Lemon Rolls

Chapter 19: Dragon Plan


Euphemia, the royal storyteller, stepped down from her platform to indicate her story was complete. The dragons in attendance spewed fire into the center of their gathering in appreciation of her skill. Svend, however, was not appreciative. Svend was extremely unappreciative. How could Euphemia just leave him hanging like that? What happens to Kenric and Nova? Did it work? Did she become an actual dragon? One that could transform at will and breathe fire and fly? Did she have to continue drinking dragon blood the rest of her life? Too many questions, not enough answers, Euphemia. Come on. Svend decided to get some answers.

The next day he inquired where he could find the famed storyteller, Euphemia. He was informed she had left the caves for other shows and would not return for some months. And no, he would not like to leave her a message thank you very much. Ok, think Svend. Euphemia is not just a storyteller, but a historian. That story had to come from somewhere. Also, even he knew about the dragon wars she was talking about. They happened around 7 thousand years ago, and it is generally accepted that the dragon race was down to two great families, the Ruby Royals, and the Jades. But now, there are a wide variety of different colors seen amongst dragons. Colors that can not be accounted for by just a simple mixing of Ruby and Jade blood. Those colors had to come from somewhere. Maybe this Kenric and his dragon crew really did diversify dragon blood.

Well, if it worked once, it can work again. Svend officially had a plan. In all his interactions with the dragons these past months, he had never met anyone like Mirabel. Not even close. He simply could not live without her. So, since he could not tell a human that he was a dragon, he would simply turn Mirabel into a dragon! It was the perfect plan. He could start by duplicating Kenric’s experiment with Nova and then see where that took him. It was time to go back to the humans.

“Crawling back to those humans are you?” A snide voice taunted behind Svend on his way out of the dragon caves. “I would never interact with humans as you do. How can you stand being around those flimsy little things? I guess I shouldn’t expect more from a dragon of your… coloring. But really, humans? Even the Amethyst line is better than that.” Vlad Dracula continued without waiting for a response. Apparently he simply could not pass up an opportunity to spread his hatred for the humans. While he was not a royal Ruby, he was a close relative, as seen in his black onyx body and ruby wings and eyes. His family was incredibly powerful but also obsessed with blood lines. Svend wondered what Vlad had thought of the Kenric story. Certainly he would maintain that his Ruby family was from a different son.

“I have found that you can find good or bad amongst any group, humans or dragons.” Svend replied stoically. He couldn’t let Vlad see how much he really cared for humans. Vlad had too much spite to be given that kind of fuel. He could make Svend’s upcoming experiment very difficult if he set his mind to it.

“Humph. You would think that. Obviously you have had limited interactions with the noble dragons of the council. Soon you will see the light. Soon humans will be put in their place and you will see where the real power lies.” Vlad mumbled ominously as he strutted away, already forgetting Svend and their conversation.

Svend shivered. That dragon was no good. He would tell Gregory about Vlad. Maybe he would know what to do about all his anti-human dogma. In the meantime he had a human to transform! And to convince that being a dragon would be the best thing ever. And to convince to spend the rest of her days with him. No pressure. Maybe he would make it there before dinner. He missed his dinners in the blacksmith’s house tremendously. There was so much comfort to be found amongst his friends. As he approached he could smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread mixed with… Was that lemon? Yes, yes it was. Mirabel had made lemon rolls and they were divine. Soft as a cloud with just enough zing from the lemon. These are the rolls that she made.



Lemon Roll Recipe:

(This is the same dough as the Cranberry Rose Rolls, but with lemon added to the dough and a lemon filling)


Dough Ingredients:

  • 6 Tbsp whole milk

  • 2 Tbsp bread flour

  • 1 Tbsp yeast

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • ½ cup whole milk, warm

  • 1 egg

  • 4 tbsp softened butter

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp lemon extract

  • ½ cup lemon juice (about two lemons)

  • 2 ½ cups bread flour

  • 2 Tbsp milk for brushing before baking


Filling Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup of butter, melted

  • 3-4 cups of powdered sugar

  • Zest of one large lemon

  • 3 Tbsp cup lemon juice (about one lemon)

  • 1 tsp lemon extract

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • Pinch of salt


Method:

  1. Mix the 6 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp flour in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep mixing until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. This is your Tangzhong, a Japanese style starter to make bread pillowy soft and last longer.

  2. Mix your yeast, sugar, and remaining milk. Let sit for five mins.

  3. Add in egg, butter, salt, lemon juice, lemon extract and Tangzhong. Mix thoroughly.

  4. Add in bread flour and knead until smooth. The dough will be very sticky, it should still stick to your hands slightly as you’re kneading.

  5. Place in warm spot and let rise for 45 mins- 1 hour

  6. While the dough is rising, make the filling.

  7. Mix all the filling ingredients thoroughly, so there are no lumps from the powdered sugar

  8. To zest the lemon, peel the skin with a vegetable peeler and then mince the peel.

  9. The filling should be thick enough to spread, not runny. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar

  10. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle.

  11. Spread the filling evenly on the dough

  12. Roll up the dough on the long side of the rectangle.

  13. Cut in 1-2 inch rolls

  14. Place in a lightly greased or lined pan (pie pan, cake pan, baking dish, whatever works.)

  15. Let rest for 10 ish mins while your oven preheats to 350 degrees

  16. Bake for 25-30 mins, rotating half way, until golden brown.