Orange Rolls
Soft, pillowy milk bread breakfast rolls sweetened with orange juice and orange zest in the dough, wrapped around a brown sugar and orange filling and doused in a cream cheese and orange glaze.
When I mentioned these were in the works, you might’ve thought I’d take my basic cinnamon roll recipe and add some zest in the dough and the filling, and call it a day. Or perhaps you saw my lemon curd rolls and figured I’d just use my orange curd in place of that.
I went with neither. See the thing about orange juice, where it differs sharply from lemon juice for example, is that it can go in the dough. So instead of using water as I usually do to make the dough for the orange rolls, I developed a new dough recipe where I could use freshly squeezed orange juice in the dough – which will double down on that wonderful orange flavor we seek when we think ‘orange roll’!
There will still be zest in the filling and in the dough, of course, and then some more orange juice in the cream cheese glaze that goes on top. The result is the most orange a roll has ever been =)
What makes this recipe for orange rolls so unique (and delicious!)
Tangzhong: A chinese method used to make japanese milk bread, a tangzhong is cooking some of the four that’s to go into a dough with some of the liquid. It gelatinizes the starches so they can absorb more water, the bread will rise higher and stay softer and fresher for longer.
Orange Juice and Zest: Fresh for both! We’ve got zest in the dough, speckling it with bright orange bits, zest in the filling and a large portion of the dough’s liquid is actually fresh orange juice. This gives the dough an unmistakable ‘orange’ flavor. It’s not an accent, it’s the dominant flavor.
Brown Sugar and Orange Filling: While you could do a granulated sugar, and most orange roll recipes do, I considered that orange often pairs very well with most things that taste good with brown sugar (chocolate, apple, etc). Having brown sugar in the filling also gives it a little caramel like flavor, an ode to the original cinnamon roll.
Heavy Cream Bath: Something I picked up from Tastes of Lizzy T. Pouring a half of a cup of heavy cream over the dough right before it goes into the oven gives us more of that gooeyness and gives a softer overall bun.
Cream Cheese Glaze: Having orange juice in the icing is a given, and vanilla a happy addition. Adding cream cheese however gives it more tang and really complements the overall flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Oranges: Any orange will do. I used navel in the photos and video pictured but you are welcome to use cara cara too. Blood oranges are great too though you’ll need more as they are smaller. Blood oranges will also give a slightly reddish tint to the glaze and dough.
If you are not using organic oranges, rub them well under water to clean the skin before ou zest.
Flour: Bread flour is great for cinnamon roll recipes given it’s slightly higher protein content. It’ll give the rolls more structure and chew as well. All purpose flour, as long as it’s not a very low protein content, will also work well.
Yogurt: I use a vanilla greek yogurt, full fat, which makes the dough extra fluffy and a little tangy. You can also use sour cream or plain greek yogurt, but be sure it’s full fat.
Yeast: Either instant yeast or active dry will do, if you use active dry add another ¼ tsp of it. Whichever yeast used, be sure to dissolve it into the liquid before adding it into the dough.
Oil: A flavorless oil works well here but if you like the combination of olive oil and orange feel free to use that. Melted butter also works though the dough will be a tad drier.
Heavy Cream: This isn’t super necessary but it does wonderful for the rolls to make the inside filling gooier and the bread itself fluffier. It goes into the pan right before the rolls are baked.
How to make a yeasted orange dough
First we’ll make the tangzhong, the flour and water paste by simply cooking them together while whisking until they turn into a thick (but goopy) paste. Let this cool slightly before adding to the dough.
The second step to making this orange roll dough is to activate and dissolve the yeast: sprinkle the yeast over warm-to-touch water then sprinkle a bit of sugar over it (no more than a teaspoon) and give it a little stir. After a couple of minutes you’ll see the yeast has mostly dissolved and it’s foamy. If it hasn’t there could be something wrong with your yeast!
The rest of the ingredients, including the tangzhong you’ve set aside, all go on top of the yeast. I like to start with the flour then adding the remaining dough ingredients on top.
Knead the dough, starting on low and working up to medium until the dough mostly clears the bowl and has a mostly smooth surface. It can take up to 10 minutes to get there.
When to add the icing or glaze to the orange rolls
Deciding when to add it should be based on how you want the icing to be: do you want it thin and melted everywhere, adding to the goo factor? Add it right when the rolls come out of the oven. Do you like a thick layer of it on top, where it doesn’t touch the inside filling? Make a thicker glaze (add less milk or orange juice) and add it once the rolls are cool.
How to store orange rolls (and serve them later)
Keep them in an airtight container or they’ll dry out. If it has been a day since they’ve baked I’d warm them up in the microwave, 30 seconds at 100% power will soften them up nicely. I would say they won’t keep well after 48 hours.
