These Orange Rolls are easy to make and are the perfect dish to serve at a holiday brunch! They bake up into golden rolls that are soft, chewy, and totally delicious!
If sweet rolls are on the menu in your home this week, be sure to try our Lemon Rolls and our 1-Hour Blueberry Rolls – they are amazing!
Cinnamon Rolls are a staple at our house! We make them for Christmas breakfast, birthdays, tailgating, and even when we need some really good comfort food. My little family of 6 can eat an entire pan in one day… we absolutely love them!
The last time I made cinnamon rolls, I thought, “I bet this would be a good dough to turn into orange rolls!” And so is born this recipe of orange cinnamon rolls. The delicious orange flavor is both citrusy and sweet, and the entire process is straightforward and easy to follow. Here’s how to make them –
How to Make Orange Rolls
INGREDIENTS –
for the dough:
- warm milk
- yeast
- sugar
- eggs
- butte
- salt
- bread flour
for the filling:
- butter
- white sugar
- orange zest
for the frosting:
- cream cheese
- butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- salt
- fresh orange juice
- orange zest
INSTRUCTIONS –
Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp sugar (from the 1/2 cup) in the warmed milk. Let stand until foamy.
You can continue adding the ingredients to the same bowl and knead everything by hand, but this is where I prefer to add all the ingredients to my stand mixer and let the machine do the work for me!
To the milk mixture, add the eggs, butter, salt, remaining sugar, and 4 cups of flour.
- If the dough is still sticking to the bowl, add another 1/2 cup flour.
- If the dough is still sticking to the bowl after 4 1/2 cups, add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time until it no longer sticks to the bowl.
Knead until smooth and elastic.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.
Combine the orange zest and sugar.
When the dough is finished rising, turn it onto an oiled surface. (I just spray mine with cooking spray.)
Roll out into a 16×21 inch rectangle.
Spread 1/3 cup softened butter. over the surface, and then sprinkle evenly with the orange zest/sugar mixture.
You can roll up dough (lengthwise so you end up with a 21″ roll) and then cut with dental floss or a bread knife. OR you can cut the dough while it is still unrolled with a pizza cutter, and then roll up each individual strip.
Place rolls in a lightly greased 10×15 inch baking pan.
If you want to make these rolls the night before, follow the instructions up to this step, and then cover your baking dish and refrigerate your orange sweet rolls before the second rise. In the morning, take them out of the refrigerator and allow them to rise before baking.
Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until done and turning golden.
While rolls are baking, beat together the frosting/ cream cheese glaze ingredients. Spread onto warm rolls and serve.
This amount of frosting this recipe makes is always perfect for our cinnamon rolls, but we don’t always need a full batch for orange rolls. If you’re not big on frosting, keep this in mind and don’t use all of it. If you are big on frosting, go crazy and ENJOY!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge or at room temperature for up to one week. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
More EASY Bread Recipes –
- 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
- Lion House Rolls
- Garlic Parmesan Rolls
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Heart-Shaped Dinner Rolls
HERE’S A PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE –
Orange Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup milk, warmed to approx. 110 degrees
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
Filling:
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- zest of 1 orange
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 c butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- zest of 2 oranges
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp sugar (from the 1/2 cup) in the warmed milk. Let stand until foamy.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk mixture, the eggs, butter, salt, remaining sugar, and flour. Start with 4 cups of flour and if the dough is still sticking to the bowl, add another 1/2 cup flour. If the dough is still sticking to the bowl after a total of 4 1/5 cups, add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time until it no longer sticks to the bowl.
- Knead until smooth and elastic.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.Combine the orange zest and sugar.
- When the dough is finished rising, turn it onto an oiled surface. (I just spray my counter with cooking spray.) Roll out into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle evenly with the orange zest/sugar mixture.
- Roll up dough (lengthwise so you end up with a 21" roll) and cut with dental floss or a bread knife, OR cut with a pizza cutter while the dough is still flat and roll up each individual strip.
- Place rolls in a lightly greased 10×15 inch baking pan. If you want to make these the night before, follow the instructions up to this step, then cover and refrigerate your rolls before the second rise. In the morning, take them out of the refrigerator and allow them to rise before baking.) Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until done and turning golden.
- While rolls are baking, beat together the frosting ingredients.
- Spread frosting onto warm rolls and serve.
