Orange Fig and Walnut Sweet Rolls (Vegan)
The sweet, fluffy yeasted dough encases a delightful blend of orange flavor, walnuts, and figs in these delicious rolls. A tasty, simple, dairy-free confection.
Imagine a soft, fluffy, sweet dough filled with the wonderful flavors of figs, walnuts, and orange. Orange zest can be found in the buttery, sweet yeasted dough. Orange juice is used to enhance the sweet fig puree. The addition of walnuts and a lovely orange glaze make these the perfect sweet roll. The ideal bake for a sweet weekend treat.
What you will need:
This is a yeasted bread recipe. I regularly use rapid-rise yeast (does not need to be bloomed). Feel free to use active dry yeast; just remember to bloom it first. Dry figs, an orange, and walnuts are a must for this recipe; all other ingredients are basic pantry items.
- bread flour
- salt
- rapid rise yeast
- plant based butter with salt
- plant based yogurt
- plant based milk
- cane sugar
- orange zest
- orange juice
- dried figs
- walnuts
- powdered sugar
- cinnamon
How too:
The first thing we are going to do is bring the dough together. I bring all of my yeasted dough recipes together with my hands; if you want to use your stand mixer, please see instructions found in the notes of the recipe card.
In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, rapid-rise yeast, orange zest, and cubed, room-temperature butter; toss the ingredients together and set aside. In a small container, add the milk and yogurt; whisk to combine and add to the flour mixture. With a spoon, combine the liquid with the dry ingredients; continue stirring until the dough starts coming together and all of the flour has been absorbed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface, continue bringing it together with your hands, and begin kneading. I knead the dough no more than 10 minutes. This dough is a bit sticky. You are looking for the dough to become smooth, stretchy, and less sticky. Once done kneading, place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or place it in a “proofing bag” (see note about proofing in recipe card***) and leave it in a warm place to double in size.
While the dough is proofing, the fig filling can be prepared. To the small pot, add the de-stemmed and quartered figs. Add enough water to the pot to cover the figs. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the figs to a simmer. Allow the them to simmer for 15 minutes. My goal was to soften the figs, not get them mushy. Do not simmer any longer than 15 minutes. I did not try this recipe with fresh figs. Fresh figs may soften sooner than dried ones. If using fresh figs, adjust your time as needed. Once done simmering, drain the figs and add them to a blender or food processor along with the sugar and orange juice. Blend the fig mixture for 30 seconds on high, scrape down the sides, and blend for another 30 seconds. Place the fig filling in a dish and set it aside to cool.
Once the sweet roll dough has doubled in size, punch the air out and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a 12×13 rectangle. Spread the butter across the top of the dough. Next, spread the fig filling over the top of the butter. Lastly, sprinkle the 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts over the fig filling. Divide the dough into 12 strips (I used a pizza cutter to do this), roll each strip up individually, and place it into a lightly greased baking dish or pan. Cover the dish or place in a “proofing bag” and set aside for the rolls to double in size. This usually takes about 45 minutes; I return mine back to the oven with only the oven light on. Once the rolls have doubled in size, remove them from the oven (if they are proofing there) and pre-heat the oven to 350F. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes. Once out of the oven, allow them to cool in the pan.
While the rolls are cooling, the glaze can be made. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange juice, and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated and the glaze is smooth. Once the rolls have cooled down, the glaze can be poured over them. Before serving, the rolls can be garnished with a little orange zest and some finely chopped walnuts.
Store the rolls in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. They will remain fresh up to 3 days.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Orange Fig and Walnut Sweet Rolls (Vegan)
Ingredients
Fig filling
- 160 grams dried figs – remove stems and quarter them
- 4 tbsp cane sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp plant based butter (room temperature)
- ⅔ cup walnuts – finely chopped + extra for the tops
Dough
- 3¼ cups + 2 tbsp / 405 grams bread flour
- 1 cup plant based milk (room temperature)
- 2½ tsp / 7 grams rapid rise yeast
- ½ tsp / 3 grams salt
- 3 tbsp / 42 grams plant based butter with salt – cubed (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp / 45 grams plant based yogurt (room temperature)
- 1½ tbsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp cane sugar
Orange Glaze
- 1½ cups / 180 grams powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
Dough
- To a small bowl, add the milk and yogurt; whisk to combine and set aside
- To a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, yeast, sugar, orange zest and cubed butter; toss to mix the ingredients. **if using a stand mixer, please see note below** Add the milk mixture and stir until all of the flour is absorbed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and continue bringing the dough together. Begin kneading the dough, continue kneading until the dough becomes LESS sticky (will stay somewhat sticky) and becomes smooth and stretchy. I knead the dough for no more than 10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover or place the bowl in a proofing bag and leave in a warm place to double in size. I place mine in the oven with ONLY the oven light on, usually takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours. ***Please see note below about proofing***
Fig Filling
- To a small pot, add the figs and enough water to cover them. Set the pot over medium heat and bring them to a simmer. Allow them to simmer for 15 minutes; stirring occasionally. You want them soft not mushy, so simmer no longer than 15 minutes.
- Drain the figs and place them in a food processor or blender along with the sugar and orange juice. Blend the mixture on high for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and blend for another 30 seconds. Set the filling aside to completely cool.Feel free to make the filling a day or two ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
Assembly
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the air out and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough out to a 12×13 rectangle and spread the 2 tablespoons of butter across the top. Spread the fig filling out over the top of the butter. Sprinkle the 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts over the fig filling. Divide the dough into 12 strips (I used a pizza cutter to do this), roll each strip up individually and place into a lightly greased baking dish or pan.
- Cover or return to the proofing bag and leave in a warm place to double in size (about 45 minutes depending on how warm the environment is.)
- Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350℉ and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the rolls are cooling the glaze can be prepared. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange juice and pinch of cinnamon; stir together until all ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.Once the sweet buns have cooled, the orange glaze can be poured over the buns.Add a little orange zest and finely chopped walnuts to the tops before serving.Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. They will remain fresh for up to 3 days.
