Cranberry Orange Rolls

1. Mix warm milk, sugar, and yeast together in a small bowl until dissolved. Set aside and allow yeast to proof until foamy.

2. Whisk eggs and cooled melted butter together in a bowl and set aside.

3. Whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and stir gently to combine. Mix in egg mixture and continue to stir until a sticky dough forms.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour a little at a time until dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, using additional flour if necessary. Place dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and place in a warm, draft-free area. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

5. Meanwhile, combine cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow filling to cool to room temperature.

6. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan and a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease both pans.

7. Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle approximately 21x14 inches. Place cranberry filling on the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Roll dough up starting at a long side. Pinch ends to seal dough and lay seam-side down on a cutting board. Use a very sharp or serrated knife to cut into 15 rolls, each about 1 1/4-inch thick. Place rolls cut-side up in the prepared pans, 12 in the baking pan and 3 in the cake pan.

8. Loosely cover pans and allow rolls to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

10. Bake in the preheated oven until buns are golden brown on top, 22 to 27 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans for several minutes before transferring to a serving plate.

11. Whisk confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Add more cream to thin or more sugar to thicken, if needed. Pour glaze over slightly warm rolls before serving.

Cook's Note:

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.