Blood Orange & Fennel Sweet Buns

Second Servings by Christa Sullivan  ·  Recipe

Baking Sicilian-Inspired Vegetarian Substack · Feb 2026

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These blood orange and fennel sweet buns, like many things I conjure up in the kitchen, were inspired by my Sicilian roots. They are best enjoyed warm but if you want to keep them in the fridge or freezer hold the icing and put it on after warming them back up. You’ll notice that in here I didn’t ice all of them for this exact reason because we’re a household of 2 ◡̈

Prep

2 hrs

Bake

18–20 min

Total

~2 hrs 20 min

Yield

9–12 buns

Ingredients

The dough

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

The filling

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, ground with mortar and pestle or food processor
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 tbsp blood orange zest

The glaze

• 1/3 cup blood orange juice
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• Crushed pistachios for garnish (optional but highly encouraged)

Method

1. Warm the milk to 110°F and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the yeast and sugar and whisk gently. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy and bloomed. If nothing happens, your yeast is a goner — start over.
2. Add the egg, softened butter, and salt. Whisk until combined.
3. Fit the mixer with a dough hook. Knead on low for 2 minutes, then increase to medium-high for 5 minutes until the dough is soft, not sticky, and passes the windowpane test — stretch a small piece and it should be thin enough to see light through without tearing.
4. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in, cover with a kitchen towel or cling film, and let rest on the counter until doubled in size — about 1 hour.
5. While the dough proofs, make the filling: combine brown sugar, ground fennel seeds, and blood orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
6. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter across the entire surface, then scatter the filling evenly. Roll tightly from the long edge.
7. Using unflavored floss or a sharp knife, cut into 2-inch pieces. Arrange in a greased 9x9 baking tray, cover, and let rest until doubled again — about 1 more hour.
8. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 18–20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
9. While they bake, make the glaze: whisk blood orange juice, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
10. Let the buns cool slightly before glazing. Only ice what you're eating right now — freeze the rest unglazed and add the glaze after reheating.

Christa's note

We're a household of two, so I ice only a couple at a time and stash the rest in the freezer. They reheat beautifully — just warm them in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes and then glaze. Also: use floss to cut the rolls. Your knife will crush them. And the fennel is not optional, in my humble opinion, but if your people aren't fennel people, you can swap for a little cardamom, which is equally Sicilian and equally wonderful.

More where that came from.

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