My Grandma's Famous Orange Rolls

This is the most requested birthday dessert and my grandma has been making them ever since I can remember. Most orange rolls have only a little bit of orange flavor/filling but my grandma has altered the recipe over the years to add more and more of the orange sauce and they taste so good. I've made them 3 times now and it may seem like a lot of work but I finally have everything figured out and I can make them pretty quick (minus the rising time). I've cut my grandma's recipe in half and it made 24 orange rolls.

Orange Rolls
Dough:

• 1 1/2 T. dry yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 c. flour

Put these ingredients in a mixer and mix slightly.

In a large pan heat:

• 2 1/4 c. milk
• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. shortening

Heat until very warm (120-130F.); shortening does not need to melt completely.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.

Add:

• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten with a fork

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Then change to a dough hook and add 3 c. flour. If you don't have a mixer with a dough hook just mix the flour in by hand. Transfer the dough to a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Put in a warm place. ( I put it on top of the stove and turn the oven on to warm) Let it rise until double in size (about 45min.-1hr.) and then punch it down. Let it rise once more until double in size.

Orange Sauce:

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 c.)
• 3 c. sugar
• 1/2 of a 12oz. can of frozen concentrate orange juice
• 1 1/2 T. orange zest (about 1 orange)
• 1/2 c. water

I start cooking the orange sauce when I start making the dough because it takes awhile to cool. Bring the ingredients to a boil. Once it is boiling turn to medium heat and don't stir anymore. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the soft ball stage. (235F. on a candy thermometer) Let the sauce cool in the pan.
On a floured surface, roll 1/2 the dough out into a rectangle (approx. 18inX12in.). Spread 1/2 of the orange sauce over the dough. (Depending how cool your sauce is it will either spread or I just kind of drizzle it all over. It all tastes the same. Just make sure it isn't too hot you want it to be thick.) Roll the dough starting on the long side. Cut into 12 slices (approx. 1 1/2 inch slices) and place in a buttered 9X13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap that you've sprayed with cooking spray and let them rise for about 1 hour.
I don't have any pictures of them once they've risen or cooked because I took these to Sunday dinner and forgot my camera. So once they've risen bake them at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until slightly brown and cooked through. As soon as you take them out of the oven flip them upside-down and serve. (All the sauce is at the bottom of the pan and if you flip them the sauce will cover the whole roll and you don't want the rolls sticking to the pan because once the sauce cools it hardens.)