Orange Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls

Ever since I took part in the Willow Bird Baking challenges this past fall, I've been wanting to make orange sweet rolls. There was something about them that intrigued me and I definitely wanted to see what they were all about. This Sunday I had some free time so I gave them a try! When it came down to the recipe I decided to use as much orange flavor as possible while still trying to incorporate a traditional filling into the rolls. Turns out that was a great idea! The cinnamon flavor was subtle but really complimented the sweet and citrusy flavor of the marmalade inside. To finish them off I topped the rolls with a zesty cream cheese frosting which melted nicely over them. They were fluffy, full of citrus flavor and dripping with a gooey creamy frosting- absolutely delicious! Stephen was a huge fan and so was I! These will definitely go into my "must make again soon" pile!

Orange Marmalade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

4½-5 c. all-purpose flour

½ c. sugar
1 c. whole milk

6 tbsp. butter, room temperature

2 eggs

2½ tsp. yeast

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. orange extract

zest of one orange

Marmalade brown sugar filling:

¾ c. brown sugar

6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter, room temperature

¼ c. orange marmalade

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

zest of half an orange

Zesty cream cheese frosting:

½ c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. cream cheese, room temperature

4-5 tbsp. whole milk, or more for desired consistency

¼ tsp. vanilla

zest of half an orange

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a glass 2-cup measuring cup, warm milk in the microwave for 45 seconds on high. Sprinkle in yeast and 2 tbsp. of sugar (subtract it from the ½ c. of sugar listed above) and mix gently. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes or until bubbly and foamy. 

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, butter, eggs, salt, extract and zest into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 15 seconds or until mixture is just combined. Once yeast/milk mixture is bubbly, with mixing speed on low, alternate liquid and flour (use 4½ c. and then add the extra ½ c. if needed) until combined. 

3. Switch to the hook attachment and "knead" dough on the lowest speed for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and firm. Remove dough from bowl and place into a large lightly greased metal or glass bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1½ hours. 

4. Once dough has risen, roll out into a large rectangle. Spread butter on top, then marmalade. In a small mixing bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest. Sprinkle on top of butter/marmalade mixture. Roll the dough lengthwise into a large log. Using dental floss cut in half, then continue by cutting each section in half and repeating (I do it this way to get even cuts and an even amount of rolls). 

5. Place rolls into a large 9x13 pan or two 9" pie pans (you will want to use baking spray to prevent them from sticking to the bottoms and sides) leaving at least an inch around each roll. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 more minutes. Once rolls have risen, place in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. While rolls bake, prepare the glaze by combining all ingredients in a large bowl and mixing until smooth.

6. Remove rolls from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring the frosting over top. Spread the frosting evenly. Allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from the Food Network, Paula Deen's Cinnamon Rolls | Makes approximately 18 rolls- depending on how big you cut them

Cinnamon Apple Rolls

A while back I decided to join the Willow Bird Baking challenge. One of the first challenges was making a sweet roll using Julie's roll recipe. I split the recipe in half and made raspberry lemon curd rolls and these cinnamon apple rolls. I love the idea of adding apple to an otherwise traditional recipe! The little bits get tender and sweet as they bake and taste amazing with all of that cinnamon in there! I topped these with a brown sugar frosting for a more "caramel " flavor. These will definitely become a staple in our house, I say that because I may or may not have eaten three in one day :) I hope you'll give this recipe a try and that you'll enjoy them as much as we did! P.S. what kind of "sweet rolls" do you love? I'm thinking about making orange rolls or maybe even these not-so-sweet rolls- they look rather delicious!

Cinnamon Apple Rolls with Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients:
(Click here for complete recipe for Willow Bird Baking's rolls)
5 c. all-purpose flour
1 package (2¼ tsp.) active dry yeast
3 tbsp. sugar
⅔ c. butter flavored shortening
2 c. milk minus 2 tbsp.
¼ c. warm water
2 tbsp. apple cider or white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

For the filling:
2 c. brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp. corn starch
2 tbsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla

For the brown sugar frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. brown sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, room temperature
½ c. whole milk (+ extra if you want it to be more of a glaze)
¼ tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. vanilla

Garnish (optional): 1 c. toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Whisk to combine and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar and milk in a 2 c. measuring cup. Allow to sit while preparing the remaining ingredients.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in yeast and milk mixture, using the pastry hook mix (knead) until a ball begins to form. Place ball of dough in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
4. In the morning, prepare filling by combining all ingredients in a medium size bow. Mix to combine.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide into two equal balls. Roll out one ball on a lightly floured surface. Spread half of the filling over the rectangular slab of dough. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Cover pans with a dish cloth and set in a draft-free area for 1½ hours or until rolls have doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown in color. Remove rolls and place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter and brown sugar. Heat until the sugars begin to dissolve and bubbles form around the edges (be careful not to burn the sugar). Remove from heat and add in whole milk, salt and vanilla, then the powdered sugar. Spread over warm rolls. Garnish with toasted nuts, serve immediately.
Sweet Roll Dough recipe from Willow Bird Baking | Makes 24 standard size rolls

Half & Half Pull-Apart Rolls

I've been in a whole wheat mood lately, which isn't very obvious when you look at my recent posts, but we do eat rather healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anyway, I've always loved homemade rolls, I don't think there's anything better than a warm roll topped with butter. So when I was looking for a recipe that could be easily adapted into a semi-whole wheat version, I turned to the Pioneer Woman. She's got a fantastic recipe for no-knead dinner rolls that you bake in muffin tins which is awesome for someone like myself that doesn't own a bread machine. These rolls are almost effortless, aside from rolling them into little balls and waiting for them to rise, you will definitely be able to finish prepping the rest of dinner while they do their thing. Oh, and if you want to go whole wheat all of the way, I applaud you ;) I'm sure they're just as tasty, we just prefer ours to be half & half. Enjoy!

