Orange Pinwheel Biscuits

Years ago, a friend gave me a copy of Meta Given’s The Modern Family Cook Book (1968). She told me that no kitchen was complete without this cooking treatise. At the time, I did not understand. Now, I do. For pure feel good food, Meta Given cannot be beat.

Today I was hungry for cinnamon rolls. But when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is spend time making a yeast dough, letting it rise, etc. So I went to Meta Given and she didn’t let me down. Tucked away in the bread section of the cookbook, I found “Orange Pinwheel Biscuits”.

It’s simple really. Preheat your over to 450 degrees. In a sauce pan, heat the follow until the butter is melted:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoons orange peel
1/2 cup sugar

Then mix up your favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe. Alton Brown at the Food Network has a good one. After kneading, flatten out the dough to about 3/8 of an inch (to about the size of a 9×11 pan). Spread a mixture of cinnamon/sugar over the dough.

Cinnamon mixture:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspons cinnamon

Roll up the dough like a jelly roll and cut into 12 slices. Pour the orange/butter/sugar mixture into a 6×10 pan. Lay the dough slices into the syrup cut size down. They should fit a little tightly. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Given, M. (1968). The modern family cook book. Chicago: J.G. Ferguson Publishing.