Gram's Orange Rolls
My very inexperienced version - feel free to play with it!
Ingredients
- 2 cups scalded milk
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (+2 tsp for yeast mixture)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 pkg yeast (I used regular bread machine yeast - not fast rise, although that would probably work)
- 1/2 cup water
- 7 1/3 cup flour
- Zest of 2 oranges
- Juice of 2 oranges (have more on hand - either squeeze it or pour it out of the orange juice container)
- Confectioner's sugar - just have the box on hand...I didn't measure it out
- 2 sticks of butter
Directions
All ingredients should be room temperature to start.
The machine will probably only hold half the ingredients at one time, so...
Scald 1 cup milk (if you are like me and are clueless on this one, a helpful video is below). Set aside and let cool to warm.
In a small bowl, dissolve 1/2 packet of yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water.
into the bread machine pan put...
- One egg - beaten
- 1/4 cup of shortening
- 1/8 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Ok, this doesn't divide right... so I channeled Gram and measured out 3 cups of flour and then an 1/8 and then...a little more- approximating 3 1/6 cups.
- Pour in scalded milk
- Pour in yeast mixture
- Set machine to "dough" and start
Allow the machine to knead the dough and let it rise once.
While the dough is mixing and rising:
- Zest an orange (see video))
- Thoroughly mix 1 cup of sugar and the zest - this will make the sugar damp and orangy (no a word, you get the idea.)
Stop the machine when it is going into its second knead cycle.
(If you don't have a machine and mixed your dough by hand or mixer and let it rise, start here when the dough is ready - see steps below...)
Take out the dough and punch it down (you don't know how - I didn't have a clue either ... so another video is included).
Roll out the dough into a rough rectangle - don't stress - remember, I was clueless, too!
Roll it out as thin as possible, half an inch thick or so.
Melt a stick of butter (I used the microwave for 30 seconds) - doesn't have to be completely melted. If you watch the video about making cinnamon rolls, that guy just softens butter and then spreads it with his hands.
Spread the entire stick of butter over the dough, yes, the entire stick.
Spread the sugar and zest mixture over the entire surface of the dough.
Roll the dough into a log - see that cinnamon roll video for demonstration!
Using serrated knife or dental floss - unflavored of course, to slice the roll into separate buns - about 1/2 inch thick or so...
Place into round cake pans (need 2) or a large baking pan - leave space between the rolls - cover with a towel and place in warm place for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the oven to 375 degrees.
After rolls have risen for 30 minutes - put in oven.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375, then turn down to 325 for about 5 minutes or so - look at the photo, you want them all to be a golden brown.
While the rolls are baking, take the juice from one orange and slowly dissolve confectioner's sugar in the mixture- when the sugar stops dissolving easily that is enough - it takes more sugar than you would think. You don't want it to be icing-like, you want it to be sugary orange juice.
When you remove the rolls, place pan on cooling rack and pour mixture over rolls - do this liberally - soak them good! Pour into all the folds and make more with extra orange juice if needed. This is the important step, get them nice and covered! Extra at bottom of the pan is great!
You did it!
Start here if you do not have a bread machine, then we go real old fashioned, I would halve the recipe and do half at a time like with the bread machine.
Mix the bread ingredients:
- One egg - beaten
- 1/4 cup of shortening
- 1/8 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Ok, this doesn't divide right... so I channeled Gram and measured out 3 cups of flour and then an 1/8 and then...a little more- approximating 3 1/6 cups. - watch the video, adding a little at a time might be a good idea!
- Pour in scalded milk
- Pour in yeast mixture
Cover with a towel - put in warm place and allow to rise for about an hour. (I have heard that an oven set to 200 degrees would work.)
Follow the directions above that start from taking the dough out of the machine.