Fluffiest Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Servings 12
These orange cinnamon rolls are ultra soft, fluffy, and melt in your mouth. Orange-zest infused dough, brown sugar cinnamon filling, and a orange icing glaze. They're perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 2½ tsp active dry yeast, or use one packet*
- 2¾ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into pieces
- ½ tsp fine kosher salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1½ tsp fresh orange zest
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp flour
- ½ tsp orange zest
Orange Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tsp milk
- splash of vanilla
- a little bit of orange zest
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Start by activating the yeast. Warm the milk in the microwave to 110°F, or just warm to the touch. Stir in one tablespoon of the sugar until it is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast on top and gently stir it in. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, or until you see a layer of foam on top. If this does not happen, then start over.
- While the yeast is activating, combine the flour, remaining 3 tbsp of sugar, salt, and orange zest in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the hook attachment.
- While running your mixer on low speed, start streaming in the yeast/milk mixture, then add the butter, one piece at a time, and then lastly the egg. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead until a dough starts to come together.
- After that, continue kneading the dough for around 5 minutes until it is smooth. The dough will be very sticky at first, but become more less so as the gluten builds up. Add 1-2 more tbsp of flour only if needed. Your dough will be ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl, but will stick a little at the bottom (there may also be a few dough bits that stuck to the sides of the bowl at the beginning that are still there). The final dough will be tacky but manageable.
- Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hr, or until doubled in size.
Filling the Rolls
- To make the filling, use a fork to mix the very soft butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and orange zest together. The butter should be on the brink of melting, but not quite there.
- Transfer the dough to a flat, floured surface, and roll it into a 12x16 inch rectangle--it doesn't have to be perfect. Spread the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a ½" rim around the edges.
- Starting with the long end facing you, begin tightly rolling the dough, jelly roll style, away from you so that you form a long tube. Pinch the ends to seal it off. Then, cut it into 12 equal slices.
- Grease or line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. Place the rolls, spaced 1 inch apart, into the pan. Cover and let rise again for 30-45 minutes, or until the rolls look puffed up and have doubled in size again. You can also cover and let them rise overnight.
Bake & Icing
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 20-22 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
- To make the glaze, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Spoon the glaze on top of the rolls and enjoy them while they're fresh!
Notes
*one packet of yeast contains roughly 2 ¼ tsp. The extra ¼ tsp in the recipe helps add a little more fluff, but a single packet will yield just as great results.
Calories were determined using an online calculator and are meant to be an estimate.
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 255kcal
Did You Try This Recipe?Mention @toppedwithhoney or tag #toppedwithhoney! on Instagram