Random Creativity

Orange Danish Rolls from scratch

I’m back!  Between the holidays, moving, and internet issues related to moving it has been a month since my last post.  Sorry!  I thought I’d start the new year off with a delicious (although not very healthy) recipe.   When I was growing up it was family tradition to have canned orange danish for breakfast Christmas morning – and its something that my family still does each year.  In the last several years I have been trying to make some from scratch due to food sensitivities, and through a fluke I think I finally got the recipe down this year.   The dough doesn’t need kneading as it sits in the fridge overnight, so all you have to do is roll it out and pop it in the oven in the morning (which sounds complicated but in actuality only takes 10 minutes.)  And nothing smells quite as amazing as fresh yeast dough baking in the morning.

Soy free Orange Danish Rolls (makes about 30):

• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 pack)
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 cup warm orange juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 6 cups flour
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• zest from one orange

For the filling:

• 3 cups sugar
• zest of an orange
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/8 cup cinnamon sugar

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• zest of an orange
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsps orange juice

The night before:  Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Add the milk, orange juice, sugar, egg, and half of the flour. Beat together with a wooden spoon until smooth; add the orange zest to the 3/4 cup melted butter, then stir into dough along with the remaining flour. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in your fridge overnight (or for at least 6 hours.)

Measure the sugar for the filling into a small container with an airtight lid.  Zest an orange into the sugar and stir.  Cover and let it sit overnight.  I leave the cup of butter for the filling on the counter overnight so it will be softened in the morning.

In the morning:  Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Flour your counter, and scrape half of the dough out of the bowl and onto the flour.  Gently pat into a rectangle and roll out to 1/4′-1/3″ thick.  (I didn’t measure my rectangle, but I go for something that is about twice as long as it is wide.)  Spread half of the softened butter over the dough.  Stir the orange sugar mixture and sprinkle half of it over the buttered dough.  Sprinkle with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar to taste – you don’t want too much or it will overpower the orange flavor.

Roll the dough so the butter is on the inside, and slice into 1.5″ thick rolls.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving space for the rolls to spread.  Let them rise for a few minutes while you roll out the remaining dough.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden.  While the rolls are baking, mix up the cream cheese, butter, and orange zest for the glaze.  Stir in the powdered sugar, and just enough orange juice to make a thick but spreadable frosting.  Spread a little of the frosting/glaze over the orange danish while they are still hot from the oven.

I let the rolls sit for a few minutes so the glaze and filling set a little.  They are best straight from the oven, although they are also delicious warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave the next day.  The recipes makes about 30 danish – a bit excessive for my family of three, but perfect when everyone gets together over the holidays.  Everyone indulges in 2-3 danish for breakfast, and then they get snagged from the counter as they sit out for a few hours during the morning.  Sorry for the lack of photos, but late night/early morning flour covered hands were involved, and I like my camera too much to cover it in flour and butter.