Orange Breakfast Rolls

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and orange zest. Work the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the orange oil and permeate the sugar.

In a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk for about 30 seconds to take the chill off. 

Add the eggs to the measuring cup and beat with a fork until combined.

Stir the infused sugar into the egg and milk mixture and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed, mix the flour, dry yeast, and salt until combined.

Add the egg, milk, and sugar mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until blended.

With the mixer on low speed, add the butter pieces, one piece at a time, mixing after each addition until the dough absorbs the butter. It will be sticky. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and form the mixture into a ball.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the plastic and slip your fingers underneath the dough on the edge of the bowl farthest away from you. Gently stretch the dough up and towards you and fold it over to the side closest to you. 

Rotate the bowl by a few inches and repeat the stretch and fold 5 to 6 times, rotating the bowl each time and stretching and folding the dough all around the bowl. Cover and let rest for another 20 minutes.

Repeat, stretching and folding the dough 5 to 6 times and rotating the bowl each time.

Scrape dough out of mixer bowl into an oiled bowl. Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes while you make the filling.

In a small bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt until blended.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Fit a 12 x 16-inch piece of parchment into the pan so the 2 long sides overhang by 1 1/2-inches.

Set a second 12 x 16-inch piece of parchment paper on a work surface and sprinkle with flour. Turn the dough onto the parchment paper, pat it into a rectangle, and roll it to the same size as the parchment, stretching the corners if necessary. 

The dough should be around 3/8-inch thick.

With an offset spatula, evenly spread the filling over the dough, leaving a border of about 1-inch all around.

Position the dough so the long side is parallel to the edge of the counter. Lift the parchment paper and roll the dough away from your body to form a cylinder. 

Firmly pinch the seam and turn the log so the seam side is down.

With a paring knife, mark the log into 12 even pieces that are about 1 1/2 inches wide. Use a serrated knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into rolls and place them in the pan. They should just fit into the pan and barely touch. 

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes, or until they look puffy and have almost doubled in size.

In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, butter, and salt until smooth. The glaze should be pourable. If it is too thick, thin with more orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Bake the rolls for 33 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Check towards the end of the baking time and cover the pan loosely with foil if the rolls are browning too quickly. 

An instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll should register 195°F. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, set the pan on the rack and use a pastry brush to paint half the glaze over it. Let sit for 15 minutes. 

Using the parchment as handles, gently lift the rolls out of the pan and onto the rack. Slide the parchment out from under the rolls. Paint the remaining glaze over them, allowing the excess to drip onto the baking sheet. 

Serve warm.

Store leftovers tightly wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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