Orange Sweet Rolls

Lately several of the grocery stores have been selling large oranges at very good sales prices.  As I was enjoying a sweet, juicy, delicious one I got to thinking about my cherry rolls, and pumpkin rolls.  Then I thought, "Hey, it's time for some Orange Sweet Rolls, just like I remember grandma making".  These are super soft and sweet cinnamon rolls flavored with fresh orange, flaky layers, and topped with an orange icing.  And you can have it in just about 2 hours.  I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen.  Let me show you how easy they are.

You will need:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast
3/4 cup milk
6 Tabs softened butter
1 large orange
1 large egg
1 Tabs cinnamon
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Wash and dry the orange, then grate the peel, (you will need a total of 3 Tabs orange peel).  Next, juice the orange, (you will need  5 Tabs of fresh orange juice).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, and yeast, (2/14 tsp of yeast).  Mix it well.

Place the milk and 3 Tabs of butter in a microwaveable container.

Heat until the butter is melted and the milk is warm, (about 120 - 130 degrees).

Add in 2 Tabs of orange juice.

 Add in 1 Tabs of orange zest.

Add in the egg.

Mix well.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients.

Stir until the flour mixture forms a soft dough and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

 Turn out unto a lightly floured work surface, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes adding in more flour if needed, (1 Tabs at a time), until the dough becomes smooth.

Your dough will look like this when it is smooth and has enough elasticity.  You can press your finger into the center of the dough and the dough will bounce back.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.  The dough will rise slightly.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14 X 8 inch rectangle. Notice the lovely orange zest in the dough.  And it smells heavenly.

Lightly spread the remaining 3 Tabs of butter over the dough.

In a small bowl, combing the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and the remaining orange zest, (about 1 to 2 Tabs.).  Mix together well.

Spread the sugar mixture, evenly over the buttered dough.

Starting at the long end, roll the dough tightly.  Make sure to seal up the ends and the edges, so the filling stays inside.

Cut the dough into 10 to 12 pieces.  In our house, we light larger rolls, so we usually only get 8 to 9 rolls from our dough.

Place the rolls in a greased 9 ince round cake or pie dish.  Cover and allow to rise, until double in size, in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes.


NOTE:  If you want to make these ahead of time for breakfast, you can stop at this point and cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, (BEFORE it has a change to rise).  Then the next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature, (about 1 hour).  And proceed with the directions.

After 60 minutes, this is how much my rolls have risen.  We can not wait any longer, so we will bake ours now.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned.  If your oven bakes hot, cover your rolls after 15 minutes with a piece of aluminum foil to avoid over-browning on top.  When the rolls are done, remove and place on a cooling rack.

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 or 3 Tabs of orange juice. 

Whisk until smooth.

Drizzle or spread over the rolls while they are still warm.

Your rolls are now ready to eat !

OH BOY !  Are these ever delicious.  You can taste the orange, but it's not over powering.  And the layers of flaky dough, so light and airy.

Give these a try.  Not to many ingredients needed for a wonderful treat.