We made these rolls during our Outstanding Orange course. There is something so delightful about a sweet roll. The whole house smells amazing, they are so soft and sweet, and the it’s almost impossible to wait for them to come out of the oven. That being said, I don’t have time to wait hours for proofing in the morning with five hungry mouths smelling those sweet cinnamon-y smells coming from the oven. This recipe was adapted to fit into our hour and a half culinary course, and that’s about as long as I ever want to be in the kitchen in the morning.
Sweet Orange Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
4 Tablespoons butter
1 large egg yolk
⅓ cup warm milk
⅓ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
2 cups all purpose flour
Filling
5 Tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon orange extract
Zest from one orange (1 of 2)
Frosting
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
Zest of 1 orange (2 of 2)
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- If your butter is not softened to room temperature, cut it up into small cubes. Place your cubes in a small bowl and microwave your butter for 5-10 seconds, or until soft enough to smoosh easily with your finger.
- Crack your egg and separate your yolk. Set up two small bowls right next to each other. Take your egg and crack it in half. Try to keep your halves like two cups if possible. Gently pull your egg in half and pour your yolk into the empty egg shell cup. Let the egg white fall into your bowl. Pour your egg yolk into your other small bowl and whisk it until smooth. Discard you egg white or save to cook the next time you scramble eggs.
- Warm your ⅓ cup milk in the microwave or on the stove until it reaches 105-115* Fahrenheit. Heat your ⅓ cup water until it is the same temperature. Sometimes this is about how hot water will come out of your tap. Otherwise you may need to heat it a little or cool it off before you add your yeast.
- Measure your ¼ cup sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 packet instant yeast, and 1 cup all purpose flour into the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Add your softened butter, whisked egg yolk, water, and milk to your stand mixer and gently mix with your dough hook attachment until combined.
- Continue adding your flour until your dough starts to stick to the dough hook and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
- Knead with your dough hook on medium high for 2 more minutes or until soft and springy.
- Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. This will allow the gluten we built up during kneading to relax and soften. This will make our rolls softer and the dough easier to work with.
- Preheat your oven to 350* Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 x 13” casserole pan.
- Zest your orange. Do this by holding your orange in your non-dominant hand. Hold your zester in the other hand. Slowly and smoothly, using the entire length of your zester, scrape the dark orange part of your orange in long movements. Go slow so that you don’t slip! Add the zest to a small bowl.
- Add to your zest bowl: your 5 Tablespoons butter, ½ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon orange extract.
- Roll out your dough on a large, floured cutting board. Keep rolling until your dough is about 10 inches x 13 inches.
- Spread your butter and zest mixture onto your dough. Roll your dough long ways to make a large log.
- Slice your dough into 10 pieces. Place them on your buttered casserole dish.
- Let your dough rise 5-10 minutes.
- Bake your rolls for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
- While your rolls are baking. Wash out your stand mixer bowl.
- Add to your stand mixer bowl: 4 Tablespoons butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, zest of one orange, 1 teaspoon orange extract, and 2 Tablespoons heavy cream. If your butter is still cold, follow instructions in step 1 to soften your butter. Mix on low until the powder sugar starts to incorporate.
- Once your rolls have cooled a bit, but are still warm, spread on your frosting.
- Serve hot!
This recipe was adapted for student hands from I Heart Naptime.
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