Italian cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2 packets (4.5 tsp) active dry yeast
• 5 and 1/4 cups of premium flour, plus extra for work
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 0.5 tsp ground anise seeds
• 110 g unsalted butter, melted
• 0.5 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large egg yolks

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 110g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan

Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preparation:

1. Dough:

   
   Sprinkle active dry yeast over 1 1/4 cups warm water. Let sit until the mixture begins to bubble, about 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt, and star anise. Stir with a spatula. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and egg yolks. Add the wet ingredients and active yeast to the flour mixture. Using a silicone spatula, knead into a rough dough. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl but is still soft and silky, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Filling:

   
   In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, anise, cinnamon, and salt. Lightly flour the countertop. Turn the dough out onto the countertop and sprinkle more flour on top. Gently roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 22" x 14" (55 x 37 cm) and 0.8 cm thick. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 0.5 cm border around the edges. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar mixture. Then, starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough away from you. Moisten the far edge with a little water and seal. You should have a smooth log. Cut the log into twelve pieces, each 2 inches wide.
4. Grease the inside of a 22x32cm glass baking dish with butter. Place the buns in the dish and let them rise for about 30 minutes until they double in size.
5. Preheat oven to 175°C.
6. Bake the buns until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly while you prepare the glaze.

7. Glaze:

   
   In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle the glaze over the buns and serve warm.
   
   

   Note

   
   The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and allowed to rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Then assemble the roll, cut it into pieces the night before, and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. The rolls are ready to bake immediately in the morning.