Dec 21, 2011

Sweet Orange Buns

Home cook Linda Worsley gave us the recipe for these luscious buns filled with fragrant orange-flavored butter. This recipe first appeared in the 2012 SAVEUR 100, with the article Sweet Orange Buns.

Credit: Todd Coleman

SERVES 12

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups milk, heated to 115°
1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast
⅓ cup sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 16 tbsp., softened
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups flour
½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup orange zest (from about 4 oranges)
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. fresh orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the dough: Combine milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, and egg; add flour, and mix on low speed until dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high; knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit until dough doubles in size, about 1½ hours. Meanwhile, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and zest in a bowl on high speed of a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add remaining salt, confectioners' sugar, and extracts; beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer ¼ cup filling to a bowl; stir in juice to make an icing. Set filling and icing aside.

2. Transfer dough to a work surface; using a rolling pin, roll dough into an 18″ × 10″ rectangle, and spread filling evenly over dough. Lift up bottom edge of dough and roll it into a log; trim ends and cut log into 12 rounds. Transfer rounds cut side up to a greased 9″ × 13″ baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Chill 6 hours or overnight.

3. Heat oven to 375°. Uncover rolls and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Drizzle icing over rolls before serving.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #144

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Ratings & Reviews (20)

by DARLENE56 on 2012-01-13

Tried this recipe, did not turn out as expected. How much yeast to use, is it 1-1/4 oz. or just 1/4 oz. When baked the filling melted all to the bottom and left the rolls hollow. Someone please tell me what I did wrong.

by NUTHATCH46201 on 2012-01-14

I think that the filling and icing amounts are reversed in the recipe. Theictures show that there is a lot of filling and very little frosting. One tablespoon orange j juice would make an icing which could be drizzled. Please check and get back to me on this. I am going to make it my way since yours does not make sense. I'll report back my results.

by NUTHATCH46201 on 2012-01-14

This doesn't work. Too much icing and no filling. I think the amounts are reversed.

by NUTHATCH46201 on 2012-01-14

Sorry the computer sent it twice.

by NUTHATCH46201 on 2012-01-15

Ooops. I misread the recipe. It worked sort of. Lots of filling oozed out in baking but I just scooped it up with a large spoon. When they get cool I will separate them into servings and freeze for another time. Maybe when they are cool they will solidify more.

by ROSESARERED on 2012-01-16

I followed the instructions to the letter. They came out perfect, and looked exactly like the photo. The only thing I would do different: Let the filling chill a little bit (we are in Florida--it was hot the day I made these) as it tended to squish out when I rolled them up. It looked a bit messy when I put them in the refrigerator. I woke up in the morning, baked them and they were perfect. They rose up, and the filling in the bottom of the pan was delicious, thick caramel. The recipe was easy, fast and YES, I would make them again. I didn't have a mixer, so I did all the kneading by hand. The dough was beautiful, smooth and elastic. I used an organic yeast and unbleached, organic white flour. The Honeybell oranges are in season, here in Florida. I used Honeybell zest and juice.

by weekendcook on 2012-01-22

These were delicious, although there DID seem to be a lot of extra filling. I took the rolls out of the pan as soon as they were done, then scooped up the melted filling and saved separately so the rolls wouldn't get too soggy. Next time I might reduce the amount of filling. The flavor and texture were unsurpassed, though! Will definitely make again.

by STEPHANIEZENOBIA on 2012-01-22

I, too, followed the directions to the letter. The filling melted out of the dough and made a mess on the bottom of the pan. The filling that remained in the roll was not creamy, it was gritty and crunchy. Any ideas as to why?? The dough was easy to work with and tasted delicious. As soon as I figure out how to get a creamy filling texture, I will make again. Next time, I will decrease the amount of filling.

by JHASLET on 2012-01-25

I thought this was a great recipe. I followed the directions and it turned out as shown. I loved the caramelized sugar at the bottom of the pan after they were baked. These would also be delicious with some finely ground pecans in the filling!

by BAKERS SECRET on 2012-01-25

Flavors were great, orange rind key..., however, way too much filling, dough, way too doughy. Should reformulate ingredients, flour ratios and sugars for filling. Confectioners' sugar...Really?

