Orange Cinnamon Rolls and a CONTEST!!

We hope everyone had a terrific Easter! We sure did, especially since it started out with these Orange Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast at Eric's parents house. There is just something about cinnamon rolls that make us hungry for breakfast at any time of the day. Something about the gooey inside and the sugary frosting on top maybe? Whatever the reasoning behind it, we both have a soft spot for cinnamon rolls and decided to bring them over for breakfast. Since Charisse's grandmother's fruit trees are still producing we had an overabundance of oranges this week, and Charisse decided that she wanted to try an orange cinnamon roll. Probably the best idea she's had in at least a week, by far, it totally changes the whole cinnamon roll game. Speaking of games, Eric has been particularly crazy these past few days with the NHL playoffs going on, to that point that people are simply watching his Facebook posts to see how the game is going. It's become a tradition for him to sit in his comfy chair, watching the game with the computer on, with his lucky hat on. If its a close game, he'll sit on the floor closer to the TV (and yell louder, just incase the players are having a hard time hearing him through the TV). Charisse tried to figure out why he does this a while back and is still mystified that he thinks stuff like this will change the outcome of the game. Which got us wondering: how many of you have superstitions about watching or playing sports, or have loved ones who do? What are they? Leave a comment with your sports traditions and we'll pick a announce a winner for a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card on Monday morning!! 

Printable Recipe


(contest rules and small print!) To be eligible you have to be a follower (email, google RSS or Facebook) and your comment has to include your sports superstition! We will close the submissions Sunday night at midnight and pick a winner at random Monday morning. Make you include a way for us to contact you!

Orange Cinnamon Rolls
What You Will Need

Dough:

6 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
the zest from 1 orange
3 1/2 cups flour
1 packet of yeast
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Cream the butter, sugar and salt together. Add the egg and zest and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour, buttermilk and yeast and beat until the dough comes together, if you are using a mixer, switch now to the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should be wet and stick to the bottom of the bowl but not the sides. Add a little more flour or buttermilk to get the correct consistency. Oil, and medium bowl and add the dough turning to coat, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for at least 2 hours or until doubled in size. At this point I left the dough out on the counter overnight and it was perfect in the morning. I suggest doing this if you are making these for breakfast!

Once the dough has risen, lightly flour your workspace and roll the dough into a rectangle about 14x12 and about 2/3 of an inch thick.

Make the Filling

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs butter melted
1 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
the zest of 1 orange

In a small bowl combine the sugars, cinnamon and zest.

Using a pastry brush, coat the dough with butter, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the entire surface, then sprinkle the raisins over the entire surface. Roll the dough lengthwise into a cylinder. Cut the rolls using a sharp knife or a piece of thread to desired thickness. I made 8 thick buns.

Arrange in a buttered pie dish or other baking dish. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise for an hour or until double in size. Don't rush this step or your buns will be flat.

Once risen, bake for about 15-25 minutes at 375* until set and golden brown on top. Let cool and top generously with  glaze.

Vanilla Orange Glaze
What You Will Need

8 ounces of cream cheese
4 ounces of butter
1 1/2 cup powered sugar
1-3 Tbs milk
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth, mix in the sugar and zest and beat until smooth. Add in the scraped seeds of the vanilla bean and orange juice, slowly add milk until desired thickness.

adapted from www.saltbird.com