Orange and Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Hello everyone, sorry for the brief hiatus in blog updates. I had a Mexican dinner party in my house last weekend. I had planned to write a post all about it but unfortunately, I was far too stressed to take any pictures on the night and if you're anything like me, you won't be interested without the accompanying images. Maybe next time I will be a bit more organised!

These cinnamon buns are delicious. I included pecans in the filling and orange juice and zest in the topping but you can use whatever flavours and ingredients you want (e.g. walnuts, raisins, lemon, vanilla etc.) I used to be quite apprehensive about baking with yeast for some reason, but really it's incredibly easy. You just have to make sure to plan ahead so that you can incorporate time for the dough to rise.

If you're making these for breakfast or brunch you can make cover them, uncooked, in clingfilm and chill them overnight and then bake them the following morning once they are brought back to room temperature. Continue reading for recipe!

For the dough:

• 250ml whole milk
• 50g butter, plus some extra for brushing
• 500g strong bread flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 150g light brown sugar
• 3tbsp cinnamon
• 60g butter, softened
• 75g pecans, chopped

For the topping:

• 100g full-fat cream cheese
• 200g icing sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 small orange

1. Put the milk and butter into a pan over a low heat and cook until the butter has melted. Allow this mixture to stand until it has cooled, it should be lukewarm. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the milk and butter mixture and the the egg, mix to form a soft dough.
2. Lightly flour the work surface and tip the dough onto it. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, before placing in a warm place and leaving to rise for an hour. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, this should be about 40 x 50cm. Grease a baking tray.
3. To make the filling, mix the light brown sugar and the cinnamon together. Brush the dough with the softened butter and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over it evenly. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the dough and then roll it into a tight log. Trim off the ends and then slice into 14-16 equal pieces. Put the rolls onto the greased baking tray and cover with clingfilm, then leave to rise until they have doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C.
4. Mix all the topping ingredients together until smooth. Brush the risen buns with a little bit of melted butter and bake them for 30 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly before pouring the topping onto the rolls and spreading it to coat them evenly. They are lovely served warm or cooled. Enjoy!