Lemon Rolls

(Cool pattern, eh? This is pre-frosting.)

This is my problem. I have a drive to bake--especially if it carries the added challenge of experimenting with something new: trying a new recipe, modifying an existing one, substituting ingredients and such. In this instance, Jeff wondered if we could make orange rolls, but we had neither oranges nor orange juice. So we decided to try lemon rolls. It was delicious, and I'll include the modifications in the recipe below, but here's the thing: the full recipe made 24 rolls.

And there are two of us.


So when I make something delicious, we each end up eating much more than we should.

How do I solve this problem?! We ended up taking the rolls over to a party at a friend's house and distributing them around. Good thing, too, because they just weren't as good on the second day. Can I freeze the rolls and bake them 4 at a time? Can I use a partial packet of yeast? Ideas on smallifying recipes for two would be appreciated.

This recipe, like so many of my favorites, is from the Ivy Bake cookbook. Honestly, next time you are in Nauvoo, you must jog (drive, really) on over to Ft. Madison and go to the Ivy Bake Shoppe. It's a Shoppe, after all. And it's scrumptious.

Now that I've advertised for them, my conscience is clear and I can feel free to share this recipe. [Modifications in brackets.]

Orange Rolls [Lemon Rolls]

Ingredients:

Rolls:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 T. (1 pkg.) yeast
2 tsp. salt
7 cups flour, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon extract [1 tsp. lemon juice-but only because I didn't have lemon extract]

Filling:
2 T. grated orange [lemon] peel
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup orange juice [I used 1/2 cup lemon juice mixed with 1/4 cup water, but it ended up kind of funny. The lemon curdled the butter into little bits so it didn't really blend, and the lemon/water combination was very watery, so when I spread it on the dough, it started leaking off. I had to dump as much liquid as I could back into the bowl (though I used it later for the glaze) to keep it from spilling off of the dough when I rolled it up. I don't know if it's that runny with the orange juice. If I made the lemon again, I'd probably use half as much liquid.]

Glaze:
4 cups powdered sugar
Orange juice [I used the leftover lemon/water combo, but straight lemon juice would have made a more flavorful icing. But what am I saying! My end result was completely mouth wateringly scrumptious. I don't know that it needs changing.]

Directions:

Heat milk, sugar, and shortening in a saucepan to 115 degrees [I just made sure it was all melted]. In mixing bowl with paddle attachment, place yeast, salt, and 3 cups flour. Pour in heated liquid and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Add beaten eggs and lemon extract. Slowly add rest of flour and beat until dough pulls away from side of bowl. Pour into a greased bowl, and turn one time. Cover with a damp towel, and let rise about 1 hour. Pour out of bowl onto floured table. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured board into a large rectangle.
For the filling, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Spread dough with filling and carefully roll up, tucking in the ends. Slice and place on a greased baking sheet. [I learned this trick in the Family Living Center on my mission in Nauvoo: slice by wrapping a string of dental floss around the rolled loaf and then pulling the ends - crossed over the top - to slice it through. Does that make sense? It's like pulling the strings on the hood of your sweatshirt to make the sweatshirt small. Kind of. Anyway, it prevents the loaf from squishing.] Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Make glaze while rolls are baking. Combine powdered sugar with enough orange [lemon] juice to make a glaze consistency. Glaze rolls while still warm. Makes approximately 20 small rolls. [yeah, right! More like 24 big rolls!]

These are best warm. Enjoy!