Orange pecan cinnamon rolls

When I was young, my mom was a health food nut. We’re talking a full-on carob, wheat germ, no sugar in your cereal kind of health food nut. It was the 1970s, so it wasn’t that unusual, but still it drove me crazy. I wanted white bread, Fruit Loops, and Tang—not the crunchy, wholesome food products we’d pick up at the natural foods store. Sure, she cooked that way because she loved us, but I wanted to be like everyone else.

My mom’s do-it-yourself healthy ethos extended to the bread we ate, and it was the rare occasion when there wasn’t dough rising in a bowl or a loaf baking in the oven. (Whole wheat, of course.) Though I’m not complaining—I was a big fan of her homemade bread. Who can resist a warm slice of bread slathered in creamy butter or dipped in honey?

Now, for my birthday every year she’d make me orange cinnamon rolls. They were a flaky, buttery roll laced with a creamy, citrusy frosting. Our whole family loved them. Of course, there was nothing unusual about my mom making rolls—she baked bread all the time. But here’s the strange thing—these orange cinnamon rolls, loaded with white flour and sugar, were not homemade. Instead, these cinnamon rolls came from a can. It was quite the scandalous treat.

When I grew older, I began making my own bread. Yet, despite my having no fear when it came to working with yeast, flour, and water, I continued to buy canned orange cinnamon rolls. For some reason, I was afraid to make my own. But one day, I went to pick up a can and the store was out of the orange flavor. If I wanted orange ones, I’d have to bake them myself. This wasn’t a bad thing, as I soon discovered making cinnamon rolls from scratch isn’t terribly complicated. So if you’ve never baked bread or rolls yourself, I highly recommend it. Don’t be afraid!

First, know that his particular dough, which is infused with orange zest and juice, is a pleasure to work with, and after it rises rolling it out is a cinch. You then cover the dough with butter, cinnamon, sugar, and pecans, roll it up, cut it into rolls, and then let them rise once more before baking. While the rolls bake, you whip together the cream cheese frosting, which you’ll spread onto the rolls while they’re still warm. Besides being patient, I’d say the hardest part of the whole process is trying not to eat the whole batch yourself.

As you can see, with a little planning you too can have fresh baked orange pecan cinnamon rolls on the table for breakfast. And they will not only taste better than what you buy at the store, but your home will be filled with the inviting aroma of orange, butter, and cinnamon. Make these for your family and I guarantee they will be pleased.

Since I now know homemade cinnamon rolls are not only easy to make but also taste wonderful, I was curious why my mom—who loved to bake and was so into natural food—had made us canned ones instead. “I bought them because y’all loved them,” she said. “They made you happy.” And like a warm batch of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven, you can’t ask for a better gift than that.