This recipe it taking one of my favorite comfort foods and making it feel more summery. I am so happy with how it turned out. If you want to make them healthier you are always welcome to substitute a blend of whole wheat (I would use WW Pastry Flour) and a/p flour.
My grandma used to make Orange Sweet rolls and I just adored them. They are one of the foods that I associate most closely with her (along with her macaroni salad that she used to make in the most Enormous green tupperware bowl) I thought of her when I made them, and it made me happy. - and then I thought... I should really use this dough to make some orange rolls.
Sweet Roll Dough
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon yeast (1 packet)
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey (this is totally the secret!)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Mix the yeast, salt, eggs honey and melted butter with the water in a 5-quart bowl.
Mix in the flour, using a spoon until all of the flour is incorporated.
Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours.
Once it has doubled in size, put the whole bowl in the fridge to chill.
The dough can be used as soon as it is chilled. This dough is way too sticky to use after the initial rise, but once it is chilled it is very easy to handle.
Filling :
1 and ¾ cups finely chopped strawberries
⅓ cup granulated sugar (or less if your strawberries are sweet)
1 and ½ tbsp. cornstarch
More Instructions:
As the dough rises, make the filling: Warm the strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 4 minutes until the strawberries begin to release juices. Add the granulated sugar and cornstarch and continue to stir for another 2 minutes. The mixture will thicken.
Remove from the heat, spoon into a heatproof bowl or container, and chill until ready to use. You do not want a warm filling as you spread it onto the dough.
Grease the bottom of a few baking dishes or a jelly roll pan, then line with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick, even at the corners.
Spread the strawberry filling all over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form a log. Cut into even rolls (about 1.5 inches in width each). Arrange them in the prepared baking pans.
Cover the rolls and allow to rise in a warm environment once again until the are puffy—about 1 – 2 hours.
After the rolls have risen,
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, just until the centers are set when poked with your finger (they should be caramel colored). Let them cool for about 10 minutes.
Cream Cheese Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1 small package of chopped pecans
To prepare your frosting mix all the ingredients together with a hand mixer. When the rolls have cooled about 15 minutes frost them. If you frost them while they are still warm, the frosting melts a bit and seeps down into the swirls and the sweet roll and makes them even more impossibly delicious!
