Perfect Orange-Pineapple Sweet Rolls
If you are sending your kids back to school in the near future and want to make the morning extra special, why not send them off with a homemade sweet orange-pineapple roll. These rolls say "Go out and be victorious on your first day of school!" They also say, "We love you kid!" Around here, we're bringing the kids in the kitchen for one last big baking blow-out with mom before they have to hunker-down and study math. Shh. Don't tell them that kitchen math counts as math. Here's to all the future food scientists of America...and making time to squeeze a few more golden memories of baking with you out of the last days of summer.
Perfect Orange-Pineapple Sweet Rolls
Sponge
1/4 cup Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. instant yeast, double strong
3 Tbsp. water
Dough
1/3 cup pineapple juice, canned
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened, unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
Orange Smear
3 Tbsp. Fresh orange zest
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sponge ingredients. Allow the sponge to rest for 15 minutes.
Add the pineapple juice, butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
Whisk together the remaining flour and salt before adding to the liquid ingredients.
Mix and knead until the dough is cohesive and smooth; it'll be very sticky at first. If you're using a stand mixer, beat with the flat beater for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed; then scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. It may have formed a very soft ball, but will probably still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
Lightly grease the mixing bowl or a large (8-cup) measure; round the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl or measure. Cover, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Lightly grease a standard sheet pan.
Gently deflate the dough. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to a rectangle 12 inches by 24 inches.
In a medium bowl combine the orange smear ingredients and spread the smear in a thin layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a one inch area clear at the edge of the 24 inch side. Roll into a tight log and pinch edges together. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again. Place the rolls about 1 inch apart on the greased baking sheet.
Tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the pan for 1 hour, until it's nicely puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer.
Remove the rolls from the oven. You may coat with melted butter if desired. After a few minutes, turn them out onto a cooling rack.
Serve warm. Drizzle with your favorite frosting if desired. Store leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage. Yield: 12 large buns
