The Gooiest Sweet Orange Rolls

These gooey sweet orange rolls are sticky, gooey, and topped with orange zest icing. Make them for the holidays or for a special breakfast.

Delicious Orange Rolls

Orange rolls are always a good idea. We have pumpkin rolls, maple cinnamon rolls, and we needed to add an orange roll to our roster. These orange rolls have a bright and citrusy flavor, an ooey-gooey middle and a frosting you just can’t resist.

Ingredients for Orange Rolls

The ingredients for these orange rolls can be broken down into 3 elements: the dough, the filling, and the icing Here’s what you’ll need:

Dough

• 2% milk
• Orange juice
• Quick rise yeast
• Maple syrup
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Orange zest
• Salt

Filling

• Unsalted butter
• Light brown sugar 
• Ground cinnamon 

Icing

• Powdered sugar
• Orange zest
• Orange juice

How to Make Orange Rolls

Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.

Make the orange rolls.

You start by adding warm milk to the yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Next add the orange juice, maple syrup, melted butter, egg, and orange zest. Whisk to combine. 

Slowly stir the flour and salt into the wet ingredients using a stand mixer on the low-medium speed with the dough hook attachment. Once all of the flour has been added and a shaggy dough has formed, knead for 2-3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic (it should bounce back when you poke it). 

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and then a tea towel. Place it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size — about 1-1.5 hours.

Mix up the filling

 In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Set aside until ready to use.

Assemble the orange rolls

Once the dough has risen for 1 to 1.5 hours, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle that is approximately 18” long, 12” wide, and 1/4” thick. 

Spread the filling mixture over the dough making sure to spread all the way to the edges. Then roll into a tight log, starting at one of the long sides. Slice the log into 1” rolls.

Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper. Add the rolls to the dish, making sure they just barely touch.

Cover with plastic wrap and then a tea towel, and place them in a warm spot to rise until the rolls begin to touch — about 30 minutes. While the rolls rise, preheat your oven to 350°F and make the icing.

Make the orange icing.

Combine the orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 

When the wet ingredients are smooth, turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat for 30-45 seconds or until the icing is light and fluffy. Set aside. 

Bake the orange rolls for 15-17 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the centers are set, be sure not to overbake. 

Allow the orange rolls to cool for 10 minutes before icing.

Top Tips

Want larger rolls?– If you roll these from the short side of the dough, it will yield larger rolls (what we did in the photos). If you roll from the long side of the dough, it will yield smaller rolls.

Don’t overheat the milk — Because the yeast is getting started in the warm milk, you don’t want it to be TOO WARM. Yeast will bloom perfectly when the milk is around 110°F. If the milk is too warm, it can kill the yeast. Conversely, if the milk is too cold, the yeast will have a tough time blooming, which can result in dense rolls — no one wants that!

Use quick-rising yeast– We love using quick-rise yeast for these rolls! Technically, quick-rise yeast doesn’t require you to let it bloom before mixing into the dough, but we like to get it started in warm milk to allow for perfect rising.

Overnight Orange Rolls Instructions

To prepare these orange rolls the night before so all you need to do the morning you serve them is bake, follow these simple instructions:

1. Make the rolls as instructed up to step 11.
2. Then, in the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (approximately 30 minutes).
3. Bake as instructed.
4. Frost & enjoy!

Storage

Store these orange rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: while reheating in the microwave absolutely works, our preferred method is in the oven. Reheat rolls covered at 350°F for 10 minutes or until the rolls are warm and just as delicious as the first time you took them out of the oven.