Making Overnight Orange Rolls
You’ve got two options to make these a day ahead of time:
First rise overnight: After you’ve made the dough let it rise at room temperature for an hour. It won’t double (we don’t want it to) but it’ll have begun the rise or even gotten halfway. The rest you can do in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you’ll take the dough out and shape and proceed – bearing in mind the second rise will be longer than instructed below as the dough will first need to come up to room temperature before it rises.
Second rise overnight: In this scenario, you’re making the dough, doing a first rise and shaping all the day before. I’d give the dough about 30 minutes at room temperature then cover with plastic wrap to create a seal, then stick it in the fridge overnight.
Inspect them in the morning: does the dough look slightly puffy? Does it bounce back when pressed? Most likely you’ll want to give it 30-60 minutes at room temperature before baking. Don’t do the heavy cream bath until right before they are going into the oven.
Orange Rolls
Ingredients
Orange Roll Dough
- 30g or ¼ cup all purpose or bread flour
- 120g or ½ cup water
- 7g or 1 packet instant yeast
- 60g or ¼ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 520 g or 4 cups all purpose flour
- 125g or ½ cup greek yogurt vanilla or plain
- 50g or ¼ cup canola or other flavorless oil
- 50g granulated sugar optional, sweetens the dough
- 175g or scant ¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- Zest of two large oranges
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Brown Sugar Orange Filling
- 145g or ⅔ cups brown sugar
- 75g or ⅓ cup butter softened, salted or unsalted
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 8g or 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 120g or ½ cup heavy cream
Cream Cheese Orange Glaze
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2-4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 195g or 1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste
- Pinch fine sea salt
Method
First make the tangzhong and dough
- In a small pot, add the half of a cup of water and the quarter cup of flour. Turn heat to low and cook, whisking until the mix becomes a thick paste. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with the dough hook) add the quarter cup of warm water, then sprinkle the yeast over it and add a sprinkle of sugar on top. Mix just briefly then leave it for a couple of minutes to foam.
- On top of the yeast add the flour, then the remaining dough ingredients and the roux from above. Knead the dough starting on low, for about 7-10 minutes until it cleans the bowl and has a mostly smooth surface.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl, turn it around in the oil a few times to coat, then cover the bowl and let rise for 2-3 hours until almost but not quite doubled. If your kitchen is warm this can be as quick as 2 or even 1.5 hours. Take the butter out to soften while it’s rising.
Make the filling and shape the rolls
- Once the dough is almost doubled in size, punch it down and set it on a floured surface.
- Mix together the softened butter, the brown sugar and the orange zest. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of flour.
- Roll out the dough to a large rectangle that’s about 12x16” then spread the filling over it, leaving a half inch border on one of the longer sides. Roll up the dough into a log, ending with the side that doesn’t have filling.
- Grease a 13x9” baking pan. Using a bread knife or unwaxed dental floss, slice the log into 1” rolls and place them on the pan - you should have about 11 large rolls, arrange them so you have them in rows of 2,1,2,1,2,1,2 . Cover the pan with a tea towel and let them rise for 45 minutes or until you press the side of the dough and it doesn’t spring back but leaves an indentation.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Right before baking, pour the heavy cream around the rolls. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. If you have a thermometer it should register 190 when inserted into the center of the rolls.
Make the glaze
- Whisk together the cream cheese and orange juice. Add the vanilla, salt and powdered sugar and whisk everything together until it’s smooth. If the icing is thick, you can add more orange juice. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Spread the glaze over the rolls and serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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no eggs?
no eggs
DO NOT MAKE THIS IF YOU PLAN ON KNEADING BY HAND/DONT OWN A STAND MIXER!!!!
the dough is too wet and sticky and practically impossible to knead, after 20 minutes i started adding more flour little by little until the dough was more managable instead of messy, but after 30 more minutes of kneading (rip my arm) it is still wet and sticky 🙁
Pillowy and perfect! I so appreciate the work you put into your recipes, because I don’t even have to do a test run… they just always turn out right. These are just flawless.
Hi! I’m excited to make these – just out of curiosity why do you use water instead of milk? For the yeast/ dough thank you!
Amazing! Ridiculously I thought they would last longer if I made 24 smaller rolls. Gone within an hour…
Hi, Sam. Can this be made into a loaf instead of rolls?
In theory yes – you would just shape it to fit a loaf pan (this would probably make two standard size, with a bit leftover). But truthfully, I don’t know how exactly it would work as I haven’t tried it.
Now that I’ve made this recipe and love it. I want to make this roll in the same texture but a straight cinnamon roll. No orange flavor. Suggestions on what to replace the 3/4 cup OJ with! Thank you
Hi Kathy, it’s not an easy swap: orange juice brings sugar, a particular water content, and acidity to the dough which is why this dough was formulated around the juice itself. I would go for another roll recipe, check out my brown butter cinnamon roll – you might like it too!
