Orange Sweet Rolls

Before you start

Orange rolls are bright where cinnamon rolls are warm. The flavor comes almost entirely from zest, which holds the fragrant oils; juice adds tartness but little aroma. Rubbing the zest into sugar with your fingertips releases those oils and perfumes the whole filling.

Baking the rolls in a muffin tin gives each one golden, caramelized sides and a neat shape for a brunch table, and they bake faster than a crowded pan. Orange juice is acidic and slightly slows yeast, so this dough may take a little longer to rise than a plain milk dough. Zest the oranges before you juice them.

Ingredients

• Dough160 ml (⅔ cup) whole milk — warmed to about 40°C (105°F)
• 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh orange juice — room temperature
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 1 large egg
• 1 orange, finely zested
• 400 g (3⅓ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (6 g) fine salt
• 55 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter — softened
• Filling100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 2 oranges, finely zested
• 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft
• Glaze120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• ½ tsp finely grated orange zest

Method

1. Combine the warm milk, orange juice, sugar and yeast in the mixer bowl. Add the egg, the zest of 1 orange, the flour and the salt and mix on low until shaggy.
2. Knead on medium-low for 4 minutes, then add the softened butter in pieces and knead 5 to 7 minutes more, until the dough is soft, smooth and slightly tacky.
3. Cover and let rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes. The juice can make this dough a little slower than usual.
4. Rub the 100 g sugar and the zest of 2 oranges together with your fingertips until the sugar is damp and fragrant, about 1 minute. Butter the muffin cups well.
5. Roll the dough into a 35 × 30 cm (14 × 12 in) rectangle. Spread with the soft butter, sprinkle the orange sugar evenly and press it lightly into the butter.
6. Roll up from a long side, pinch the seam and cut into 12 pieces about 3 cm (1¼ in) wide. Set each in a muffin cup, cut side up.
7. Cover and let rise until the rolls have puffed above the rim of the cups, about 40 minutes. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
8. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until golden and a center roll reads 88°C (190°F). Cool 5 minutes, then loosen with a thin knife and lift them onto a rack.
9. Stir the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest into a thick glaze. Spoon it over the rolls once they have cooled for about 10 minutes.

Tips for success

• Zest only the orange layer. The white pith beneath it is bitter.
• Lift the rolls out of the tin within 5 to 10 minutes; the sugary filling glues them in as it cools.
• For a deeper color, brush the risen rolls with a little beaten egg before baking.

Substitutions

Oranges

Use tangerines or blood oranges for a more floral flavor, or replace one orange with a lemon for extra tang.

Muffin tin

Bake the 12 rolls close together in a greased 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) pan at 180°C (350°F) for 22 to 26 minutes. The sides will be softer.

Orange juice in the dough

Use 60 ml more milk instead. The dough rises faster and tastes slightly milder.

Variations

Orange-cranberry rolls

Scatter 60 g chopped dried cranberries over the orange sugar before rolling.

Orange cream cheese frosting

Beat 85 g cream cheese with 90 g powdered sugar, 1 tbsp orange juice and the zest of half an orange; refrigerate leftovers.

Troubleshooting

Filling leaked and the bottoms burned

The filling butter was melted or the rolls were overfilled. Use very soft, not melted, butter and press the sugar into it.

Dough rose slowly

Cold juice or a cool kitchen. Bring the juice to room temperature and give the dough more time in a warm spot.

Glaze soaked in and disappeared

The rolls were too hot. Wait at least 10 minutes and make the glaze thick enough to hold a ribbon.

Storage

Store glazed rolls covered at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Rewarm for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. Unglazed rolls freeze for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Wait until the rolls are baked before tasting; raw dough with egg and flour is not safe to eat. Contains wheat, milk and egg.