Attach the regular paddle and mixing bowl to your standmixer.

Cut butter into small pieces and set aside.

Zest lemons and set aside.

Heat the sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until lukewarm, stirring regularly until butter is completely melted and combined into the liquid (5-8 minutes).

Remove pan from heat and carefully pour the liquid into the mixing bowl fitted to the standmixer. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until the temperature of the liquid is below 120F.

Add ONLY 2 CUPS of flour, the yeast, lemon zest, salt, and eggs to the liquid all at once. Turn mixer on low to combine ingredients, then increase speed to medium. Beat on medium for 3 minutes; dough will be wet and sloppy.

Reducen mixer to low speed and add the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour to dough in small amounts until flour is completely combined. Then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Turn off mixer and detach mixing bowl. The dough will be very wet and gloopy, and too sticky to knead. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place somewhere warm to rise for 45-60 minutes, or until dough has doubled in volume.

After the first rise, spray two muffin tins with baking spray and place them on baking sheets. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop some batter into 18 muffin cavities, then add the remaining batter into each filled cavity. You want each cavity to be filled about halfway.

Cover the muffins tins with tea towels and place somewhere warm to rise for the second time, for another 45-60 minutes or until noticeably fuller in volume.

About 20 minutes before the second rise is done, preheat your oven to 350F.

Uncover the muffin tins and bake the Sally Lunn Buns at 350F for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Remove Sally Lunn Buns from the oven and let cool for five minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of each bun, then carefully pop them out of the muffin tins. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter and/or jam.