Orange-Blueberry Sweet Rolls

This recipe uses a dinner roll dough we like, which you can find in cute bun form over here. This dinner roll recipe was also featured on an episode: Happy Halloween with I Love This, You Should Too Podcast

---

This riff on a cinnamon roll uses freeze dried blueberries in place of cinnamon. There's orange zest in the dough, and mixed with sugar on top. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 1 hr 40 min

Cook time: 12-15 min

Yield: 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 cups all purpose flour (and more if needed)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tbsp instant dry yeast

• 1 1/2 cups room temp water (and more if needed)

• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp salt

• zest from two medium oranges

Filling

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, soft but not quite melted

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup powdered freeze dried blueberries (1/4 cup AFTER the berries have been turned into powder)

Topping (optional)

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• zest of 2 medium oranges

Directions

1. Add freeze dried blueberries to a food processor and grind to a powder. Transfer to a measuring cup to ensure you've got 1/4 cup of powder. Set aside.

2. In your mixer bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, sugar and orange zest

3. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients: oil, water, egg.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry.

5. Mix with a wooden spatula.

6. Turn on your mixer to medium low and mix until ingredients are incorporated.

7. Increase speed to a medium fast (my kitchen aid mixer is at a 4 - 6) until dough forms a ball. Keep mixing until ball is very smooth (think really smooth soft play dough). This takes about 10 minutes. Add flour and water by the tbsp if necessary to attain this smooth texture.

8. Lightly oil the surface of a bowl and place the ball of dough into it. Cover with a plastic wrap or tea towel and let dough rise in a slightly warm spot for about 30 minutes.

9. Punch the dough down to deflate it and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into roughly a 12x18" rectangle.

10. Prepare your filling by mixing together brown sugar and powdered berries.

11. Spread soft butter evenly over the dough, and sprinkle with sugar-berry mixture.

12. Roll tightly from the short side of the rectangle. Then cut into approx. 12 even-sized rolls. Place the rolls in a baking pan, or in a large size muffin tin (parchment or a tall cupcake liner will encourage them to rise up).

13. Cover and let them rise for 45 minutes.

14. Bake at 350F for 12-15 mins.

15. Allow the rolls to cool, then brush them with melted butter and dip them in the sugar/zest (if using).

Zhuzh it up!

• You could substitute a different freeze dried berry (strawberries would be great).

This amazing recipe was loosely inspired by one on sweetrecipeas.com