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Buttery dough sprinkled in an orange cinnamon sugar and topped with a bright orange glaze makes these orange rolls a breakfast favorite.
Who doesn’t love breakfast/brunch? From mini ham and cheese quiche to chocolate hazelnut biscotti. But there is just something about homemade rolls.
Have you ever had Pillsbury Orange Rolls with Orange Icing that’s in a can? If your answer is yes, no judgement here. I mean cinnamon rolls themselves are pretty addicting, but when you combine that lovely aroma with the citrus smell from the orange, it really becomes hard to wait for them to be done cooking.
And while, taking something from a can and baking is about as easy as it gets, these homemade orange cinnamon rolls are surprisingly simple to make.
Even better, these can be prepared the night before and just popped in the oven the next morning which makes them great for a holiday brunch like Easter or Christmas.
Each bite of this dough is soft and fluffy with a hint of orange. After one bite, you’ll never buy store-bought rolls again. So if you’re looking to step up your breakfast/brunch game this weekend, give this orange rolls recipe a try.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Milk – adds fat and creates the best dough consistency.
- Oranges – use the juice and zest.
- Instant yeast – helps the dough rise quickly.
- Honey – adds a slight sweetness.
- Eggs – binds everything together.
- Unsalted butter – used in dough and filling.
- All-purpose flour – has the right amount of gluten for tasty rolls.
- Salt – enhances the flavor.
- Light brown sugar – can use granulated sugar as well.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon and orange go together surprisingly well.
- Powdered sugar – used for the glaze.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavor.
How to Make Orange Rolls
1. In stand mixer, combine warm milk, orange juice, instant yeast, honey, eggs, melted butter, flour and salt. Note – You can replace the milk with water if you don’t have milk. Also if you only have active yeast just add to the warm milk and orange juice and let sit for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients in.
2. With dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for about 4-5 minutes, until the flour is incorporated. If dough is still too stick, add flour 1 tbsp at a time but always lean toward it being more sticky than not. Cover the dough for 1 hour at room temperature.
3. While dough is resting, mix the brown sugar, orange zest and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
4. After an hour, the dough should have doubled in size.
5. Lightly dust a work surface and remove dough from mixing bowl. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness and a rectangle that’s about 10×16 inches. It doesn’t have to be precise. I just use a 9×13 baking dish as reference.
6. Spread softened butter evenly throughout the rolled dough. Sprinkle the filling over the butter and press in so it sticks.
7. Starting with the longer edge closer to you, tightly roll the dough into a log. Cut into 12 even rolls with a sharp knife.
8. Transfer the rolls to a greased or parchment-lined 9×13 baking dish and cover.
9. Place the rolls in the fridge overnight. If you’re short on time you can let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, but the longer the better.
10. Make the orange glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract in a small bowl and set aside.
11. Bake the orange rolls at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the middle is done.
12. Pour the orange glaze over the hot rolls and serve immediately.
Do I Need to Let My Rolls Rise Overnight?
As I mentioned above, no although allowing it to rise overnight is preferred. If you are short on time, you can let rise in room temperature environment for 1 hour.
Freezing Instructions
These range rolls can be frozen for up to 6 months. You just need to bake to completion and then let cool before covering. When you’re ready to eat the frozen rolls, either let them thaw on your counter or place in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding the glaze.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Don’t overheat the milk. When it says warm milk, that means between 100 and 115°F. Anything warmer than that will kill the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the milk by dipping your finger it it. It should feel warm, but not hot enough to make you recoil.
- Use melted butter in dough. The softer the butter the better it incorporates into the dough which means tasty rolls.
- Use room temperature butter for filling. Room temperature butter is much better for the filling. If you use melted butter, it just oozes out when rolling up, which means losing filling which isn’t the goal.
- Dental floss. If you have dental floss, use it to cut the dough so it doesn’t compress it like a knife.
- Chill the dough overnight. Not only does chilling overnight break up making the rolls over two days, it allows for the rolls to really double in size.
Other Breakfast Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Lemon Ricotta Waffles
- Orange Pistachio Biscotti
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Chip Scones
If you’ve tried these orange rolls or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Orange Rolls
Ingredients
Orange Rolls
- 1/2 cup warm whole milk
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp orange zest (2 oranges)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, orange juice, instant yeast, honey, eggs, butter, 3 1/2 cups flour and salt. With a dough attachment, mix the ingredients until the flour is incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add flour 1 tbsp at a time but it’s better to be on the sticky side. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and orange zest for the filling. Set aside.
- Lightly dust your work surface with some flour. Remove dough from mixing bowl and punch down. Roll the dough to about 1/4″ thick and a rectangle about 10×16 in. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I use a 9×13 baking dish as reference. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the filling over the butter and lightly push into the butter.
- Starting with the long edge close to you, roll the dough into a log, trying to keep tight throughout. With a sharp knife, cut 12 rolls. Place the rolls in a greased or parchment-lined 9×13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to fridge to rise overnight. (You can let rise for 1 hour at room temperature in a pinch)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and the middles are done.
- While baking rolls, make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract. Add more orange juice to thin out or more sugar to thicken.
- Drizzle the glaze over the rolls before serving.
Notes
- Don’t overheat the milk. When it says warm milk, that means between 100 and 115°F. Anything warmer than that will kill the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the milk by dipping your finger it it. It should feel warm, but not hot enough to make you recoil.
- Use melted butter in dough. The softer the butter the better it incorporates into the dough which means tasty rolls.
- Use room temperature butter for filling. Room temperature butter is much better for the filling. If you use melted butter, it just oozes out when rolling up, which means losing filling which isn’t the goal.
- Dental floss. If you have dental floss, use it to cut the dough so it doesn’t compress it like a knife.
- Chill the dough overnight. Not only does chilling overnight break up making the rolls over two days, it allows for the rolls to really double in size.
These were fantastic!