Orange-Glazed Sweet Rolls

A little bit sunshine for these dreary winter days... 

Orange rolls. 

Today is "reveal day" for the Secret Recipe Club.  That means I post something I prepared from the blog of another club member.  But as members of the club, we are to keep our assignments under wraps until today.  It's quite a bit of fun to find out who had whose blog and what was prepared.  

I was assigned to the blog called the "Cookbook of Trial and Error"  (love that honesty).  While I do not know the blog author's first name, I do know that her cooking doesn't seem very rookie-ish.  She has many wonderful items to choose from, including a great Challah bread recipe.  I laughed out loud when I read the chain of events that occurred while she was making it.  And I am so encouraged to try it myself.  I {heart} authenticity.

There is a little tea room in our town that is famous for their orange rolls.  The rolls are big.  Salty.  Sweet.  Tender.  Perfect.  I've been on the hunt for a good orange roll recipe for years (even though I've resolved none can match the tea room's...and I'm OK with that).  Seeing this recipe on Cook Book of Trial and Error's blog made it an easy selection.  Although I was a bit aghast that she listed the total calories of each roll (there are some things about which I'd rather remain ignorant), I will spend a little extra time on the treadmill now.   I had waaaaaay more than one. 

I mostly kept true to the original recipe.  But I did double it.  Because making only 9 rolls in my household would result in mutiny.

(The only thing I did change was that I let the glaze boil for a bit longer than originally suggested, making it thicker.)

Please do bring the eggs (and the sour cream) to room temperature first.  If you don't remember to do this far enough in advance, simply immerse the eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes.  Cold eggs will impede the rising of the dough.

Printable Recipe

Orange-Glazed Sweet Rolls

Makes about 9-10 medium-sized rolls

For the dough
2 and 1/4 teaspoons/ 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 – 115F)
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
 
For the filling
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 
2 tbsp orange zest (about 3 medium oranges), finely grated
1/2 cup sugar 

For the orange glaze
6 tbsp sugar 
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream 
3 tbsp orange juice

For the dough:

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and the warm water.  Swirl them around together and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and becomes bubbly.  (This is called "proofing" the yeast, so if this doesn't happen, the yeast may be old or ineffective.  Better to find out now than an hour down the road when the dough won't rise.)   

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, eggs, melted butter, and sour cream until smooth.  Stir in the dissolved yeast and 2 cups of the flour using a wooden spoon.  Gradually add in the remaining 1.5 cups of flour.  (At this point, you may have to begin working with your hands.)

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 6-7 minutes.  Place the dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap, and then top the plastic wrap with a clean dish towel.  Place the covered bowl in a warm place to rest and rise for about 1.5 hours.  After the dough has risen to about double the size, you can refrigerate it for several hours or overnight (make sure the bowl is well-sealed so the dough won't dry out), or you can proceed with the recipe without refrigeration.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour.  (Flour the rolling pin, too.)  Roll the dough out to about a 14"x18" rectangle (about 1/4" thick).  Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving about a 1-inch border on the edge.  Mix the grated orange zest with the sugar.  Sprinkle the zest/sugar mixture over the butter and press it down lightly.  

Place the 18-inch-long side of the dough closest to you.  Beginning with the shorter sides, roll the dough over once on each side.  Then from the bottom of the dough (the end closest to you), tightly roll the dough away from you.

Cut the ends of the dough off with a serrated knife.  (You can also use a piece of string or floss to cut the dough.)  Discard ends, if desired.  Then cut the dough into 1.5" rolls ("saw" gently with the knife...don't press down with the knife or the rolls will lose their circular shape).  Place the rolls in a lightly-greased 9-inch cake pan.  Cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the middle roll is soft but not raw. 

For the glaze: 

When the rolls are almost done baking (the last 15 minutes), begin on the orange glaze. In a small pot, whisk together the sugar, softened butter, sour cream, and orange juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil the glaze for 5-6 minutes, until mixtures begin to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow the glaze to rest until rolls are done.

Once the rolls are removed from the oven, pour the glaze over them. Serve warm.

Recipe from Cook Book of Trial and Error (originally from Gingerbread Bagels...but the link is not working)