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Orange Rolls

Homemade orange rolls with orange cream cheese icing.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 52 minutes
Course Anytime, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 15
Calories 295 kcal

Ingredients
  

Rolls
  • ¾ cup warm whole milk
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (see note below on yeast)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • ¼ cup salted butter, melted
  • 3 cups bread flour, carefully measured
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • Extra bread flour
Filling
  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons bread flour
  • Zest of a medium-sized orange
Orange Cream Cheese Icing
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • Zest of a medium-sized orange
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions
 

Rolls and Filling
  • In a microwave bowl, heat the milk for 45 seconds on high to 105-110 degrees F. A drop of milk at this temperature will feel very warm on the inside of your wrist. Or check with a food thermometer. Pour the milk into a mixing bowl and sprinkle on the yeast. (See "Proofing the Yeast" note below.)
  • Then add the sugar, eggs, and butter. Whisk together. Then add the flour and salt and stir until a stiff dough forms.
  • Using a dough hook, knead for 7 to 8 minutes. The dough should pull away from the bowl as it kneads. If the dough is too sticky and sticks to the bowl, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and continue kneading.
  • After kneading, move the dough to a well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Let rise for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll into a rectangular size approximately 16 x 10 inches.
  • Spread the butter onto the dough.
  • Whisk together the sugar, flour, and orange zest and sprinkle over the butter.
  • Carefully roll up the 16-inch side of the dough into a tight roll. Then use a string or dental floss to cut off the uneven ends of the roll. (If any sugar falls out of the rolls when you cut them, tuck it back in as well as you can.) Then cut 15 evenly-sized pieces and place them in an 11-inch round pan or equivalent size. Do not tightly pack the rolls so they have room to rise.
  • Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake uncovered buns for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and no longer doughy in the center. (Because oven temperatures vary, you may need to bake them up to 35 minutes.) Let the rolls cool for a few minutes before adding the icing.
Orange Cream Cheese Icing
  • In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and butter together. Add the orange zest, extracts, and orange juice. Mix together.
  • Then add the sugar and beat well. Spread icing onto the rolls.

Notes

Proofing the Yeast

You do not have to proof instant yeast because it can lose some of its rapid-rising power if exposed too long to liquids. However, if you are uncertain if your instant yeast is fresh, do a test anyway. After adding the warm milk to the yeast in the first step, wait for 5-10 before continuing to ensure the yeast is not too old. If the yeast is fresh, it will be bubbly or foamy after a few minutes. As soon as you determine it will rise (because it is forming tiny bubbles), continue with step 2.

Kneading

The dough can be kneaded by hand for 8 minutes in place of a mixer.

Rising

Place a towel in the dryer and heat for about 5 minutes.  Then place the warm towel over the covered dough to help it rise.

Orange Zest

The quickest and easiest way to grate the orange skin (zest) is with a Microplane or other fine grater.

Making the Rolls Ahead of Time

To make rolls the day before: Cut the rolls and place them in a pan but do not let them rise. Cover, and set them in the refrigerator. The next day, remove them and let them sit out for 1½ - 3 hours to come to room temperature and double in size. Then uncover and bake.

Troubleshooting

There are usually only a few reasons your rolls don't rise: 
  1. The yeast is old. (Sometimes it is old when you buy it.) Store opened yeast in the refrigerator to help extend its life.
  2. The milk was too hot, which killed the yeast. Use a cooking thermometer to get the temperature right. Different yeasts have different temperatures that will kill them. By 120 degrees F, all bread yeasts can start to die, and at 140 degrees F yeast dies. 
  3. The milk was too cool. Cool milk does not kill yeast, but it might cause the rolls to need a much longer rise time.
  4. Your room was too cold for the rolls to rise. Bakers have success placing the dough in different places. I have found that a constant warm temperature works best.
Ideas for keeping the rising dough warm:
  • Place the covered dough bowl in a sunny spot, letting the sunlight hit it.
  • Set it on top of a refrigerator.
  • Set it on a heating pad on low heat. Place a towel between the dough bowl and the heating pad--so the heating pad doesn't overheat and cook the dough.
  • Place it near a radiator or other heat source. 
  • Set it in a 170-degree preheated oven. Preheat the oven to warm it (not hot), and then turn it off. Wrap the top of the dough bowl with plastic wrap and place it inside. 
  • Place the covered dough bowl under a reading lamp.  
 

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 236mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 493IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword homemade orange rolls, orange rolls
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