6.21.2011

Orange Rolls

This is totally not my recipe and although I do love a good orange roll, I have to admit that I have never made orange rolls before in my life. This recipe will absolutely be made many more times in the very near future! These were fabulous. AND, they were still really yummy and quite fresh tasting even two days later, which I am VERY picky about. Of course, nothing beats an orange roll right off the pan out of the oven, but just know that they store quite well for a few days.






Orange Sweet Rolls


*Makes 12 rolls/twists


Dough:

¾ cup buttermilk, warm (I pour the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 large eggs

4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour

¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 ¼ teaspoons salt


Orange Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Grated orange rind/zest from two large oranges (reserving 1/2 teaspoon grated rind for the glaze below)


Orange Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice from about 1 orange

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind/zest reserved from the filling above


For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or electric handheld mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips.



Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.


For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients (reserving 1/2 teaspoon orange zest for the glaze) in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.


When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter (I use my roul’pat for this step--ya'll need one of these babies!) and press it into about a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently brush the filling mixture over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.


Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Using dental floss, slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls, more or less. You can slice them thinner or thicker as you like. For a traditional cinnamon-roll-look, arrange the rolls cut side down on a lined or lightly greased baking pan. If you want to try the twist method (see the pictures below), one at a time grab each sliced roll and holding on to either end simultaneously pull and twist the roll into a figure eight and place it on the prepared pan. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.


Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls. (I used a brush and brushed it over the entire roll instead of just drizzling it)

Grasping each side, gently stretch the roll…

…and twist it before placing on the baking sheet.
Place the rolls about an inch to two inches apart. Bake and devour!


Recipe Source: {My Kitchen Cafe}

Homemade Mint Oreo Ice Cream

Get excited everyone, this one was fabulous!!! Can I just have a proud moment and let you all know that I am the one that came up with this recipe? I mean, obviously, I started somewhere...but with about six different recipes. Needless to say, after tasting this, (and sharing it with a few friends who have all said it was the BEST homemade ice cream they have ever tasted) I am a bit proud of myself.


Sorry, no picture...but don't let that hinder your desires to make this beauty. Just know that the ice cream didn't last long enough to get a picture!



Mint Oreo Ice Cream
3 C. whole milk
3 C. skim milk
6 C. heavy whipping cream
3 C. sugar
1.5 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. peppermint extract
Oreo Cookies - I just estimated, but I would say I probably used between 30-40 cookies


**Note: I'm sure you could probably just use 6 cups of 2% milk. I don't buy 2% milk and so I used the combination of the milk that I do buy. It was wonderful, but I'm sure 2% would be wonderful too!


On stovetop, heat up the milk until it is warm (do not boil). Add sugar, salt, vanilla and peppermint and stir until the sugar has dissolved.


Pour into a bigger bowl and add the whipping cream. (You don't have to cook all the milk if you don't have a pot big enough. Just heat up enough that you can dissolve the sugar and then put it all in a bigger bowl and add the rest of the milk and whipping cream)


Put this in the fridge to cool. This makes quite a bit of ice cream (probably about 6 qts.) so if you need to make less, go ahead and split the recipe. If you have a small 1.5 qt. ice cream maker, you can just make it in batches as well and keep the rest in the fridge.


Mash oreo cookies with a potato masher in a bowl to the consistency you like and set aside until the VERY end of the ice cream making process.


Make ice cream according to the directions on your home made ice cream maker. When the ice cream is very close to being done, stop it and put the oreo cookies in. You want the ice cream to be quite thick at this point. If you do it too early, the cookies will just become mushy because the ice cream isn't frozen enough yet.


I really like to eat home made ice cream when it is soft and just finished in the maker. But if you like it harder, take it out when it is done and put it in smaller containers and freeze it for at least another couple hours to harden.


Yummers!


Another option instead of oreo is to use mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Probably about 3 cups. And if you want to make it green, add 9 drops of green food coloring.