Make the dough

1. Sprinkle the yeast on the warm water in a small bowl with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
2. Warm the milk in a small pan on the stove until you see bubbles around the edges. Cut up the butter and add it to the pan to melt.
3. Crack your eggs and use a fork to whip them into the butter and milk mixture, then add in the sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla and then stir to combine. Check the temperature with your finger (the milk/egg mixture should be just warm to the touch.).
4. Put the flour into a large bowl or your stand mixer bowl. Make a well in the center with your hands, then pour in the milk mixture then the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment itself to make a rough dough.
5. After that, with a dough hook on your stand mixer, beat the dough for about 5 minutes on low speed (2 on a Kitchen Aid

   (Affiliate)

   ) until you get an elastic sticky dough that pulls away in strands from the sides of the bowl. 
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to rise overnight or 4 hours minimum.

Make the rolls

1. Melt the butter for the roll assembly. 
2. Mix the lemon zest with the sugar in a small bowl.  Rub the zest into the sugar until you can smell the lemon. 

   

   This will release more lemon flavor.

3. Sprinkle some flour on a clean kitchen towel or pastry cloth

   (Affiliate)

   , then scrape out the cold dough on top of the flour. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough.  
4. Quickly roll the dough into a rectangle about 12″X16″. 
5. Brush a 9″x13″ pan with a little butter.
6. Spread a thin layer of jam over the rolls.  Scatter the lemon sugar over the surface, saving about 1 tablespoon of the sugar for the tops of the rolls. 
7. Roll up the dough over itself along the long edge into a tight log.
8. Eyeball or use a measuring tape to mark the dough for cutting the rolls into 12 pieces.
9. Run a length of dental floss under the dough. Cross the ends over each other with opposite hands and pull on the floss to cut a roll.
10. Set the cut roll in the prepared pan.
11. Continue cutting the rest of the rolls. 
12. Cover the rolls with a clean tea towel and let them rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
13. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F (180 C).
14. Tuck a couple berries into the tops of the rolls.  Drizzle over the rest of the butter and the rest of the lemon sugar.
15. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and set.
16. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the icing.

Make the icing

1.  Beat all the ingredients together into a smooth thick icing.
2. Spoon the icing over the tops of the rolls, and top each roll with a few more berries.  You can decide whether you’d like to have a thin layer of icing or a thick one.  I prefer a thin one so that you can see the pattern of the rolls, I’ve pictured both, so choose your own adventure!

Rolls are best eaten the same day that they’re made, but you can freeze them without the icing in an airtight bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, warm them in a pan in a 300F degree oven for 15 minutes. From there you can ice them.