It has been a crazy year so far. I decided to let my blog sort of fall in the background of my life again, and I’m a bit bummed about it. So many things have been happening this year, which is a bit crazy for me. I’m used to me and my husband sort of having quiet evenings at home, and well…I kind of made myself SUPER busy the past few months.
To re-motivate myself back into blogging, I am joining up with some amazing bloggers for #brunchweek! The sponsors were ridiculously generous with us bloggers, and I’m excited to feature 3 recipes using products from the sponsors for #brunchweek!
This first one just screams spring/summer to me! Fluffy rolls with plenty of strawberry filling, topped with a sweet orange icing. It’s just SO good! I used Dixie Crystals Sugar, Red Star Platinum Yeast and Nielsen-Massey Almond Extract to make these rolls, and y’all..these rolls are just spectacular! If you want a fruity twist on the average cinnamon roll, give this a try! Another perk to this recipe is that the rolls come together fairly quickly, considering it’s a yeast-based roll recipe!
To make the filling, cook the strawberries and sugar together in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, for about 5 minutes, until the juices from the berries cook out. Whisk in the cornstarch and zest, and cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract. Chill the mixture fully in the fridge before making the dough.
To make the dough, place the milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the ingredients for 1 minute, then remove the mixture and stir well. Microwave the mixture in 20-second intervals, until the milk/butter mixture is melted and warm to the touch. You want the mixture to be about 110°F (which is ideal for yeast), so if it’s hotter than that, allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes until it reaches that temperature. Once it has reached the temperature, sprinkle in the yeast and mix well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, whisk together 3 cups of the flour, the granulated sugar and salt, until the mixture is well-combined. Add in the milk/butter/yeast mixture and the egg. Mix everything on medium-low speed until the dough is combined. If the dough appears to be sticking to the sides of the bowl, add in the rest of the flour (1/4 cup at a time), until the dough forms into a bowl and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading the dough in the mixer for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. Remove the dough from the bowl, and form it into a ball. Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and cover the dough with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, place the dough ball on a well-floured work surface. Flour your rolling pin well, and roll the dough out into a 14 x 9-inch rectangle. Use a spatula to evenly spread the strawberry filling over the entire surface of dough with the exception of the top inch of the longer side of the dough (so a 14 x 1-inch strip at the top).
Starting at the bottom 14-inch edge of the dough, tightly roll up the dough, using a back and forth motion, until you reach the top inch of the dough. At that point, pull the top of the dough to meet the dough roll and pinch the top into the roll, to seal the dough roll in. Take a serrated knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss to cut the dough into 11 equal rolls. Place the cut rolls into a well-greased deep pie dish, and cover the pie plate with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise for 25 minutes.
While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350°F. When the dough has finished rising, remove the towel, and place the pie dish on the center rack of the oven, and bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are golden-brown and fully cooked through (I put a fork in the middle roll to check to see if the dough is cooked through). Once the rolls are finished baking, allow them to cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before drizzling with icing.
To make the icing, whisk the confectioners sugar, orange zest, fresh orange juice and almond extract together in a bowl. After the rolls have slightly cooled, drizzle the rolls with the icing. Enjoy when the rolls have reached a warm temperature.
Please read more about #brunchweek below, and be sure to check out the amazing giveaway, courtesy of #brunchweek’s generous sponsors!!
These rolls would certainly motivate me, they sound awesome!
My favorite brunch meal is Eggs Benedict. I make my own English muffins and hollandaise sauce that I love to eat with my honey Adam Gewanter.
These are speaking to my prego-cravings so hard AND I just bought a pint of strawberries. They look so delish, thanks for the recipe!
Oh man! You need to make these!
I can’t wait to try the strawberry rolls with orange glaze.
Welcome back, your rolls look scrumptious.
I am drooling over here! These look so PERFECT!
I haven’t had a brunch in years and years. My go-to recipe used to be a stuffed french toast recipe from a B&B in Maine. Easy to make ahead of time.