Recipe inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Enjoy this gloriously sticky marmalade roll, perfect on a cold winter’s day, whipped up by the hospitable Mrs. Beaver.
In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe we first meet the four Pevensie children as they are whisked away through an old wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia. Once there, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. Though the land of Narnia is trapped in an icy eternal winter, the Pevensie children find warmth and hot food with the Beavers. Their meal is finished with Mrs. Beaver’s “gloriously sticky marmalade roll”. Inspired by this very treat, these soft rolls are filled with a sweet and sticky marmalade filling and topped with a gooey layer of orange glaze – perfect with a hot cup of tea!
And when they had finished the fish Mrs. Beaver brought unexpectedly out of the oven a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll, steaming hot, and at the same time moved the kettle on the fire, so that when they had finished the marmalade roll the tea was made and ready to be poured out. And when each person had got his (or her) cup of tea, each person shoved back his (or her) stool ... and gave a long sigh of contentment.
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Instructions
Marmalade: Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from citrus peels. While many types of citrus fruits can be used in marmalade, the Spanish Seville, or bitter, orange is a popular choice. Marmalade made with Seville oranges will have slight bitter edge to it which acts as a great balance to the sweetness. Try a marmalade made with Seville oranges such as Dundee brand from Scotland.
Oranges: While the marmalade filling adds a subtle orange flavour to the sweet rolls, I like to bump up the flavour with an orange glaze. Use the zest and juice of an orange to give maximum orange flavour to these rolls.
Orange liqueur: I like to add a splash of orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier to the icing. This is optional and you can substitute with more orange juice or milk.
Yeast: This recipe was developed using traditional active dry yeast.
Flour: Use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
How to Make Mrs. Beaver’s Marmalade Sweet Rolls
Activate the yeast
Heat ¼ cup of water to between 105 and 115 deg F. Add a pinch of sugar and the active dry yeast. Stir briefly and then set aside for the yeast to activate. When the yeast is bubbly and risen, after about 5 minutes, proceed with the recipe. If the yeast has not activated and isn’t bubbly, then the yeast is no longer alive and needs to be discarded.
Make the dough
I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to make this dough, but you can certainly mix and knead this dough by hand if you prefer.
Melt 6 tbsp of butter and let cool. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together. Add the warm milk, beaten eggs, melted butter, and the yeast mixture. Attach a dough hook.
Mix, using the dough hook, until the dough starts to come together. Scrape down the sides occasionally to encourage the dough to come together. If the dough is too sticky and sticks to the side without forming a ball, then add another tablespoon of flour.
Continue mixing with a dough hook for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy. This process will develop the gluten that is necessary for the rolls to hold their shape so don’t rush it.
After 10 minute or so of kneading, take the dough out and lightly knead a couple of times on the counter to bring it together into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Drizzle a little more oil on top of the dough and rub it all over the dough. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and then set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
Shape the sweet rolls
After the dough has risen for 1 hour, punch it down to deflate completely. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 18” by 10” in size. Spread 4 tbsp of butter in a thin layer over the dough. Top with a thin layer of marmalade. Don’t be tempted to add more marmalade – too much marmalade can make the dough hard to roll and may leak out.
Spray a 9” by 13” baking pan with non-stick spray. Roll the dough up starting with the long side. Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 pieces. Place the rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 30 minutes or until double in size.
Bake the sweet rolls
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F / 176deg C. Bake the sweet rolls for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned. Prepare the orange glaze while the rolls are baking.
Make the orange glaze
In a mixing combine the icing sugar, 2 tbsp of butter, orange juice, orange zest, and orange liqueur. Whisk together until smooth.
Finish the Marmalade Sweet Rolls
When the rolls done transfer the baking dish to a rack and let sit for about 10 minutes. Spoon the glaze onto the warm rolls and gently spread over the rolls. The glaze will melt slightly as you spread it. Enjoy!
