Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls Recipe

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These Orange Sweet Rolls are a refreshing twist on the classic cinnamon roll. A homemade sweet dough with orange zest is filled with homemade orange sugar and topped with sweet orange creme icing.

Inspired by orange rolls that are served at All Steak in Cullman, Alabama, I created my own version for sweet rolls that are light and fluffy and bursting with citrus goodness. Sweet cream cheese icing is the perfect way to top these sweet treats.

Ingredients

To make these sweet rolls, you need the following ingredients:

• 1¼ cups milk
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 packet rapid-rise yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 10 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice

How To Make Orange Rolls

The dough for these rolls can be made in a bread machine or using a stand mixer. The directions below walk you through how to make them using a stand mixer, and the recipe card includes instructions for both methods.

1. To make them using a stand mixer, start by warming milk in a microwave at HIGH power for 40 seconds. Stir in 1 tablespoon of honey and yeast, and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
2. Place flour and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining honey, 4 tablespoons of butter, and the egg. Using the dough hook attachment, mix at a low speed until the ingredients are well combined.
3. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth, elastic ball.
4. Remove the dough ball from the bowl and spray the bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough back in the greased bowl and spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm environment, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
6. Meanwhile, make the orange sugar by combining sugar and orange zest together. If you like your rolls really sweet, you can double the filling. You can also substitute brown sugar for white if you’d like.

1. Once the dough has risen, divide in half and roll each half out into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Spread softened butter over each rectangle being careful to leave about 1-inch around the border without any butter.
2. Sprinkle each rectangle with half of the orange sugar.

1. Starting at the longer end, roll the dough up tightly to make a log.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut the logs into 12 slices and place them cut-side down in a round pan coated with non-stick spray. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

1. Let them rise until they have doubled in size.
2. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

1. Once the baked rolls have cooled, make the orange creme icing to drizzle over the top. It is made with some cream cheese and freshly grated orange rind.

If you drizzle the icing on the rolls while they are still warm, the icing will melt into the rolls. If you wait until the rolls have completely cooled, the icing will resemble the one pictured below.

If you love bright citrus flavors, don’t stop with these rolls! My Orange Fluff Salad makes a light and creamy side dish, Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting bring all the cozy, bakery-style goodness, and Orange Cookies are the perfect little bites of sunshine to sweeten your day.

Orange Sweet Rolls

These Orange Sweet Rolls are not your average cinnamon roll. They're filled with a homemade sweet dough that has been filled with orange sugar and topped off with orange creme icing.

4 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 rolls

Calories: 171kcal

Author: Lynda – Southern Kissed

Equipment

• Mixer
• Baking Pans

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups milk
• ¼ cup honey
• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 packet rapid rise yeast
• 1 egg

Orange Sugar Filling

• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Orange Creme Icing

• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

• Warm milk in a microwave at HIGH power for 40 – 50 seconds. Stir in 1 tablespoon of honey and yeast and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
• Place flour and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining honey, 4 tablespoons butter, and egg. Mix at low speed until combined. Increase the speed and knead for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough forms a ball and has become smooth and elastic.
• Remove the dough ball from the bowl and spray the bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough back in the bowl and spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray.

  Cover and place in a warm environment and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
• Divide risen dough in half and roll each half into a large rectangle.
• Slather 2 tablespoons of butter on each rectangle and sprinkle with half of the orange sugar.
• Starting at longer end, roll the dough up tightly. Cut into 12 slices and place cut-side down in a round pan that has been coated with non-stick spray. Repeat with other half of dough.
• Allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and then drizzle with icing.

Orange Sugar

• Combine orange zest and sugar.

Orange Creme Icing

• Mix cream cheese and butter in a large mixer. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth, adding additional orange juice if needed.

Notes

No bread machine? No problem! You can easily make these rolls using a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Warm the milk in the microwave on HIGH for about 40 seconds, then stir in 1 tablespoon of honey and the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 5–10 minutes until it’s foamy and fragrant.

In the mixer bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining honey, 4 tablespoons of butter, and the egg. Mix on low speed until everything comes together, then increase to medium speed and knead for 3–5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Remove the dough, lightly spray the bowl with nonstick spray, then return the dough to the bowl and mist the top as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, proceed with the main recipe, starting at Step 4, to roll, fill, and bake your orange rolls.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g

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Baking Tips

Warm, not hot: When warming your milk, aim for lukewarm – about 100–110°F. If it’s too hot to comfortably touch, it’s too hot for the yeast. Overheated liquid can kill the yeast before it ever gets started, leaving your dough flat instead of fluffy. If you don’t have a thermometer, think “baby bath warm” – warm to the touch but not steaming.

Know your yeast: There are two common types of yeast used in baking – active dry yeast and rapid-rise (instant) yeast.

• Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm liquid before mixing with other ingredients. That’s why we “bloom” it in the warm milk and honey first.
• Rapid-rise yeast can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients – it activates more quickly and cuts down on rise time.

Both will work beautifully in this recipe. If you’re using rapid-rise yeast, you can skip the blooming step and go straight to mixing, but keep an eye on your dough – it may double in size faster than expected!

Last Bite

Do you prefer your sweet rolls fruity or filled with cinnamon? Tell me in the comments below – and if you bake these Orange Sweet Rolls, share a photo and tag @SouthernKissed so I can see your beautiful, golden batch!