My Orange Rolls are sheer heaven on a plate. Creamy icing melds with flavorful orange zest and orange juice for an explosion of citrus in every bite.
These rolls are so soft, sweet, and cloud-like, they’re like heaven on a plate. I love orange cake, orange gum, orange everything, which makes these orange rolls the bomb of citrus-flavored baked goods, in my opinion.
I remember, whenever I got an A in school or made cheerleader or something, my mother would bring me breakfast in bed. My favorite days were when I deserved her homemade Orange Rolls, which I’m sharing with you today.
These might take a little more time than my usual recipes for us busy moms, but they are so worth it. Make it for your kids to let them know that being good does get heavenly rewards!
Yes, There’s Yeast–Do Not Be Scared
Yeast gets such a bad rap. Why? All you need is water warm enough to make it bubble and that means water under 115°F but above 105°F. I aim for 110 and it’s always perfect. You’ll need a meat or candy thermometer to ensure your water is that temperature, of course.
We had the cheapest absolute thermometers in culinary school, you can bet your life on that, but as long as we regularly calibrated them by submerging them in freezing water, they always stayed regular as a good Timex—or Rolex—or some great timepiece maker.
So, if you have a thermometer you’re uncertain about, put it in some ice water. Does it go to 32°F quite quickly? If not, adjust that little adjuster they all come with in the water, and then retry once it’s come back up to room temperature on its own.
How do I prep and store these rolls?
Not that you’ll have leftovers, but orange rolls are not the best at staying soft and fresh. I use foil for these. Plus foil does not disturb the frosting if you tent it a bit as you wrap them. You can freeze the baked rolls up to three months. You can freeze yeast doughs of all kinds and let them come to room temp quite nicely for 3 months!
Serving Suggestions
Serve these warm with coooooold milk or make some of my Sweet Citrus Tea, and serve it hot! Or surprise Mom or your family with this Mother’s Day Brunch and serve these as breakfast dessert–my favorite course!
Orange Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest additional for glaze
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Activate yeast: Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. Wait for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.
- Mix dough: In a large bowl with a dough hook, blend eggs, melted butter, salt, flour, and the yeast mixture.
- First knead: Run your mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes, then cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Second knead: Knead the dough again for 3 minutes and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Final knead: Knead one last time for 3 minutes and allow a final 10-minute rest.
- Shape dough: Divide into 3 balls, roll each out on a floured surface into a 15×8 inch rectangle.
- Prepare filling: Combine softened butter, sugar, and orange zest. Spread over the dough rectangles.
- Roll and cut: Roll each rectangle tightly lengthwise and slice into 1 1/2 inch sections.
- Arrange in pan: Place each piece into a greased muffin tin and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 400°F and bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes until golden.
- Make glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, additional orange zest, and orange juice until smooth.
- Finish with glaze: Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls before serving.
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