Orange Cinnamon Rolls

These Orange Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect twist on the classic breakfast staple. They're sweet and fluffy with the most delicious orange flavor. Orange juice and orange zest are added to the dough and more orange zest is sprinkled on top of the cream cheese frosting. Their cinnamon sugar filling works well with their citrus flavor and their cream cheese frosting adds just the right amount of tang.

These rolls have three components: the orange flavored dough, the cinnamon sugar filling, and the cream cheese frosting.

You’ll work on making the dough first which will take about two hours to rise: part of which is before the rolls are formed and part of which is after. The filling comes together the fastest since it is just brown sugar and cinnamon and the cream cheese icing can be put together once the rolls start to bake.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Egg: You want to make sure that the egg is at room temperature to ensure that it is properly incorporated into your dough. If you forget to leave it out before you start baking, place it in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until it becomes room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.
• Check out My Favorite Baking Tools to see what I use when I bake.

Now let's bake! You'll first get started on the orange cinnamon roll dough. Warm the milk in a small bowl until it reaches 105-110.º Sprinkle yeast on top and whisk together. Set aside for 10 minutes until it starts to look foamy. If the mixture does not foam, start over with a new packet of yeast.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt together. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, followed by the orange juice, melted butter and egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix on low-medium speed until the dough starts to stick together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to add a little more flour at this point.

Once dough starts to stick to the paddle, switch out the paddle for the hook attachment and mix on low for 4-5 minutes. Dough should be tacky but not sticky.

Coat a large bowl with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Shape the dough into a ball and gently place in bowl, flipping the dough over to coat the top of it as well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise for about one hour, until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen for about 45 minutes, coat a 9 inch round pan with cooking spray and lined the bottom with a parchment round. To prepare the filling, whisk the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a flat rectangle that’s about 10 x 12 inches. Using a pastry brush, carefully coat the top of the dough with melted butter, except for an inch border on one of the long sides as this will need to be left untouched to help them seal.

Spoon sugar mixture onto dough and spread around evenly, except for that same inch border at the top. Use a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or dough cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips. With the long side of the dough closest to you, carefully roll up each strip into a tight spiral, using that bare end of the dough to help seal it closed. Repeat this process with all other rolls and arrange them neatly in the pan.

Cover the rolls in plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes. While the rolls rise, preheat oven to 350º F and remove cream cheese from the fridge for it to soften. Once rolls have risen, bake them for 30-35 minutes.

Let rolls cool for 10 minutes and then carefully run a knife along the side of the pan. Gently flip the cinnamon rolls out onto a cooling rack.

While the rolls bake, mix the cream cheese on low in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until it is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar and milk, mixing on medium low until it is smooth. Drizzle the icing over the rolls and spread out until all rolls are evenly covered. Top with orange zest.

These rolls are best served fresh. Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for several days. They can be reheated slightly in the microwave or oven. I recommend only frosting the rolls as you eat them. If you have leftover rolls, keep the rest of the icing in an airtight container and add to the rolls once you heat them up as leftovers.

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