Half & Half Pull-Apart Rolls
Ingredients
1 c. + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. + 2 tbsp. wheat flour
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 c. whole milk
1¼ tsp. active dry yeast
1½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine flours in a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together, then set aside.
2. In a dutch oven set over medium-low heat, combine milk, sugar and oil. Whisk to combine and allow mixture to heat to 110 degrees. Once the mixture has reached that point, turn the heat off and allow it to sit for about 20 minutes or until the temperature has reduced to 90 degrees.
3. Add the yeast, then 2 c. of flour. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, mix until the flour is incorporated. Cover the dutch oven with a lid or towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
4. When the dough has doubled, add baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining ¼ c. of flour, stir to combine.
5. Lightly spray or butter two standard size muffin pans.
6. Roll the dough into 1½" balls. Place three balls in each muffin cup. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12-16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Optional: rub warm tops of rolls with butter)
NOTE: I've made these rolls several times and I found that baking them at 350 degrees yields the best results. The PW suggests 400 degrees but they burn in my oven after 8 minutes at that temperature!
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman, PW Dinner Rolls | Makes approximately 18 rolls

Raspberry Lemon Curd Rolls

The other night I had a dream. Nothing visionary, just kind of odd. It was about cinnamon rolls. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing weird about dreaming of food, I do it all of the time... but I woke up craving them. Then that afternoon when I was browsing the blogosphere I stumbled across Willow Bird Baking. Julie had just announced her first baking challenge and lo and behold it was all about using her sweet roll recipe! I immediately started brainstorming ideas and eventually decided on these raspberry lemon curd rolls. Stephen and I have been loving all of the fresh berries we've been eating and since I had a couple of lemons sitting around it just seemed like the natural choice. In order to create a "filling" I decided on curd, something that would make them nice and gooey inside. You can either use a store-bought curd, or cook it over the stove-top, but I opted for the fast and easy method... I microwaved it! Add some sugar to the raspberries, cook them down and roll it all up into a nice log. All that's left to do is cut them up, bake them and slather them in some zesty cream cheese frosting. These sweet rolls are absolutely perfect in every way! Enjoy! Also thanks Julie for such a fun challenge, I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Raspberry Lemon Curd Rolls
Ingredients
(Click here for complete recipe for Willow Bird Baking's rolls)
5 c. all-purpose flour
1 package (2¼ tsp.) active dry yeast
3 tbsp. sugar
⅔ c. butter flavored shortening
2 c. milk minus 2 tbsp.
¼ c. warm water
2 tbsp. apple cider or white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Lemon Curd Filling:

1 c. sugar

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons

Filling:
4 c. fresh raspberries

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. lemon extract or oil
Zest of 1 lemon

Raspberry Drizzle:
½ c. sugar
Raspberry juice

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Whisk to combine and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar and milk in a 2 c. measuring cup. Allow to sit while preparing the remaining ingredients.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in yeast and milk mixture, using the pastry hook mix (knead) until a ball begins to form. Place ball of dough in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
4. To prepare lemon curd, combine all ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Whisk until smooth. Place in microwave and heat on HIGH for (5) 1 minute increments, mixing in between each heating.
Let mixture cool on counter for 10 minutes. Transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.
5. In the morning, place raspberries into a skillet. Over low heat, simmer with ¼ c. water and ½ c. sugar for 5-6 minutes. Remove raspberries and place in a small bowl. Continue heating the juices for 4-5 more minutes until it begins to thicken. Place drizzle into a bottle and set aside.
6. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide into two equal balls. Roll out one ball on a lightly floured surface. Spread ⅔ c. of lemon curd over the rectangular slab of dough. Place ½ of the raspberries on top. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Cover pans with a dish cloth and set in a draft-free area for 1½ hours or until rolls have doubled in size.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown in color. Remove rolls and place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, combine all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Spread over warm rolls and drizzle with raspberry sauce. Serve immediately.
Sweet Roll Dough recipe from Willow Bird Baking | Makes 24 standard size rolls

Rolls well worth the work

I've been searching for quite some time now for a good roll recipe, one that doesn't require a bread machine. When I ran into the "unedited" version of this recipe I thought it could be easily altered. So I made a few changes and they came out perfectly. I will say that making these rolls is quite time consuming, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time and follow the directions... and hopefully you'll have yourself a tray full of these fluffy golden rolls!


Parker House Rolls
Ingredients

• 2 c. whole milk
• 1 stick butter (1/2 c.)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. (heaping) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. (scant) baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp. (heaping) salt
• 1/2 c. (additional) all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (additional) melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 2 cups milk, 1 stick butter, and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, and when the mixture is hot (but not boiling) turn off heat and allow to cool to warmer than lukewarm, about 40 minutes.

2. Sprinkle in the yeast and 4 cups of flour. Stir to combine, then cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.

3. After 1 hour, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 additional cup of flour. Stir to combine, then turn out onto a well floured surface. Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes (you will have to use a lot of extra flour to keep the dough from sticking), then form into a ball and cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

5. Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan.

6. Roll out dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut circles with a 2 1/2 inch cutter (or the rim of a glass cup). 

7. Dunk each circle in melted butter, then immediately fold in half and place on a cookie sheet, flat side down. Press lightly to encourage sealing. Repeat with the rest of the dough. {you will be able to place them very close to one another and should be able to fit at least 30 on a sheet}

8. Cover with a towel and allow rolls to rise 30 to 45 minutes.

9. Bake for 15 minutes till golden brown. Remove and serve.

(recipe adapted from Joy The Baker and Pioneer Woman)