Introduction: How to Make Homemade Orange Rolls

By Tiddlytrinkets
About: Although I fail many times, my aim is to glorify Christ through all I do. He is my sustainer and savior, and without Him I am nothing. My husband, Zach, is my very best friend. He is such a hard worker and is …

I love orange rolls.  Yeah, cinnamon rolls are good, but I love the different dimension of flavor that the orange gives.  My hubby also love orange rolls, so I really wanted to make some for him--homemade.  Pilsbury are great, but there's something about HOMEMADE that just makes them that much better.  I got on my computer and googled "homemade orange rolls".  A ton of orange roll recipes popped up in the google search, but none of them were exactly what I had in mind.  So, after looking at a bazillion different recipes, and not finding exactly what I had in mind, I decided to try to create my own.  

Step 1: The Dough

1 cup whole milk
3 T. oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 heaping t. rapid-rise yeast
1 egg
1 t salt
3 1/2 cups of flour
Nonstick spray

Heat milk,  oil and sugar in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes--just until the milk is warmed.  Sprinkle 2 heaping teaspoons of rapid-rise yeast into the mixture and stir around.  This goes into a stand mixer with the bread dough attachment, along with the egg, salt and 1 cup of flour.  Mix for 2-3 minutes on low, stopping intermittently to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Once it is well mixed, add the remaining flour.  Mix well on low until the dough is pulling away from the sides and forming a ball.  {This may require slightly more flour.  Add it in Tablespoons until this occurs.}  
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Preheat oven to 170*F.  As soon as it reaches temperature, turn the oven off. Flour a pastry cloth and knead the dough until formed into a ball.  Place the ball of dough in a large bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  Cover it with plastic wrap.  Place it in the oven {off} for 2 hours.  It should now be doubled in size.
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Spread it out onto a floured pastry cloth and roll it out to about 1/4" thick. 
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Step 2: The Filling

1/4 cup butter/margarine
2-3 T. orange juice
2 t. orange zest
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar

Melt the butter and add orange juice, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  
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Pour a this mixture over the dough and evenly spread it around to cover the entire surface.
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Sprinkle 1/2 - 2/3 cup of sugar over the liquid on the dough. 
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Step 3: Roll It on Up

Roll the dough towards you.  This part might get a little messy with some of the yummy filling oozing out the sides... it's just part of the experience. 
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Cut off the excess dough on the ends and discard.  You wouldn't want to deprive anyone of the amazing goodness in the center!
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Cut the roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.  
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Step 4: Bake Now, Refrigerate, or Freeze

At this point, you can do one of three things:
1) Place them into a cupcake pan to individually freeze them {raw}. Cover them with plastic wrap and place them into the freezer for a couple of hours. Image 1 
Once they are frozen, you can put them in freezer bags. Image 2 
Now you will be able to take out a couple at a time the night before you want to bake them.  It works well to take them out of the freezer and put them into the fridge the night before, but probably isn't necessary. Baking times might need to be adjusted slightly.
2) Place them into the refrigerator to bake within the next day or two.  I take them out of the fridge as soon as I start preheating the oven.
3) Arrange them into a pan and bake them right now. 

Since this recipe yields about a dozen-and-a-half rolls, I went ahead and froze a dozen, put a couple in the fridge and baked a few right then.

Step 5: The Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 T. orange juice
1/2 t. orange zest

Combine all ingredients.  

Step 6: Frost and Enjoy!

Put anywhere from 1 t. to 1 T of frosting onto the warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven rolls.  It will become all melty and wonderful.

Enjoy!