Soft and Fluffy Orange Rolls
Soft and fluffy orange rolls are loaded with fresh orange flavor and slathered in cream cheese frosting! This special breakfast treat is a Christmas morning tradition in our house.
Ingredients
For the Orange Rolls:
- 2 (0.25 ounce) packages (14 g) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (113 ml) warm water between 115 and 120 degrees (F)
- 5 and 1/3 cups (640 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup (227 ml) whole milk
- 10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
For the Filling:
- 1 cup (213 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- 4 ounces (113 g) full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28 ml) orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (170 g) confectioners' sugar sifted
- orange zest finely grated, optional, for garnish
Instructions
For the Orange Rolls:
- Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray or butter and set aside until needed.
- Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes, or until the yeast has bubbled up.
- In the meantime, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt, and ground cardamom and whisk well to combine (use a hand whisk here).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, orange extract, egg, and egg yolk, beating until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients, and the active yeast mixture, to the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir together to form a shaggy dough.
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Turn the mixer to medium-speed and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or the dough is still soft, silky, and pulling away from the edges of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour, or until it’s puffed up and doubled in size.
For the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, add the brown sugar, orange zest, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, and ground allspice, and mix well to evenly combine.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and set aside until needed.
Assembly and Baking:
- Dust the counter lightly with flour. Scrape the dough out onto the counter and sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour. Gently, roll the dough into a rectangle about 22x16-inches wide.
- Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar mixture.
- Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, jelly roll style, keeping it as tight as possible while rolling. (Note: The tighter the roll, the less filling that will leak out during baking.)
- Score the dough lightly into 12 equal pieces. Cut the dough at the score marks. The easiest way to do this is to slide a long piece of unflavored dental floss under the dough. Wrap it up around the score mark, and then pull the two sides tightly in opposite directions to pull the floss through the roll. Repeat for all rolls.
- Carefully arrange the rolls in the prepared pan, making four rows of three cinnamon rolls. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1 hour, or until the rolls have puffed up and are crowding the pan.
- 20 minutes before you plan on baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Remove the plastic wrap and bake in the preheated oven for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until puffed up, golden brown, and cooked through in the center (if the dough looks raw, keep baking for a few more minutes.).
- Remove the rolls from the oven and set aside to slightly cool as you make your cream cheese frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the orange juice, vanilla and salt and beat until combined.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Once the ingredients are incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute, or until smooth and creamy.
- Slowly spread the warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting, sprinkle with orange zest, and serve warm.
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