If you’re new to working with yeast or you’re looking for something out of the ordinary to serve company, this recipe for Orange Sweet Rolls is perfect! I’ve transformed my Grandma’s Refrigerator Dough into a sweet roll promising a delightful taste of orange in every bite. Not only do I think you’ll love this recipe, but I’m also hoping you’ll be inspired to experiment, tweak and have fun with your cherished recipes.
Dough 101
Before I go into the recipe, I thought I’d review the two essential parts of dough or batter. They include structure and taste.
- Structure The structure gives the bread or cake strength and forms the foundation. The ingredients responsible for this include; flour, egg whites, water, and yeast.
- Taste When you think about flavor, moisture, and tenderness you are getting it from ingredients like sugar, oil, egg yolks, and other added flavors.
Now I know this may seem elementary, but I mention this because one of the ingredients I changed was the water. I substituted milk for the water. Milk is an ingredient that performs both functions; structure, and taste. The protein in the milk creates a heavy batter or dough, it rises nicely and can handle higher baking temperatures. The sugar and the fat in milk help to moisten and at the same time adds flavor. When you see a recipe calling for milk, it will probably read whole milk. A cup of whole milk has 3.5 grams of fat which is not a lot but enough to add moisture and tenderness. Yum. Yum.
Orange Sweet Rolls
Now that we have the quick review behind us let’s take a look at the recipe. All of the dry ingredients are mixed in a large bowl, and that includes the yeast, which is different from a lot of yeast bread recipes. The milk and butter are heated together just enough to be warm to the touch. If you’d like to be precise, 110° F will do. A beaten egg, orange juice, and orange zest are added to the milk. The milk mixture is combined with the flour mixture and stirred until a soft dough is formed. You will love the smell of the orange!
The Dough
The dough has a beautiful texture to it. Just knead it for a couple of minutes, and it’s ready to rest while you prepare the filling. Take a look at the orange tint and the zest popping through the dough. You will feel how dense the dough is when you roll it out.
I have the orange zest mixed in with the sugar and cinnamon, and I’ve also added additional zest before rolling. I love how you can see the zest in the dough and the filling. It adds so much to the over all aesthetics. Wouldn’t you agree?
The picture above gives you a good idea of how dense this dough is. The picture is after the bake and before the icing. You can compare the look of the different doughs by checking out my rolls in the post, Rosie’s Rolls and Bread
Orange You Gonna Try It!
I just couldn’t resist. Yes, this is a recipe that anyone can make and if you’re new to working with yeast, this recipe is for you. There aren’t a lot of steps, and there’s only one rise time, and that’s after they’ve been cut and placed in the pan. My test taster (daughter Maggie) loved them and thought they could use a little more icing, so for the second batch, I really poured it on.
So what do you think? Are you on board for a new recipe? Maybe you’re thinking about experimenting with your favorite dough? Either way, it’s fun and we’re always learning, right?
Thanks so much for stopping by, Rose
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- 1 package of dry yeast
- 1 cup of whole milk (2% will work)
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 oranges (4 tablespoons of juice and 2 tablespoons of zest)
- 3 cups of all purpose flour
- Filling
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (less can be used)
- 1 tablespoon of orange zest
- Orange Icing
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1¼ cup of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice
- In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir and set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter in the microwave or the stove until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (approximately 110 F). Stir in the beaten egg, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
- Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 1-2 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Mix the cinnamon, sugar and the remaining orange zest.
- Roll the dough into a rectangular shape approximately 14 X 8. This size will vary.
- Spread the softened butter on the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture.
- Roll up the dough length wise and tightly.
- Cut the roll into 10-12 rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish.
- Cover the rolls and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 60-90 minutes.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Make the icing by mixing the softened butter, powdered sugar, and orange juice.
- Spread over the warm rolls.
- This recipe is my Grandma's refrigerator dough. You can make a day in advance and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and let rise for about an hour.
- ENJOY!