Nothing Says Lovin' Like Something from the Oven!

Growing up I absolutely LOVED Pillsbury Sweet Rolls; my favorite were the Orange Sweet Rolls with icing, but the Cinnamon Sweet Rolls were a close second. As a kid I never noticed all the chemical off-tastes; I just appreciated the fact that we could pop open a can and voila! In 8-10 minutes we could have piping-hot sweet rolls!

With Augie out of town I was feeling really bored on Sunday afternoon, so I started going through my recipe box, throwing out recipes I'm pretty sure I'll never make. As I thumbed through the Baked Goods category I found this recipe I had copied out of a magazine years ago, but never made: Sweet Roll Dough with 3 Variations -- Orange Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls, and Butter Pecan Rolls. I couldn't resist. For the next several hours I worked feverishly in the kitchen, patiently anticipating my first bite into a homemade Orange Sweet Roll with icing...




...before I get too carried away in my Sweet Roll Saga, I must admit that the only yeast I had left in the house was for bread machines. I don't think it translated well to this particular recipe. I was concerned after the first hour and a half, when I checked on my dough, that it hadn't doubled in size. Not to be deterred, I forged ahead, figuring that if they were a little on the small size, it would just make them more like their Pillsbury cousins! I decided to make both the orange and the cinnamon varieties.




Three hours later my kids and I enjoyed a delicious dinner of Orange Sweet Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls. (That should be a post in and of itself -- "Dad-less Dinners" as we call them around here. The next time Augie's out of town I'm going to post all the weird things we eat for dinner!)

All I can say is, "Doughboy, eat your heart out!" Even without a proper rising, these little beauties were full of flavor. No chemical after-tastes, and I can pronounce and spell all the ingredients without using a dictionary! Yum!!!!




The recipe:

Sweet Roll Dough

1 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make it easy to handle. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover, let rise until double, 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough. Proceed with variation of choice:

Orange Rolls:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 T. butter, softened
1 T. grated orange peel
2 T. Orange Juice
1/2 Recipe Sweet Roll Dough

Beat first 4 ingredients until smooth and creamy. Flatten dough into a rectangle (12 x 7), spread with half of the orange mixture. Roll tightly, beginning with 12-inch side. Pinch edge. Stretch roll to even up. Cut 12 1-in. slices (with dental floss). Place slightly apart in greased, 8-in. round pan. Let rise until double, 40 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Frost with remaining orange mixture.

Cinnamon Rolls:

1/2 Recipe Sweet Roll Dough
2 T. Butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Flatten dough into rectangle (15 x 9), spread with butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over dough. Roll tightly, beginning with 15 in side. Pinch edge. Cut into 9 1.5-in. slices (using floss). Place slightly apart in greased, square pan or in muffin tins. Let rise 40 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Glaze. (1 cup powdered sugar, 1 T. milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla).