These homemade orange rolls are a favorite recipe that brings me back to a little tea room, a first pregnancy, and lunches shared with friends.
A Season I Still Remember
More than twenty years ago, when I was expecting my oldest son, I worked at a large local bank in downtown Rogers. It was not the sort of banking job most people would imagine. Our department managed the bank’s investment portfolio and worked with brokers in New York to buy and sell federal funds.
Because our work was so specialized, only four people worked in our department—our boss and three women. I was the youngest, not quite thirty years old, and preparing to become a mother for the first time.
Just down the street from our office was a little restaurant called Crumpet Tea Room.
Many days (probably more than we should have) before lunch, one of us would call in an order. When it was ready, we would walk down the street together to pick it up and carry it back to the office. We would gather around the conference table, eat our lunch, visit for a little while, and then return to our work.
Nearly every time, my order was the same: the chicken salad and fruit plate. This special came with a scoop of creamy chicken salad, fresh fruit with poppy seed dressing, and an orange roll.
When I became pregnant with my son, that meal became my greatest craving. Of all the foods I could have wanted, it was that chicken salad plate and those orange rolls that I wanted most.
The day he was born, a family member even stopped by Crumpet Tea Room and brought my favorite meal to the hospital for me to enjoy.
At the time, it was simply lunch with the women I worked with each day and a meal I absolutely loved. Looking back now, I see those work lunches and the chicken salad with fruit plate as part of the memories from that particular season of life.
A few years later, Crumpet Tea Room closed. Like so many small restaurants, it became a part of the past, leaving behind only memories for those who had loved it.
Finding An Old Favorite Again
Recently, I came across what was said to be the original recipe. Whether someone officially released it or a home cook simply passed it along, I can’t say for certain. What I can say is that these rolls taste exactly as I remember them.
Soft and lightly sweet with a bright orange flavor, they remind me of the rolls we used to bring back to the office all those years ago and the one I enjoyed the day my son was born.
If you’ve never had orange rolls before, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Perhaps years from now, they’ll become part of one of your favorite memories, too.
Homemade Orange Rolls
These sweet rolls are tender, citrusy, and full of old-fashioned flavor. A nostalgic homemade recipe that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a special treat.
Ingredients
Orange Rolls
- 2½ Cups Hot Tap Water
- ½ Cup Butter Melted
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Salt
- ½ Cup Powdered Milk
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Fast Active Dry Yeast Heaping
- 6 Cups All Purpose Flour
Orange Filling
- 1 Cup Butter Softened
- 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 Orange
Instructions
Prepare Dough
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In a large mixing bowl, with a dough attachment, add the first 3 ingredients.
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Mix for two minutes with dough hook.
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Add the next 4 ingredients and continue to blend.
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Slowly add the remaining flour until the mixture is blended well and not sticky to the touch.
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Cover the dough and allow it to double in size.
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Once the dough has doubled in size (this took approximately 30 minutes for my dough) punch down the dough and roll the dough out in rectangle that is long and narrow and approximately ¼" thick.
Make Orange Filling
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Cream butter in a mixing bowl until soft and smooth. Then addd sugar and the juice and grated orange zest from one orange. Blend well.
Assemble Orange Rolls
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Spread a thin layer of orange frosting over the dough.
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Roll the dough up and cut it in 1½" rolls.
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Place the rolled dough in greased pans and allow them to rise to the top of the pans.
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After they rise, bake at 375℉ for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
The Beauty of Everyday Things
Isn’t it interesting how food has a way of becoming part of our memories? A single bite can bring back a place, a season of life, and the people who shared it with us.
Moments that seemed the most ordinary while we were living them often become the ones we look back on with the most fondness.
I think that is one of the beautiful things about homemaking. The meals we prepare and the traditions we create become part of our story.
We never know which things will be remembered years from now. Sometimes it’s the birthday cake or the holiday meal. Other times, it’s the favorite soup on a cold afternoon, the cookies made after school, or the orange rolls that remind us of a season we thought we’d forgotten.
Those are the things that make a house feel like home.
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