by oggiedog on 2012-02-12

These are excellent orange rolls, the best I have had! However, 2-1/4 OZ of yeast?? Certainly this must be a typo. That is equivalent to about 1/4 CUP!!!! A clearly rediculous amount-come on Saveur, arent you editing? I used 1-1/2 tablespoons which was about perfect. It seems like a lot of filling but after it bakes, it melts into, this gorgeous Carmelized orange "sugar butter" that is so good, you will lick the pan. Its similar to that of upside down cake. I made another batch of filling and added 1/3 cup of softened cream cheese to make a Cinnabon
type frosting. The frosting literally made the rolls! I would have not been as thrilled without it. Happy family!

by AUSTINPASTRYCHEF on 2012-03-18

Made these today. Way too much butter filling, way too sweet. Dough tasted nice, the orange flavor was ok (did not go for the orange extract flavor though). Why did so many of us end up with the filling at the bottom of the pan after they baked?

by RGEN77 on 2012-03-23

The dough is one of the best I've tried but the icing/frosting is way too sweet. I omitted the confectioner's sugar altogether and just stuck with the brown sugar.

I would make this again.

Check out the pics of this recipe here: http://wp.me/p25aJN-cp

by ROCKONZ on 2012-03-25

I've made these buns twice now and each time we end up licking the pan! They are the best and easiest rolls to prepare. I was a little perplexed about the review questions regarding the amount of yeast to use, as my recipe stated 1 (1/4) oz package of dry yeast. Nothing odd about that. I followed the recipe to the letter and couldn't have been happier. My overnight company was estatic to say the least and ask for the recipe! I did add some pecan pieces to half the rolls and loved 'em. As the rolls cool, the extra sauce in the bottom of the pan is soaked up by the rolls. They freeze beautifully too.....if they make it past the breakfast table!

by CMA319 on 2012-05-27

Like some others here, my filling just melted out and stuck to the bottom of the pan. There was WAY too much filling--half as much would have been more than enough. And these were ridiculously sweet.

by GLUTTON on 2012-06-02

Thanks to the other reviewers, I made this recipe using less confectioners sugar (only 2 cups) and added pecans. I also didn't use all the filling, maybe 3/4 of the amount. They turned out fantastic, gorgeously browned and just sweet enough. I, too, am puzzled by the confusion over the amount of yeast which seemed standard. One 1/4 oz. package of yeast is equal to 2 1/4 tsp. if you're like me and buy it by the jar. (Heavens, I have no idea where the reviewer got 2 1/4 ounces as an amount, that would indeed be awful.)

by namastesf on 2012-12-25

Well, I should have taken the advice of the other reviewers and halved the amount of sugar for the filling. The house smelled amazing, but they just about killed me with how sweet they are. My kids couldn't even eat them. Some of the filling did stay in the rolls, and a lot of it melted into caramel on the bottom, as people mentioned, but it was liquid and didn't stick to the pan. Next time, however, I would halve the sugar and butter in the filling and add chopped pecans.

by MUSUME on 2013-01-01

Mixed success with these. I think it depends on your personal palette. For me and my husband, these were way too sweet, and the filling that leaked out the bottom excessive. My son had no problem with this. Also, the buns in the center of the pan didn't cook enough while the ones around the edges puffed up and turned golden brown nicely. I might try this again someday, but with the following changes: (1) make and use half the recipe for filling, and make a much thinner layer of filling inside the rolled dough. (2) rather than crowd them in a 9 x 13" pan, I will use an old pizza pan I have to give the center rolls more room and even access to heat. It seems easier to control the personalized amount of sweetness by varying the amount of icing you put on each bun.

by AMYORSBORN on 2013-01-12

I made them for a New Years Brunch, and they were a huge hit. I did make a few modifications based on reviews/personal taste. I cut down the powdered sugar in the filling a bit (by ~1/2c or so) and added a bit of cardamom and cinnamon to both the dough and filling. I really appreciated the spices as they help to break up the sweetness slightly, and I love cardamom and orange together.
I went very light on the frosting, but mostly because mine "broke" and never came together in a coherent glaze. That didn't matter too much, as the butter just melted into the tops of the rolls--but I just brushed a bit on top instead of using all of it.
A decent bit of the filling melts out, but I didn't find that the rolls were completely dry inside. And the ooze in the bottom of the pan caramelizes, making a delicious syrup for the buns.
These are definitely sweet and rich, but I think they're a fantastic treat.

by VAVA-LEE on 2013-05-11

These were a big hit with my husband and with company. Yes, some of the filling melts out and puddles at the bottom of the pan, but I just spooned it back over the top once I took them out of the oven. Very easy to make ahead and bake next morning. Dough is like brioche and is easy to roll out. Filling is very sweet. These are intense and addictive. Will definitely make these again.

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