Perfect in every way! Thank you Sam❤️
I am in the process of making these and I was wondering if can refrigerate the rolls overnight and let come to room temp before baking in the morning?
Hi Abby, doing the second rise overnight is a bit risky because the rolls can overproof and the yeast might exhaust itself. In the future you can do the first rise overnight as that is usually quite safe.
Made these for my bother in law for Mardi Gras. Love, Love this recipe. I made a practice batch first with the sugar. Too sweet for me. Second batch no sugar. Much better for my taste.
Definitely a keeper. Only problem I had was not sure how to place in pan, so they weren’t consistent in size and not really pretty.
Delicious, soft, and flavorful. This was absolutely worth the effort. This is my first recipe to try from this site, and I know I’ll return often. Thank you!!
so happy you loved the rolls (and that you found my corner!) =)
So, so good! I made the overnight rolls, so my family could have them warm, right out of the oven. They are delicious. Sending this recipe to my sister, because she’s been wanting to make some homemade orange rolls, and with the detailed instructions, this recipe is easy to execute. Definitely a keeper.
Hi,
I have made these before and they are amazing!
But i would like to make them again and cook them but then freeze them…..would you recommend this?
Hi Laurel, so glad you’ve liked them before! I think it could be done but I wouldn’t glaze them until serving. Also, you’ll want to wrap them tight so they don’t get any freezer bits/burns.
I made these this weekend and they were amazing. I used 1 cup of active sourdough starter instead of instant yeast, adjusted the rise times a bit to compensate the natural starter. That turned out so fluffy & pillowy. Wonderful dough recipe.
Fantastic! These rolls are well worth the extra steps I had never heard of before. I added a bit of fresh zest to the glaze/frosting as well. Thank you for the explanations and detailed directions.
Hi Sam, just baking them now. I like to do a Little freestyle as always but generally followed ur recipe. Smell great, dough rised double. Thank you for your webpage! and good luck to all of you when baking :))
I am going to try this recipe tonight. Do you have to let it sit in the fridge or can you do first & second rise in one day. Also, with the roux do you add the yeast to that mixture?
The fridge option is *if* you want to overnight it. The recipe box instructions are for same day. The yeast and water are mixed together and then once it foams you add the rest of the dough ingredients, including the roux.
delicious! No egg, no butter in the dough, but I might like it even better this way ????. The only tricky part was a veeery wet dough (kneaded by yand). I had to add quiet a bit of extra flour. Not sure why.. ????
it’s definitely always going to take longer by hand, and as a result will feel like you need more flour!
I wouldn’t consider myself an expert baker, although I am adventurous. This was an adventure! And I was worried it wouldn’t work out the whole way. The roux took longer than I thought to thicken, I accidentally used all purpose flour despite the fact that I had bread flour, my dough was stickier than I wanted it to be, and the cream cheese would not mix with the oj. But then everything just came together? These are amazing, excellent recipe and well worth a day of shopping for ingredients, making the dough, letting it rise and proof. Thanks always for magic!
Looks delicious, I’ll try it today! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Love your recipes and knew I had to try this when I saw it. Can I ask if you have any tips on spreading the filling? I find it sticks and warps the dough no matter how long I’ve left it to soften. Thanks in advance!
Hi Gemma! It’s probably the temperature of the butter that’s making it hard to spread. The softer (meltier) the butter the smoother you can spread the filling, so you could partially melt it.
These are very tasty. My confusion about was that the 1/2 cup of heavy cream listed under dough-I wasn’t sure if this was the cream used once the rolls bake or to be used in the dough. I ended up using it in the dough and the dough was a bit sticky but manageable. Also, no temp listed but I used 350 and baked. Very delicious.
sorry about that Kim, rewrote those parts so it’s clearer! Glad they were tasty =)
Hey, I’m in the process of making these and realized as I’m leaving them for the second proof that you don’t provide an oven temp. I’m assuming 325 or 350, and I have a probe so I’ll temp them to check the doneness, but I just wanted to make sure no one else runs into this!
350!
Could you make the dough and then let it rest in the fridge overnight before the final roll out and rise?
You could – but look out for the right rise: did it double in size? If not give it time at room temp after the overnight fridge session
Had to make these. Really full orange flavour in the dough. Is the dough supposed to be a sweet dough? That’s my only adaptation I’d make next time I make these:)
you can add sugar to it but I felt like it was plenty sweet from the fresh oj! Next time add 1/4 cup if you like
Trying these today! Why is there no egg in the dough? Is it OK to add one
it’s an eggless dough, if you add egg to it it will be rather wet and sticky. If you want to skip the yogurt you can add two eggs instead of the yogurt, but it might need a bit more flour