Citrus season is in full swing right now and I decided to liven up the sticky bun repertoire at the bakery this month and give an alternative to the caramelly sweet Pecan Sticky that is our standard offering. My mother used to make a delicious Orange Sticky bun. Now what was the recipe? I remember it had orange juice, or was that OJ concentrate? Were they frosted or turned over with the sticky side up? Surely a Google search would turn up just the right recipe. Nope, nada. I wondered if my mom would remember or maybe even have the recipe somewhere?
My mom is a very organized person, “everything has a place and everything in it’s place”. I am sure this adage was much easier to employ after I moved out some 30-odd years ago and stopped messing things up. Her pantry is a fine example of this neatness. 25 kinds of teas, organized in sub-sets of herbal, green, black, flavored, decaf, caffienated and specialty, each sub-set arranged alphabetically. I tease her about it mercilessly. But hey, when you need something from Mom she can usually put her finger right on it. So I picked up the phone: “Hey Mom, you remember those orange buns you used to make?” I think in reality she only made them a handful of times before some other goodie snagged our attention and appetites. Sure enough, she remembered them and in less than 3 minutes found the cookbook with the recipe. Bingo! Orange Glory Buns from a circa 1963 Better Homes and Gardens. It sounded like just the treat to bake to brighten up a winter morning. It just needed a few tweaks, a splash of Grand Marnier in the glaze and there we are. Orange Sunshine Buns, and everybody loved ’em. Thanks Mom, let’s have tea.
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons finely shredded orange peel (peel of 2 oranges)
- 1/2 cup almond meal (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice concentrate (12oz)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- Sliced almonds for topping (optional)
- In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, shortening and salt just until warm (120 degree F to 130 degrees F) and shortening almost melts.
- Add milk mixture to flour mixture along with egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that's smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total).
- Shape dough into a ball. Place the ball in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoons sugar, softened butter and orange zest with a fork. Set aside and use for filling the rolls.
- Make the glaze: In a 9x13 pan, mix together the orange juice concentrate, 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Sprinkle the the sliced almonds all over the top of the glaze if using.
- Divide the ball of dough in half. Roll each portion of dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread half of the filling mixture over each. Sprinkle the almond flour evenly over each portion if using. Starting from a long side, roll up into a spiral. Slice each roll into twelve 1-inch pieces. Place in even rows in the 9x13 pan on top of the glaze. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled (about 30 minutes).
- Set the 9x13 pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the pan, and carefully flip the 9x13 pan out on to a rimmed cookie sheet to “catch the glaze” and let it run all through the rolls.
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