Orange Rolls

While making orange rolls today, I couldn't help but think of my mom and smile through the tears, thinking of her. She LOVED orange rolls. She made them often and was hesitant to share because she loved them so much.

I hope you try them and maybe, just maybe,  share with someone.

Orange Rolls

Dough:
1 cup warm milk (between 105-115 degrees F)
1/3 cup melted butter (no margarine, that is of the devil)
1 T quick acting yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 t salt
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour


Preheat oven to 400 F. In a stand mixer, (I use my Kitchen Aid) with the bread hook attachment, add the warm milk, melted butter, yeast and sugar. Set on low speed and let mix for 2 minutes. Turn mixer off and let yeast activate for 10 minutes. You might see bubbling, which is good. Very good. If your milk was too hot, you'll kill the yeast and have to start over. Good rule of thumb is to have the milk the same temp as bath water. Too hot for your fingers, too hot for yeast. After yeast has bloomed, add the eggs one at a time and let mix. Sprinkle in salt and half the flour. Let the bread work for about 2 minutes and then add the rest of the flour. Let mix for a good 5 minutes. Keeping the dough in your bowl, place dough, covered with a clean kitchen towel, in a warm area of your kitchen. I place my dough on the stove while the oven is preheating. Let the dough rise for at least an hour but up to 3 hours.

Filling:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
zest and juice of one large orange

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter completely. Add the juice and zest of orange and sugar. Whisk together til sugar is completely dissolved and cook til bubbling. Set aside until assembly.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
zest and juice of one large orange

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and slightly runny. If your orange didn't give enough juice to make the glaze runny, you can add a touch of milk. Too thin? Add a bit more powdered sugar.

Assembly:

Once your dough has risen for at least an hour, pour it out onto a floured flat counter. Roll dough into a 16X12 inch rectangle. Spread the orange sugar filling all over the dough, using the back of a spoon to spread it to the edges of the dough. Roll the dough into a jelly roll. Cut dough into rolls about 3/4 inch thick and place in a greased 9X13 pan. Place rolls back in a warm area and let rise again for at least 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and spoon the glaze over each roll while still hot. Let cool slightly before eating.