Orange Sweet Rolls

I found this recipe on Epicurious, and it had a nice background story. (I’d never heard of them before, but they’re apparently famous in some parts of Alabama.) I made these for breakfast on a weekend, though I baked them the night before. I baked them directly in a greased muffin tin, but you could use paper liners if you want. These rolls are very sweet, so I suggest serving them alongside fruit for breakfast; otherwise, they’re also good as a snack or even a dessert. Enjoy!

For the filling
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (I used margarine)
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 pinch of ground cardamom (optional)

For the rolls
3 Tbsp. warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2 ¼ tsp.)
2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, room temperature
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil, cooled, or vegetable shortening
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 2/3 cup cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

For the filling
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, orange zest, salt, and cardamom, if using, in a large bowl until fluffy. Set aside.

For the rolls
Pour 3 Tbsp. warm water (105 °F–115 °F) into a small bowl. Add yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar and whisk to combine. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg yolk, orange juice, oil, salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl. Add 1 2/3 cups flour and yeast mixture. Beat until dough just comes together. (At this point, I switched to the dough hook and didn’t need to knead by hand.) Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead several times with floured hands until smooth, about 5 minutes (dough will be sticky).

Spray a clean large bowl with nonstick spray. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll dough on a well-floured surface to an 1/8"-thick rectangle about 17x14". Spread filling over dough, leaving a ½" border on all sides. Starting on 1 long side, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Cut into 12 equal pieces (if it's difficult to cut, chill 15 minutes). Transfer cut side up to prepared muffin tin. Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm, draft-free place until risen, 30 minutes, or chill overnight. If chilling, let sit at room temperature 2 hours to rise before baking. (If I were to bake them fresh in the morning, I’d actually let them rise 30 minutes the night before, then refrigerate them and let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats.)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake rolls until lightly browned on top, 15–18 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then invert onto a platter to serve.