Happy first week of spring! With how mild our winter has been this year, it doesn’t feel real that it should be spring already, but here we are. (And it’s supposed to be sunshine-y and 70 degrees today!) Still, for the lingering blustery days we’ve been having here and there, I thought one more batch of soft, squishy sweet rolls, maybe for an Easter brunch or two, was in order before all the fresh, springy produce and summer baking to come. Because, you know, it’s not difficult for me to feel that squishy sweet rolls are in order. (Just see these and these!)
I think right around now is usually (in harsher winters than this, anyway) when I start craving sunshine the most, but when it’s not quite here yet — and then I’m always thankful for the lingering bags of cheerfully bright clementines and fat navel oranges still piled on the shelves for a couple more weeks. So I thought orange sweet rolls would be the perfect embodiment of that citrus-y stand-in for sunshine. They’re warm and decadent, perfect for the chilly mornings we’ve been having lately, but filled with sweet-tart, slightly bitter marmalade and made with a little bit of Simply Orange juice for a livelier brightness than my usual winter cinnamon roll stand-by. With a layer of almond paste tucked inside, and topped with basil glaze for the summery herb season to come (I couldn’t resist going out-of-season, sorry!), it feels like a comforting breakfast that brings a little bit of the springy outdoors inside until picnic weather is ready for us. (Maybe today?!) Happy spring, friends!
Thank you to Simply Orange for sponsoring this post, and for providing OJ that’s not-from-concentrate, never sweetened or frozen, and just plain delicious. As always, all opinions are my own. For any New York friends, you can hop over to gothamtogrove.com for more Simply ideas and coupons, or their Facebook page for more recipes too.
Orange-almond sweet rolls with basil glaze
Ingredients
- for the dough:
- 1/4 cup Simply Orange juice (milk would also work fine here)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 cups (250 g) flour, plus more for rolling out
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1–2 tbsp orange zest (optional)
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup buttermilk in place of the orange juice and Greek yogurt)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 3 tbsp (1.5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- for the filling:
- 1/2 cup almond paste (optional)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup homemade or storebought marmalade (or more, as desired)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (optional)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
- for the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp cream or whole milk, or more, to desired consistency
- 1 tsp finely chopped basil
Instructions
- The night before: For the dough, heat the orange juice in a medium bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup to just warm to the touch, and sprinkle the yeast over top. Set aside for about five minutes, or until foamy on top.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If you like, you can add a tablespoon or two of orange zest for a stronger orange flavor. When the yeast is foamy, add the yogurt, egg, egg yolk, almond extract, and melted butter to the yeast-milk mixture and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then mix until all the flour is incorporated and a wet, sticky dough forms. Knead in the bowl for 5-6 minutes. The dough will be very wet — if kneading with your hands, you can add a bit of flour as necessary to keep from sticking, but I just kneaded it by folding it in on itself with a large rubber spatula, which did the trick just fine and kept things from getting frustrating. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight. (Alternatively, you can let the dough rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until well-doubled — I prefer overnight to allow the flavor to develop more fully, and because a cold dough is much easier to work with, especially a delicate one like this.)
- The day of: If using almond paste in your filling, roll it out to about 9”x11” between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap until very thin, about 1/16” or less. (Too thick, and the filling may be too gooey, although you might like that!) You may want to roll out smaller pieces, one at a time. Set aside.
- Next, generously flour a work surface and scrape the still-cold dough onto it. Working with the dough straight out of the fridge is best, since I find that a cold dough is much easier to roll and work with, and your second rise will give it plenty of time to come to room temperature. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle, about 10”x13” or thereabouts, and about 1/4″ in thickness. Peel the parchment paper off the almond paste layer and place the almond paste over the dough. Next, spread marmalade generously and evenly across the dough, leaving a 1/2″ border around the edges. Finally, if you like (and especially if you’re not using almond paste), you can mix together 2 tbsp melted butter and 2 tbsp brown sugar, and pour it evenly across the dough.
