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–+ servings
Rhubarb rolls topped with ginger nuts and lemon frosting.

Rhubarb Rolls with Lemon Frosting

4.50 | 2 reviews
If you love rhubarb season, this recipe is a perfect breakfast (or dessert!) recipe to slot into your rotation. The rhubarb filling comes together in minutes, purposefully staying tart-sweet like rhubarb itself. I like to have the soft dough topped with some extra-toasty (and easy) ginger nuts, so you have a perfect mix of plush-meets-crunch.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Proofing Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 9

Equipment

Ingredients

For the dough
  • 4 teaspoons (12g) active dry yeast
  • Heaping 2/3 cup (165g) warm water, between 80-95°F
  • 2 2/3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar
  • 1 medium egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened and divided
For the rhubarb filling
  • 7-8 (12 oz) skinny rhubarb stalks
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
For the ginger nut topping
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup raw nuts, such as cashews, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
For baking + icing
  • 1 egg, for egg wash
  • 1/4 cup (57g) salted butter
  • 1/4 cup (57g) cream cheese
  • 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions 

  1. Begin with the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 12 grams of active dry yeast and 165 grams of warm water. Add 375 grams of all-purpose flour, 5 grams of kosher salt, 55 grams of granulated sugar and an egg yolk. (Reserve the egg white from your egg for the nut topping). Using the hook attachment, mix on medium until all the ingredients are combined.
  2. Once the ingredients are just combined, begin adding the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. When it is fully mixed in, that's when you know to add the next tablespoon of butter.
  3. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix the dough for 7-8 minutes, or until it is pulling away from the sides and incredibly smooth. You can also do the gluten test (see Note). Cover and let it rise for an hour, or until nearly doubled in size.
  4. While the dough is rising, make the rhubarb filling. Thinly slice 12 ounces of rhubarb and add it to a large sauté pan along with 100 grams of granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes, or until the rhubarb is a thickened jam.
  5. Remove from the heat and stir in one tablespoon of butter at a time. Transfer to a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Set aside.
  6. Assemble the rolls. When the dough is ready, roll it into a 12” by 18” rectangle. I don’t use flour since the dough is so pliable, but feel free to dust it with flour if you see fit. Spread the rhubarb filling thinly across the surface.
  7. You can either roll up the long edge to make 9 cinnamon-roll-like buns, or you can make twists like I did. To do so, fold one shorter edge of the dough over so that it is touching the center of the rectangle then fold the other edge of the dough to meet that edge, kind of sealing in the jam. Then fold the dough in half like a book before slicing into 9 equal strips.
  8. Take each strip, twist it, then gently fold the top edge and the bottom so that they are touching. The rolls don't need to look identical, they will all puff up and look beautiful. Place them into a 9x9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise again for 1 hour, or until noticeably puffy and about 50% larger.
  9. Preheat the oven to 375°F convection, or 400°F standard.
  10. Make the ginger nut topping. Whisk an egg white until it is light and fluffy. Roughly chop 1/2 cup of nuts and add them to the bowl, along with 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger. Mix to combine and spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  11. Brush the rolls with egg wash, then bake the rolls on the lower rack and the nuts on the upper rack. The nuts will take 15–16 minutes, while the rolls will need 27–35 minutes, or until deeply golden.
  12. While the rolls bake, make the icing. Use an electric mixer or your stand mixer to whip together 57 grams of softened butter and 57 grams of cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar by the spoonful, whipping until the icing is 50% larger and fluffy like whipped cream. Mix in 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
  13. When the nuts are out of the oven, let them cool, then give them a few tosses to break them up into crunchy pieces.
  14. When the rolls are out of the oven, let them cool slightly before icing and topping with the ginger nuts (or, if you like melty icing, go right ahead). Enjoy!

Notes

The gluten test is when you pull a golf ball-sized chunk of dough out and stretch it apart with your fingers. If it can stretch to the point where it’s paper thin, a bit translucent and you can see strands of gluten holding it together, that means it has enough gluten. If the dough tears before that point, it’s not ready.
To prep ahead of time, you have a few options:
If you want to prep all of it ahead of time:
You can prep the recipe all the way up until the dough is in twists in the baking pan and ready for its second proof. Cover and let rest in the fridge overnight, it’ll be ready to bake the next day! You can also make the nuts and icing ahead of time. Cover both and store the icing in the fridge and the nuts at room temperature.
If you want to just make the dough ahead of time:
Proof the dough for 24 hours in the fridge, instead of 1 hour at room temperature. The next day you will still need to save time for assembly, the second proof, and baking, so this will only save you half of the prep work.
If you want to make these ahead to transport them for a party or brunch:
If you want them warm, I’d recommend baking these and leaving off the topping. 15 minutes before serving, reheat in an oven set to 350°F for 10 minutes. Top with the glaze and serve! Or, if you don’t mind them room-temperature, I’d top with the icing and nuts while the twists are in the pan. Cover and bring on over to a party!
Serving: 1 rollCalories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 8gFat: 17g