Description
Fluffy, soft, and easy orange sweet rolls taste even better than cinnamon rolls, I promise. They only need 1 rise so breakfast is on the table quicker!
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package Platinum Yeast from Red Star (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 orange (use 2 Tablespoons juice and 1 Tablespoon zest)
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- remaining zest from the orange (1 Tablespoon)
Orange Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- remaining juice from the orange (2-3 Tablespoons)
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, toss the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together. Set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch (about 110°F). Stir in the 2 Tablespoons of orange juice, 1 Tablespoon orange zest, and the egg. Combine the butter mixture and the flour mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough. Poke it with your finger—it should bounce back. If not, stir in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 1 minute. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon, sugar, and remaining orange zest. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 10-12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch pie dish.
- Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 60-90 minutes.
- After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned. Cover the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid over-browning on top.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and remaining orange juice together until smooth. Drizzle or spread over warm rolls.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This dough can be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here’s how: bake the rolls in step 6 for only about 10 minutes at 375°F (191°C). Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Then, finish baking them.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Round Cake Pan or 9-inch Pie Dish | Whisk | Zester | Citrus Juicer
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.