Orange Rolls

Grove collection by Jillily Studio for Riley Blake Designs

I have been making lots of fun stuff with my new Grove fabrics. These citrus-y prints are so crisp and fresh! They are inspiring a bunch of projects from gifts and bags to aprons and quilts.

The orange prints are delightful and reminded me of one of my favorite recipes, Orange Rolls. These soft, sweet rolls are a real treat. My family loves them, and they don’t last long! As soon as the word is out that Mom made Orange Rolls, the kids magically appear, and the rolls disappear.

(We should have these fabrics in the studio ready to ship next week).

I love to make orange rolls. They smell so yummy, and the soft texture and buttery flavors infused with orange are just delicious! I use my Mom’s rolls recipe (zinged up a bit) for the dough, and add the orange filling to make a swirl of sweet perfection. I like to make my dough a day or two ahead, and roll them out when I’m ready to bake. I am going to share the recipe here with you, but keep in mind that I live at 5,000 ft. elevation, so if you live at sea level you may need to make some adjustments. Also, it is very DRY here in Utah, so if you are in a humid area you may need more flour.

JILL’S ORANGE ROLLS

Dough:

2 Tablespoons yeast

1/2 Cup warm water

3 eggs

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. Butter

1 C. Milk, warmed

5 C. Flour

2 teaspoons salt

Zest of 2 oranges

Filling:

1/2 C. butter, melted

Zest of 2 large oranges

1/3 C. sugar

Icing:

2 C. powdered sugar

dash of salt

3-4 T. orange juice (squeeze the zested oranges)

3-4 T. heavy cream

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 C. warm water. Let sit until it is doubled in size and foamy. It takes about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter and add to the warmed milk. Set aside. Whip the eggs and add the sugar. Start adding flour, a little at a time alternated with the warm milk/butter. After about half of the flour is incorporated, add the foamy yeast mixture. Mix the salt and orange zest with the next cup of the flour, and continue adding flour then milk until it is all mixed in. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still be quite sticky. Turn it out onto an oiled surface and knead for several minutes. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let raise until double in size. Punch down and refrigerate in covered bowl. You may need to punch it down a few more times as it cools off. Refrigerate several hours or up to 3 days before you roll it out.

Roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle about 12” x 20” and 1/8” to 1/4” thick. Melt the butter and add the orange zest. Brush on to the surface of the rectangle. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter mixture. Roll up the rectangle from the long edge, pinch the seam to seal it. Slice the long roll into 1” slices using a sharp knife or a thread. Place the rolls cut side down on greased cookie sheet. Space them about 1” apart so that they will raise to fill the whole sheet.Cover the greased plastic wrap. Let ris until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 min until golden. Cool for about 15 min. While cooling, mix the icing ingredients until smooth, adding more juice or cream as needed. Spread with icing. ENJOY!