Savings for Sisters: Recipe - Grandma's Orange Rolls

Whenever I smell oranges, I think of Christmas. I don't know if children today would necessarily associate oranges with this time of year, because they enjoy a wide variety of treats compared to what we had in the "old days." It isn't only that toe-of-the-stocking orange that comes to mind when I remember the Christmases of my childhood, but those chocolate covered orange sticks Santa used to bring, and the delicious orange crepes Mom made us for breakfast. Perhaps my fondest memory when I catch a citrusy whiff is the clove-studded oranges we made in school as gifts for our mothers to dangle from a red ribbon in their closets. When I smell either cloves or oranges, a flood of memories comes back centered around those simple, happy Decembers now so far in the past. My grandma's homemade Orange Rolls also bring back good memories of yesteryear for me, and I hope for you too. You can use your favorite roll dough recipe if you like, or click on the link to mine. Either way, I think you'll love my grandma's orange sauce which is rolled into the dough and also spooned on top before baking and spreading with frosting while still warm. My grandma made these often during the winter to dress up an ordinary evening meal, served right out of the oven with butter--and no frosting--like you would eat a dinner roll. Now I'm just making myself nostalgic (and hungry), so I think I've said enough. I almost always make orange rolls at Christmastime and freeze them for easy family breakfasts when my house is full over the holidays. My easy step-by-step instructions are below. Merry Christmas!

Grandma’s Orange Rolls

SAUCE

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

½ c orange juice squeezed from about 2 oranges

2 Tablespoons orange peel, shredded very finely (use zester or grater to remove peel before squeezing oranges)

Melt together in small saucepan, bring to a simmer, then take off heat. Cool completely at room temperature (not in fridge).

Note: Double this if you use my roll recipe (found HERE), unless you want to make half of the dough into cinnamon rolls and half orange. If you do that, you only need one recipe of the orange sauce.

-Make your favorite roll dough recipe, or follow the link above for mine.

-While your dough is rising, make the sauce as explained above.

-When the dough is ready, roll out on lightly floured countertop into a rectangular shape.

-Spoon on some of the sauce and spread out with clean hands.

Depending on how much dough you have made, you will most likely be rolling it out in several batches. Divide your sauce accordingly so you’ll have enough.

-Roll up the dough and cut with dental floss as shown. Slide the floss under the dough, then criss-cross it in a quick motion across the top to make neat, even slices.

(Don’t worry if it appears most of the sauce is spilling out, as you will be spooning more on top when they are in the pan.)

Note: Use a spatula to scoop up any spilled sauce off your clean counter top, as you will need it.

-Pour some of the sauce out on your pan and spread over the surface before placing the rolls on top.

-Space rolls evenly, leaving room to rise. Or if you would like them to grow together (as my grandma used to do in an oblong cake pan when she planned to serve them for dinner), space them more closely. Spoon additional sauce over the top of each roll.

NOTE: If you want to make part of your dough into cinnamon rolls, mix sugar and cinnamon together, and after spreading the dough with melted butter, sprinkle it on and roll up the same way as with the orange rolls.

If you have more than one pan, follow this procedure for each pan and whatever orange sauce is left, spoon evenly over the rolls in the pan. Use all the sauce.