Tangerine Rolls?

I have a picnic to go to at Vigelandsparken at two today. Having neglected to plan ahead, not taking into account that supermarkets are closed on Sundays in Norway (except immigrant markets downtown), I had to get creative with my pantry contents. Somehow I ended up at "tangerine rolls." Here's how.


1. I had the remnants of the cake of fresh yeast in the fridge that needed used ASAP.
2. My pepperoni rolls using sweet roll dough were really popular at the international potluck I threw.
3. A straight-up sweet application of sweet roll dough was in order. What better way to represent American eating habits on a Sunday afternoon than something like cinnamon rolls?
4. I don't have that much cinnamon, plus I don't like it that much. I do have tangerines! Thus I decided to wing it at tangerine rolls.

So then I attempted a take-off of the gloriously soft sweet dough recipe I used last week. It's from All Recipes, which of course is great for this type of down-home no frills type of food. I nixed the water, upped the milk content, and included the last of a small carton of light cream to get rid of it, hoping to simultaneously giving the rolls a nice fat/moisture boost.

Dough recipe:

• 2/3 cup warm milk
• 1/3 cup warm cream
• 1/3 a cake of fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-ish cups all-purpose flour, plus more for practical purposes
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Dissolve about a tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast in milk & cream mixture and let proof for several minutes.
2. Add the butter, the rest of the sugar, the egg, the spices and the salt. Then add flour by the half cup.
3. When it is unstirrable, use the rest of the flour to generously cover your work surface, turn the dough out onto it, and work the rest of the flour in by kneading gently. (Not too vigorous because you don't want to really develop the gluten in sweet rolls.)
4. When you get a nice, sticky but manageable dough ball, oil a bowl and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or so. When it's done, it will be ready to roll out, fill, roll up, and then enjoy a second rise.















Filling recipe:

• Minced zest of one tangerine (I augmented with lemon zest so I could reserve some tangerine zest for the glaze)
  
• 1/3 cup white sugar (brown would probably be nicer, but I don't have any)
• A rough 1/4 cup of butter, cubed (I am working with butter in 100 gram increments, don't know the equivalents, so I guessed at it)
• A sprinkle more of cinnamon
  

1. Scatter these ingredients over the rolled out rectangle of dough. Roll up.
2. Use dental floss to slice the dough into roughly one inch thick rolls.
3. Place on greased, sil-patted, or parchmented baking surface, and let rise again until double. (Stuck 'em back in the warm oven with a bowl of water to keep 'em moist.)
4. Bake at 400 F (205 C) until golden and luscious.

Glaze:

• 1/2 tablespoon of butter, softened
• 1 and 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• Juice of one tangerine (as needed for desired consistency)
• About 2 teaspoons minced tangerine and lemon zest
• Little bit of lemon juice to taste (so it's a bit tangy and not just sweet)

Whisk these ingredients together, proportions by trial and error, to create a smooth, viscous glaze for the rolls. Apply, (drizzle if you're classy; smear if you're hungry) and eat.

Verdict:

A golden brown success story! These are so nice and soft, with a slightly crackly, shiny top going on. The rolls themselves are not too sweet, and the citrus taste is not very prominent. That I would change. But the glaze is so tasty, and definitely citrusy. Also a very pleasant shade of apricot. The lemon juice was really necessary for the taste of the glaze--without, it would have been just...sweet. Flat and sweet. But the addition of the lemon juice really brightened it. Warm, soft comforting rolls topped with sunny, cheery glaze. Almost perfect.


Now hopefully they will be popular at the picnic.

You may be wondering why I've declared them a success before bringing them to their final destination. It's simple, really. The ugly one had to be sacrificed in the name of science. :)

Here's a photo of the finished product being consumed on the grass. They were much enjoyed.