Orange Rolls
Orange Rolls are similar to cinnamon rolls, but filled with a lovely orange filling instead of cinnamon. They're heavenly soft, full of bright citrus flavor, and topped with an amazing orange cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 12 rolls
Ingredients
Roll Dough
- 1 tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
- 1 cup Warm Water
- 2 tablespoons Butter softened
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 3 and 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Orange Filling
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons Orange Zest
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon optional
Frosting
- 1/4 cup Butter softened
- 2 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Orange Juice
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place all dough ingredients (except 1/4 cup flour) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low until combined.
- Turn mixer up and knead dough for 5-10 minutes, adding in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour (if you live in a humid climate you may need up to an additional 1/4 cup of flour). Knead until smooth and elastic. See note for more information.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface and form into a ball. Cover loosely with towel and allow to rise 60-90 minutes, until dough has doubled in size. (If you live in a dry climate, spray the dough with nonstick spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap before covering with a towel.)
- Punch dough down. Flour your work surface, then roll dough into a 14x20 inch rectangle.
- Stir together the filling ingredients to create a paste. Gently spread the paste over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Spread until filling covers the dough except for an inch along the top.
- Starting from the bottom (which should be a long edge), roll the dough up into a log, rolling somewhat tightly. Cut off and discard ends if desired. Mark 12 even slices.
- Using a very sharp knife or a piece of thread, slice log into 12 pieces. Place in lightly greased 9x13 pan.
- Allow dough to rise about 45 minutes until rolls are puffed and touching each other. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake rolls approx 20-22 minutes until tops are golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped.
- Beat together frosting ingredients, making sure that butter and cream cheese are softened. I prefer the frosting fluffy and not pourable so when I spread it on top of warm rolls it doesn't completely melt to the bottom of the pan. If you prefer a runnier frosting you may use more orange juice.
- Allow rolls to cool about 10 minutes, then frost. Garnish with additional teaspoon of orange zest if desired. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Notes
You will need two to three oranges to get enough zest for this recipe. One medium orange will give you 1-2 tablespoons of orange zest. Remember to only zest the brightly colored part of the orange peel, not the white pith underneath, which is bitter. Use a microplane or the small holes on a box grater to zest the oranges.
You should be able to get all the orange juice you need for the frosting from one orange.