Making Candied Orange Peel in March With December Oranges

Tonight we had Tex-Mex beef over rice. Both the seasoned beef/peppers and cooked rice were made a week ago and kept in the freezer until today. I added some salsa to the beef as it reheated and seasoned with salt to taste. With the beef over rice we had orange segments (leftover from making candied orange peel) and steamed frozen spinach. Tasty and easy.

I talked about making candied orange peel several years ago in this post. I still make some every year, but thought I'd post about it again. This morning I was cleaning out the garage fridge and came upon 3 oranges that I had bought in December for using in candied orange peels. The oranges were surprisingly still in great shape. So, today I made the candied peel. 

Making candied citrus peel is a great kitchen task for when you have a couple of other chores that will keep you close to the kitchen for an hour or two. For me today, I also baked sandwich bread and cleaned up the nearby family room while the orange peel was simmering.

The post referenced in the above paragraph also has some "instructions" on how I peel an orange to get good, cut sections of peel (with non-ragged edges) using a spoon. 

Candied Orange Peel

After washing and peeling oranges, cut narrow strips of the peel (outer orange part as well as inner white), then simmer them in a pot of water for 10 minutes. Drain, refill with fresh water, and simmer again for 10 minutes two additional times. Drain one final time.

Rinse the saucepan and make a simple syrup of 1 part water to just over 2 parts sugar. For 3 large oranges, I used about just under 3/4 cup of sugar in just over 1/4 cup of water. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved completely. Add the drained orange peel strips and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until the strips have absorbed almost all of the syrup. In the final 3 minutes, you'll need to stir the strips continually, to insure none scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Remove the candied strips from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and spread on a sheet of waxed paper or a Silpat liner. Allow to dry out overnight. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.

We eat some of this candied orange as is. But most of it I dice and freeze to use in baking, like in sweet breads, muffins, and cookies or in stewed fruit such as prunes. The candied peel keeps frozen for a couple of years.

1960s Refrigerator Roll Recipe

tonight's dinner

For dinner tonight, we had the vegetable and beef soup. In addition to the cooked, diced beef and onions that I froze on Monday, I added some of the beef stock I made the week before, leftover carrots and potatoes from last night, plus frozen peas, and dried and frozen garden herbs. After seasoning to taste, the soup was ready. Super duper easy. We had dinner rolls (using the refrigerator roll recipe mixed up on Tuesday) and apple wedges with the soup for our dinner.

making hot dog buns and dinner rolls today
to make hot dog buns, roll the dough into long thick ropes, then cut to size

In the comments the other day, Farhana asked if I could provide the recipe for these rolls. 

This recipe is from the 1960s passed down to me from my mother. It makes very tasty rolls.

Refrigerator Roll Dough

1 3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 F)
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup soft butter or margarine
6 cups all-purpose flour

melted butter or vegetable oil, about a teaspoon

Pour warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle with the yeast. Stir in until dissolved the sugar and salt. Beat in the egg, the butter/margarine, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix well, until mixture is smooth. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic and forms a large ball.

Drizzle the melted butter or oil over the top of the ball of dough and spread to coat. Cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or until doubled.

After 2 hours, punch the dough down in the center, recover with the plastic wrap, and return to the refrigerator. The dough may be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days, punching down daily. 

When ready to bake rolls, cut off the portion that is needed. Cut and shape into rolls as desired. Place on greased baking sheet and cover with a non-terry tea towel. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

What I like about this recipe:

• It makes delicious, soft rolls, suitable for burgers, hot dogs or dinner rolls. I use for burger and hot dog buns, crescent rolls, and ball-shaped everyday dinner rolls.
• The dough can be mixed up one day and then baked a day or two later, or baked a little at a time for up to 3 days.
• I can substitute some whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour, up to half without decreasing the loft or soft texture. When I want a mostly-white roll or bun, I substitute just 1 cup of whole wheat flour for a cup of the white flour.

As an estimate of how many rolls this dough makes, with this batch I made 10 good-sized hamburger buns, 4 hot dog buns, and 4 dinner rolls. My mother's recipe says that one batch of this dough will make up to 3 dozen rolls. Those were 1960s to 1970s sized rolls, and were assumed to be just dinner rolls. A single burger or hot dog bun is about twice the size of a 1970s dinner roll.