- Gently but tightly roll the rectangle into a log. Rolling the rectangle width-wise will give you larger cinnamon rolls with more swirls; length-wise, smaller. Either way, pinch the seam shut and place the log seam-side down. Using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife, gently slice the log into about 8 to 10 rolls, a little more than an inch in width. If using a knife, cut by gently moving the knife back and forth in a sawing motion to avoid pressing down on the dough — that should help it keep its shape. It’s important to use a serrated knife rather than a smooth-edged one.
- Place the rolls, cut-side down, into a 9-inch pie plate or cast-iron skillet, or an 8×8-inch square baking dish. Leave some space for them to expand; if you run out of room, bake the extras in individual ramekins or free-form on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until rolls are almost doubled again. If you like, you can do an overnight rise in the refrigerator at this point as well, or even freeze the rolls, well-wrapped. Either way, just bring the rolls to room temperature before baking.
- About 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. When the rolls are nearly doubled, bake about 18-22 minutes, or until rolls are just barely golden in spots — this will ensure that they’re still nice and soft in the center. If using a cast-iron pan, you may want to take them out when they’re still fairly pale on top, since the pan retains heat so well and will continue to cook the rolls for a bit afterwards. If you like, brush the rolls with extra marmalade while still warm from the oven.
- Finally, make the glaze, which is simple — just whisk together the powdered sugar, cream or milk, and chopped basil until it reaches your desired consistency. Add more cream if the glaze is too thick, or more powdered sugar if too thin. I prefer cream because I find it cuts the sharp powderiness of the sugar better, but milk, or more Simply Orange juice, would work well too. Pour the glaze over the rolls and enjoy! Add extra orange zest if desired.
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
would have never thought to put orange and basil together, but it sounds delicious! and oh goodness, the filling ingredients (all mixed together) sounds like it would be dangerous- you could spread it on bread, spoon it on pancakes, swirl some into bread pudding…
tworedbowls
Ooh, your comment makes me want to do all of the above — yum, bread pudding!! Thank you so much for the kind words, Heather!
Hannah | The Swirling Spoon
These. Look. So. Good! I absolutely love orange in baked goods so I’m sure I would love these <3 they look so squishy and sticky and delicious. Happy Spring to you!
tworedbowls
Thank you so much, Hannah!! Happiest spring to you too!
Tori@Gringalicious
Wow, you’ve nearly made me drool with these beauties!!!! I love your flavor combos and who cares what season it is, I’ll take these all year long thank you very much!!! Yum!
tworedbowls
LOL yes!! Sticky rolls all year round! Thank you so much, Tori 🙂
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking
I’m so happy spring is here! These look gorgeous, perfect for Easter.
tworedbowls
Me too!! I can’t wait until it warms up more. Thank you so much for the kind words, Vivian!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
I simply love the idea of using the iron skillet with the parchment!! The shot looks terrific — you are such an inspiration — the photo and the recipe. And I simply love basil — I’d use it as perfume if I could 🙂 Have a Happy Easter!!
Katrina
Adding basil is genius! The entire flavour combination of these rolls is blowing my mind right now. LOVE!
Abby @ Heart of a Baker
That basil glaze looks SO good! Happy almost Easter friend, these rolls look incredible!
Fork on the Road
These look brilliant. They’re definitely not your bog standard Cinnabon envy (over sweetened) cinnamon rolls. I’m looking forward to the basil.
Thanks for something different.
-Glenn K.
Michelle || Hummingbird High
bahahaha when you post this on IG, for some reason, i was convinced it was going to be orange chicken.
Considering The Radish
Oranges and almonds and basil? Oh my! These look like sunshine in a pastry, and I would love to eat them for Easter breakfast.
La petite poire
Once again just wonderful and what a great touch with the basil. Thanks!!!!! 🍐
Ellie | Hungry by Nature
I love the idea of the basil glaze – so simple, but so clever. And they look stunning as always!
tessahuff
Ahhh these are amazing! It’s like they are calling to me. How did you know how much I love incorporating herbs with my baked goods? So yumm.
