Tender and buttery, with a crunchy sugar crust, these yeasted buns deliver an unexpected and refreshing jolt of citrus. The citrus essence elevates them beyond ordinary dinner rolls to something special: tea or breakfast rolls, perfect for spreading with homemade preserves (we recommend raspberry highly).
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to form a cohesive dough.
Knead the dough, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, for 5 to 8 minutes, until it's smooth, soft and supple; avoid adding too much flour, as this will make the buns tough and dry. If you're using a stand mixer, knead for 2 minutes with the flat beater, then switch to the dough hook and knead for an additional 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy, though it probably won't have doubled in bulk.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and divide it into 16 pieces (about 1 1/2 ounces or 43g each).
To make round buns, simply round the pieces into balls. To make hearts or knots, see our illustrated blog post for complete instructions.
For soft-sided round buns, place them in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. For knots or hearts, space the shaped buns on two lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
Cover the buns, and allow them to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until they're nice and puffy; when you press a finger gently into a bun, the resulting indentation shouldn't spring back.
While the buns are rising, combine the egg white and water, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Brush the risen buns with the egg white mixture, and sprinkle with coarse or pearl sugar.
Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Serve warm, or store in an airtight container (a plastic bag is fine) until ready to serve.
We originally printed a version of this recipe, Lemon Buns, in our May-June, 1996 Baking Sheet newsletter. Since then, we've amended it to use either lemon oil or Fiori di Sicilia flavor, an Italian citrus-vanilla flavoring that we use in place of vanilla in all kinds of treats, from sugar cookies to pound cake.
