Orange Sweet Rolls
Soft and fluffy Orange Rolls filled with buttery brown sugar and fresh orange zest, then topped with a rich orange cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
For the orange roll dough:
- 1 cup warm milk whole or 2%, see note 1
- 2 Tablespoons +1 teaspoon sugar divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast 1 packet
- 6 Tablespoons butter partially melted, I use salted
- 1 large egg at room temperature, whisked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3-3 ¼ cups bread flour see note 2
For the orange roll filling:
- 3 Tablespoons orange zest all of the zest from one large orange
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup butter very very soft, I used salted
Orange roll frosting:
- ¼ cup butter slightly softened, I used salted
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Combine warm milk (105-110° F) and combine with 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Set aside to proof. Within 5 minutes the mixture should be very foamy and growing pretty rapidly. If not, throw away and start over. Your yeast must be active and well for the best cinnamon rolls.
- Microwave the butter until it's partially melted. Whisk the egg. Combine butter, egg, salt, sugar, salt, remaining sugar, bread flour and proofed yeast together and mix to combine. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, your hands (I recommend watching a youtube video on how to knead if doing it without a machine) or a bread maker on the dough setting to knead the dough. Knead 10-20 minutes until dough is silky smooth and elastic. Push a finger into the dough to make an indentation; the dough should bounce back easily. See photos above for a visual guide.
- Spray a glass or plastic bowl with cooking spray or oil it with your preferred oil. Place dough inside, then spray the top with a little oil so the dough doesn't dry out. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around an hour.
Make the Orange Roll Filling:
- Place the orange zest, sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl. Use your fingers to knead the zest into the sugars. This will make activate the orange flavor even more for the best results.
- Roll the dough out evenly into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread the very soft butter across the dough evenly. Sprinkle the sugar/ orange zest mixture evenly over top of the butter.
Roll up and bake:
- Starting on the long end, roll up the dough. Cut into 12 even rolls. I like to cut the log in half, then each half in half again. Then each of those I cut into 3 even pieces. This is the easiest way for me to get them even in size. See picture above for a visual reference. Place evenly in a greased 9x13" pan. Loosen up the rolls a bit so they have room to spread (see note 3) I find this enables the insides of the rolls to puff up and expand more. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes. 10 minutes in, preheat the oven to 350° F. Once they are done rising, bake for 17-22 minutes until done. The tops and edges will just be starting to turn golden brown.
Make the Orange Icing and Frost Rolls:
- Beat the butter on medium high speed until no lumps remain. Add the cream cheese and beat together on medium speed until completely smooth and lump free, about 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Add the orange juice, orange zest and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Allow the orange rolls to cool 10-15 minutes before frosting them. Spread frosting across the top, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can absolutely make these with skim or 1% milk. Using whole or 2% milk will result in a more tender finished product, which is why we recommend it.
- We love making these with bread flour. While testing various cinnamon roll recipes, I have found that it makes for a softer, more tender roll, as well as making them stay soft longer.
- I find that loosening the dough up a bit so they aren't so tightly rolled helps the middles expand so they are lighter and fluffier. When I forget to do this, the middles are more dense.
- For frosting that sits on top of the rolls, wait to frost until completely cooled. For frosting that seeps almost completely into the rolls, frost immediately after removing from the oven- though we recommend waiting at least 5 minutes!
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 394mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 509IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 0.5mg
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