Chelsea (@TheWholeBite)
Oh yum! I don’t know why, but your calling them soft, squishy sweet rolls just makes them sound even more appealing. I love big, soft cinnamon rolls and these look so much brighter and springier, I love it! Definitely a perfect Easter brunch dish 🙂
sweetteasweetie (@SweetTSweetie)
The addition of basil is so unique and really takes these up a notch!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Valentina @Hortus
You never fail to make an amazing post <3 Hope some serious sunshine strikes NY soon! It's pouring down buckets here these days. I feel like I can smell these rolls from the computer!
Fun fact: I spent a ton of time in the US, and I never had a proper cinnamon roll…
Emily
I was just thinking about making your cinnamon date rolls again and then THIS! The almond paste with marmalade- that sounds SO good. And I always admire your beautifully styled photos so much. 🙂
Mary Clay
mmm, that basil glaze tho. those rolls look amazing! pinning to try later.
Mantenso Kotomah
These look absolutely amazing, I will definitely be attempting this recipe!
Tenz
http://www.shesabouthatlife.com
xxx
Amanda | What's Cooking
These look so good and it’s never too warm or too cold or too anything for a sweet roll. I love your creativity in using orange and Simply Orange is actually one of my favorite juices, so go team. I hope you’re doing well. I always look forward to see what creative thing you’ve got on deck! xo
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
What glorious rolls! I’m especially smitten with that basil glaze!
Erica
I want the whole pan to myself, they look so pillowy and fluffy. Happy start of spring, Cynthia!!
danielle is rooting the sun
cynthia, what a beautiful idea (and always presented with such a timeless grace, i love your photography) – the basil glaze has me filling up with joy. happy spring to you!
Ellie@fitforthesoul
I adore how truly flufffyyyy these look, Cynthia! There’s {almost} nothing as comforting and satisfying as a warm yeast bread. And Simply Juice is the only brand of juice I/we drink at home! I honestly don’t see much of a point in drinking most juices because they’re not healthy nor do they have the nutrition Simply provides.
Amy l worthyoursalt
The combination of almond, orange and basil is genius and the baking process beautifully photographed! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try 🙂
Katherine
Thanks for sharing!! I found that I had to bake them significantly longer (even in my cast iron!). It was closer to 32 minutes.
katie390
Hi Cynthia! I’m new to your blog and I love everything about it. As a grad student in Boston it’s good to hear that there are survivors! I have a question about the prep for this recipe: I’d love to make it for my mom and mother-in-law when they come to visit this weekend, but I won’t have time Saturday night to make the dough. Could I make it Friday and freeze it before thawing on Sunday?
-Katie
tworedbowls
Hi Katie! If you mean just making the dough for the first overnight rise, I would probably actually try halving the yeast to 1/2 tsp and just letting the dough rise for two days in the fridge. It should rise just fine with the longer rise time and should have a nice yeast flavor that way. I have tried this with pizza doughs, though not enriched doughs. You could also probably freeze the rolls on Friday night after shaping them and placing them in the pan but before baking, then transfer to the fridge on Saturday night and bake on Sunday, though they might expand slightly less that way. If you mean actually baking the rolls on Friday, I think you could also freeze the rolls, baked but not iced, on Friday and then thaw gently in the oven, covered, on Sunday before icing them. I hope that helps!! Thank you so much for the kind words and I’ll cross my fingers these work out for your mom and MIL this weekend!
Stanley
Making this just now with great anticipation! I’m curious if the instructions for prepping the dough might have a typo. Step 2 says to add vanilla extract, but the ingredients list states almond extract. I’m sure you mean to add the almond extract, but want to be sure. Didn’t see this mentioned in the first several comment. Can you advise? Love, love, love your blog!!
★★★★★
tworedbowls
Hi Stanley–oh my, thank you for catching that! You are right, almond extract. This is now fixed. I hope you enjoyed these and thank you so much for the kind words!