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Homemade Orange Rolls are a twist on sweet rolls filled and glazed with a tasty orange zest-infused frosting! These yeast rolls are guaranteed to please!

One way to treat your family is with a comforting breakfast treat. There’s nothing as enticing as the aroma of yeast bread coming from the oven, especially when it’s made from scratch. Let me walk you through the procedure to make these Orange Sweet Rolls.

Orange Roll on a round white plate with two orange slices and a red handled fork.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Reader Endorsement:
3 Roll Dough Ingredients
4 Frosting and Filling Ingredients
5 Ingredient Notes
6 Expert Tips
7 How to Make
8 Frequently Asked Questions
9 You May Also Like:
10 Homemade Orange Rolls Recipe

Why You Must Make

A freshly baked batch of orange rolls and some hot coffee is the perfect offering for a new neighbor, friends with a new baby, or just a delicious treat for your family. The hubby has been begging me to make these orange rolls for months. These reminded him of Maxson Manor’s rolls he and his family used to enjoy.

  • They’re a delicious change of pace from cinnamon rolls.
  • The dough is sweet and tender, and there is just enough orange flavor to make you swoon.
  • This orange rolls recipe makes TWO pans of breakfast rolls, one for you and one to share. Or bake them all up in a 9 x 13 if feeding a hungry family.

Reader Endorsement:

Jamie via Pinterest: These sure were a labor of love…but worth every bit of it! So fluffy and orangetastic! Really impressive.

Roll Dough Ingredients

Orange Rolls Dough Ingredients with labels on a metal sheetpan.

Frosting and Filling Ingredients

Orange Rolls Filling and Frosting Ingredients with labels on a sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Room Temperature Butter, Salt, All-Purpose Flour, Egg
  • Active Dry Yeast – One packet (2 ¼ teaspoons); I use Red Star Yeast
  • Warm Water – 105-115º. If your water is too hot, it can kill the yeast.
  • Scalded Milk – Heat it just below boiling. Cool to lukewarm, no hotter than 115º as that can kill the yeast.
  • Powdered Sugar – Sift if you have a lot of little lumps and want a very smooth frosting. I didn’t need to with my latest batch.
  • Orange Zest – Finely grate/zest an orange. This will be used to flavor the filling and frosting.
  • Orange Juice – Freshly squeezed or store-bought both work well.
  • Vanilla Extract – Make sure it’s real vanilla extract, not artificially flavored.

Expert Tips

Working with yeast can be daunting if you don’t have a few basic tips. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll love both the process and the results.

  • Note that yeast is a living organism and can be killed if not treated properly.
  • PRO-Tip: This is why you should not add liquid any hotter than 120ºF if you want your bread to rise!
  • Check the expiration date of your yeast on the packet. Using old yeast could be a disaster!
  • Kneading is an essential part of the bread-making process, too, as it helps activate the gluten in the flour, which gives bread its structure.
  • Done by hand or with a bread hook in a stand mixer, the dough will become smooth and springy. Don’t be tempted to add more flour unless necessary as too much flour can negatively affect the texture of your bread.
  • When rolling up your yeast rolls, don’t roll them too tight. This will cause the middle sections to pop up higher than the rest of the rolls. They’ll still be tasty but not as attractive.
  • Let your dough rise in a warm, moist environment. 
  • PRO-Tip: Do not force your dough to rise by putting it in a hot location. Somewhere around 80ºF (and up to 90º) is perfect. The ideal humidity is 75%. 
  • My new oven has a “proof” setting which sets the oven at 85º F.
  • PRO-Tip: Use unflavored dental floss to cut these orange rolls into slices. Lightly score roll at 1 ½-inch intervals. Slip a 12-inch strand of floss under the roll, bring the ends up and over the roll of dough, and cross over one of the marks. Pull ends sharply to cut through the dough. It’s a slick way to cut the dough into slices without the top-to-bottom pressure that comes from using a knife.
Sweet Rolls after rising in a 9 x 13 ceramic dish.

How to Make

Yeast and water in small bowl.
Dissolve yeast in wam water.
Yeast added to mixer bowl.
Add yeast to mixing bowl.
Milk, butter and egg added to bowl.
Add egg, milk and butter.
Flour and Salt added.
Then mix in sugar, salt and flour.
Mixed with paddle attachment, then kneaded with dough hook. Placed in bowl to proof.
Mix with paddle attachment until smooth, then knead with dough hook for about 5 minuts
Frosting and filling ingredients added to bowl.
Make filling/frosting by adding all ingredients to a bowl.
Frosting and filling mixed until smooth.
Mix until smooth. Set aside.
Dough rolled into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle.
Roll dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectcangle.
Half of the orange filling spread over dough.
Spread with half the orange filling.
Dough rolled into a cylinder.
Roll from wide side to wide side.
Dough cut into rolls with dental floss.
Slice or cut with dental floss into 1½-inch slices.
Place in greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Rolls proofed until doubled in size.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Rolls baked then frosted.
Bake as directed, frost when still warm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Orange Roll?

Made like cinnamon rolls, orange rolls are filled with a sweet orange filling instead of cinnamon and sugar.

Does Orange Juice Kill Yeast?

The low pH of orange juice shouldn’t kill yeast, but even if it did, the orange juice is in the filling and frosting, not the dough.

How Do You Store Frosted Yeast Rolls?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, move them to the refrigerator for up to 3 more days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

Orange Sweet Rolls in a baking dish with one roll in front on a small plate with a red handled fork

You May Also Like: 

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Orange Roll on a round white plate with two orange slices and a red handled fork
The Recipe:

Homemade Orange Rolls Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield 12 rolls

These orange rolls are adapted from Betty Crocker’s Baking Classics (this recipe dates back to the 1920's when Betty Crocker established a test kitchen)

Ingredients

Sweet Dough:

  • 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
  • ½ cup warm water (105-115º)
  • ½ cup scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm (should be no hotter than 115º)
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3 ½ cups flour (may add up to a ½ cup more if needed)

Filling and Frosting:

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel
  • 4 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Heavy cream, to thin frosting, if needed

Instructions

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
  2. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 2 cups flour. Using a stand mixer and paddle attachment, mix until smooth.
  3. Switch the attachment to the dough hook and add about 1 ½ cups more flour. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding up to a ½ cup more flour if the dough is sticky.
  4. Place dough in a greased bowl, then flip it over. Cover and let rise in a warm place till doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Make filling while the dough rises.
  5. To make the filling, beat all ingredients till creamy. Set aside.
  6. Punch down dough. Remove the dough and roll it into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread with half the orange filling.
  7. Roll up the dough beginning at the wider side. Pinch to seal the seam. Using dental floss (or knife) cut the roll into 1 ½-inch slices (12 rolls).
  8. Place into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise till doubled, about 40 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 375º.
  10. Bake till golden, about 20-25 minutes. Frost with remaining filling while warm.

Notes

Total time does not include the two proofing times.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 282mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 1gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Brunch