastic bag or airtight container if not eaten soon! They don't last long at our house!
Cindy says:

When you say cut roll in half....what exactly do you mean....12 will make a whole 9x 13. Thanks for the info
Cyd says:

You cut them in 1/2 when they are thawed but still cold. They have not yet started to rise. Space them out in the pan and they will all connect together when they begin to rise and double in size. I have a pair of kitchen scissors and that works the best for snipping them in half.
Diana S. Michalak Bowles says:

Not a big lemon fan so I am going to try orange juice & zest. I also was thinking about pineapple . Maybe bits of pineapple with the orange juice. What do you think? Thank you for this easy quick breakfast roll. Will make my family happy to have these for a quick bite in the morning before church. Then brunch afterwards. Fist time visiting your site. Not the last. : )
staci says:

I am going to try this but going to add cream cheese to frosting.
Molly says:

These were very good. I made them in individual muffin pans and they turned out perfect!
Molly says:

In making them in individual servings, I split the dinner roll into quarters and lined the bottom of the muffin pan
Polly says:

Looks delish, but I am confused. The picture seems to show the rolls sitting in the baking dish with the glaze pooled around them, but recipe says, "Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack. Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts." If they're on a rack, won't the glaze just run off?
Polly says:

Wonder how well this would work using canned refrigerated biscuits instead of the yeast rolls? Of course the baking time would be shorter... prep/waiting time would be much shorter, too, always a big plus at my house! :)
Cyd says:

We left them in the pan for the picture. You can leave them in if you wish or let them cool on a wire rack. We let them cool slightly, then drizzle the glaze over the top. It runs down the side and it's delicious! Hope this helps!