Sweet Rolls and Ad Sales
3/27/2013
I had the pleasure to work with a truly great man for a few years before he retired from broadcast ad sales. Besides being a fantastic mentor, he was good hearted and witty. During Christmastime, he would always bring in the most wonderful sweet rolls made by his dear wife. Upon asking him for her recipe he explained that I would have to set up a time to learn how to make them from her rather than get a recipe. You see, before he would ask her to marry him, he requested that she learn how to make the rolls from his mother. She agreed, and after time she had learned to create them almost as good as his mother. She had completed his request and they were married soon after. Now, of course there were other concessions she had asked of him, but this was his story and those things weren't shared at the time. I unfortunately never got the chance to learn how to make those rolls, but I did manage to adapt a recipe I found amongst my grandmother's and grandfather's recipes. They have a wonderful yeasty flavor to the dough that I particularly love and the orange frosting is my favorite, but you could use any flavor extract you prefer. These are a special guilty pleasure at our house and don't get made nearly often enough! I find they are perfect to start on Friday night, and place in the refrigerator ready to pull out and finish off on Saturday morning. Come to think of it, it is the end of the month-and anyone in ad sales knows what that means -close, close, close. By this weekend, I may need a little or a lot of this guilty pleasure. ENJOY!
Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Frosting
Ingredients
Dough:
1 C Vegetable Oil
1 C Sugar
2 Tbs Active Dry Yeast
8 C (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbs Salt
1 stick Melted Unsalted Butter
2 C Sugar
Cinnamon for sprinkling
Orange Frosting:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2-4 drops Orange Extract
3/4 C Milk
1/4 C Melted Butter
1/8 tsp Salt
Directions
Dough:
Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just boiling. Set aside and cool to warm. If it is cold outside I will set the pot outside and it tends to cool faster. Once the mixture is warm, sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute. (mixture should become frothy)
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a damp tea towel, and set aside to rise in a warm area with no drafts for 1 hour. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour, sift together and after the hour mix into the slightly risen flour mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine. At this point you may use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. Tip: the dough is more pliable and less sticky if it has been chilled for about an hour.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin, about 1/4 in.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 - 1 C of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use a brush to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 C of the sugar over the butter.
Next, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling spills out of the ends. Once rolled, pinch the seam together and lay the roll on a cutting board so the seam is face down.
With a sharp knife, (do not use serrated) make 1/2-inch slices making a slicing motion as opposed to a chopping. One long roll should make 24 rolls. Pour a couple of tsp of melted butter into your baking dish(s). Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd-they still need to rise.
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cover all the pans with damp tea towels and set aside to rise at room temp. for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown. The more brown the more dry they will become.
Orange Frosting:
In your mixer, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter and salt. Add in the orange extract a drop at a time while mixing. Taste and add more orange flavor, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable.
When the rolls are done remove from oven and drizzle frosting over the top while still hot. Add as much or as little as you like. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.
Makes about 48 rolls
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a damp tea towel, and set aside to rise in a warm area with no drafts for 1 hour. Combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour, sift together and after the hour mix into the slightly risen flour mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine. At this point you may use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. Tip: the dough is more pliable and less sticky if it has been chilled for about an hour.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin, about 1/4 in.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 - 1 C of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use a brush to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 C of the sugar over the butter.
Next, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling spills out of the ends. Once rolled, pinch the seam together and lay the roll on a cutting board so the seam is face down.
With a sharp knife, (do not use serrated) make 1/2-inch slices making a slicing motion as opposed to a chopping. One long roll should make 24 rolls. Pour a couple of tsp of melted butter into your baking dish(s). Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd-they still need to rise.
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cover all the pans with damp tea towels and set aside to rise at room temp. for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown. The more brown the more dry they will become.
Orange Frosting:
In your mixer, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter and salt. Add in the orange extract a drop at a time while mixing. Taste and add more orange flavor, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. It should be thick but pourable.
When the rolls are done remove from oven and drizzle frosting over the top while still hot. Add as much or as little as you like. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.
Makes about 48 rolls
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