Need a ray of sunshine in your life? Whether you’re depressed by the weather or just down in the dumps, these citrus pull-apart rolls will brighten your spirits in a snap. Trust me. I speak from experience.
It was a rough weekend for Two of a Kind. I had a lot on my mind – and Rookie could sense the stress. Baking was a good distraction. The simple act of mixing, kneading and shaping dough wiped away my worries, at least for a little while. And, despite feeling blue, I managed to turn out these pillowy pastries laced with the most delicious and aromatic filling.
I’m not kidding when I say these citrus pull-apart rolls are restorative. Don’t believe me? Ask my mom and dad, who shared one in the kitchen and unabashedly asked for “two to go, please.” I happily bagged up three, and kept the rest to eat.
Recipe adapted from The First Year.
- ¼ cup water
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ⅓ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2¾-3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Turbinado sugar
- 4 tablespoons citrus zest (see notes)
- In a large bowl, heat water until warm - about 30 seconds in the microwave should do. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, warm the milk and butter until the butter melts - a minute in the microwave should do. Stir in the vanilla extract and add to the yeast mixture.
- Add the remaining granulated sugar, eggs, 2¾ cups flour and salt to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Continue adding flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together to form a shaggy ball; it should be tacky but not sticky. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it’s smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (or less if using a stand mixer). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- Beat the butter, sugars and citrus zest together until well combined. Set aside at room temperature.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide in half; set one piece aside.
- Roll one portion of dough into a 24″x9″ rectangle. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center third of the rectangle. Fold one short edge of the dough over the filling to cover it. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on top of the folded-over dough. Fold the other short edge of the dough over the filling to cover it. Finally, spread 1 tablespoon of the filling on top of the dough and fold it in half lengthwise.
- Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough crosswise into 6 1.5"-wide segments. Place two segments, cut sides up, in each cup of a jumbo muffin pan. Repeat with second piece of dough.
- Spread remaining filling on tops of rolls. Lightly cover rolls with a piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until slightly puffed, about 1 hour.
- When the dough has almost finished rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Remove the rolls from the muffin cups and let cool completely.
