Sweet Orange Rolls

We love to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas. When we saw Kelsey Nixon make Orange Rolls we knew we had to make them. We are confident in our bread making skills that was going to be the easy part. The Little Chefs are always surprised at how big the dough rises and how fluffy and beautiful it looks.

We did have one problem that turned into a major problem. We mixed twice the amount of zest and I’m certain we counted the right amount of juice. However, the filling was SO runny! It didn’t seem like a problem until we tried rolling it up. The filling did not stay in place it was pushed off.

We decided to put some of the filling on the bottom of the pan, place the rolls in the pan and then put the rest of the filling on the top of the rolls. It wouldn’t be inside very much, but it would be ON the rolls.

We put it in the oven and hoped for the best! When they were finished cooking we added the glaze and were ready to eat! The entire house smelled like homemade bread and sweet oranges. “This smell is making my mouth water” the Little Chefs kept repeating! The dough was great the orange on the top was great. There was not a lot of orange in the middle of the rolls as we suspected would happen. After taking a vote we decided we would love to make these again because we love the taste but also because we want to figure out where we went wrong. We need to learn from our mistakes!

Sweet Orange Rolls
Kelsey Nixon

Ingredients
1 recipe Rapid Rolls, recipe follows
Filling
3/4 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange (4 Tablespoons juice)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Rapid Rolls
3 (.25 ounce) packets active dry yeast = 1 1/2 Tablespoons
1 3/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs, beaten
4 to 6 cups flour, plus more if needed

Directions
For the filling: After the dough comes together and has risen, on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to a 15 by 11-inch rectangle. In a mixing bowl add sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and 1/2 the orange zest.

Spread the softened unsalted butter over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border. sprinkle orange sugar evenly over the dough. Starting with the long side, roll up dough tightly ending with the seam side down. Cut 18 slices each about 1/2-inch thick. Place in 2 (9 by 13-inch) greased baking dishes and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm environment for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 degrees F until the tops are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter and cool on a cooling rack.

For the glaze: In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, remaining zest, and softened butter. Spread the glaze over the warm rolls.