Easy Orange Sweet Rolls

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These homemade Sweet Orange Rolls with orange frosting are ooey and gooey and so fun to make. They're soft, fluffy, and perfect for weekend breakfast or brunch during any time of the year.

orange sweet rolls rising in a baking dish, these will be topped with orange icing for cinnamon rolls.

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Easy Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls
Orange Sweet Rolls Ingredients
Frequently Asked Questions
Storing And Reheating
Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls Recipe
More Sweet Roll Recipes

Easy Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls

If you love cinnamon rolls, you're gonna love this recipe variation. Instead of the sweet cinnamon flavor, these Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls are loaded with buttery sugar and orange zest then smothered with creamy orange frosting.

If you're a dreamsicle fan, this orange cinnamon roll frosting is drool-worthy. It has a splash of vanilla and is bursting with fresh orange zest. And if you're looking for more Dreamsicle Recipes, be sure to try our Dreamsicle Cookie Bars and Dreamsicle Cookies.

orange cinnamon rolls rolled out on the counter, easy cinnamon rolls with orange icing.

Orange Sweet Rolls Ingredients

Yeast: You can find yeast in the baking aisle at the grocery store. This recipe calls for rapid rise yeast.
Sugar: I used white granulated sugar in this recipe. You can certainly use the same amount of honey if you prefer to use natural sugars.
Butter: I used melted butter for this recipe. you can use avocado oil in its place if you’d like. For recipes like french bread where you want a thick outer crust on the bread, you don’t add oil to the recipe. For rolls and for cinnamon rolls, you want the bread to be softer and it doesn’t’ need a thick outer crust. Add a little butter or fat to keep the cinnamon rolls soft.
Water: You can also exchange water for the milk in this recipe. You will want the water temp to be around 115 degrees. Warm temperatures and sugars are needed to activate the yeast. If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Salt: I like to use pink Himalayan sea salt in my baking. It has extra vitamins and minerals in it that regular table salt doesn’t have. If you don’t have sea salt, regular table salt will work too.
Flour: No need to use bread flour here. Regular, all-purpose flour will work great.
Egg: Eggs help with rising and are a leavening agent. Also, the fats in the yolk help keep the dough tender when baked and lighten the texture.

Orange Roll Filling

Butter - you can use salted or unsalted butter. It's easiest if the butter is either melted or extremely soft.
Sugar - this recipe calls for white granulated sugar, but you could substitute a portion with brown sugar.
Orange Zest - you will need fresh orange zest from about 2 oranges for the filling.

Orange Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls

Butter - the butter for the frosting needs to be soft.
Powdered Sugar - you may need to add a little extra if your frosting is a bit too runny.
Fresh oranges - you'll need both the zest and juice from fresh oranges to make the orange frosting.
Vanilla Extract - this enhances the creamsicle flavor.
Orange Extract - this is an optional ingredient but it really brightens the orange flavor.

orange sweet rolls rolled up and ready to cut.

How to Make Orange Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch

Step 1 - Mixing The Dough

Activate the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly and activates the yeast.
Mix the dough. Add the melted butter, eggs, salt, and 2 cups of flour, then mix on low using the dough hook attachment for 2 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed. Add an additional 3.5 cups of flour, then stir on low to combine. You may need to add up to ½ a cup more (you will know you've added enough flour when the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl). Once all of the flour has been added, continue to knead on low for 3 minutes more.
Proof the dough. Turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, or about 30 minutes.

Step 2 - Assembling the Sweet Rolls

Roll the dough into a rectangle. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and form it into a small rectangle with your hands. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into an approximately 24" x 12" rectangle (should be about ½" thick).
Add the orange filling. Melt the butter, then add the sugar and orange zest. Mix, then spread evenly over the rolled dough.
Roll and cut the sweet rolls. Starting at either 24" side, roll the dough up evenly making sure to get a nice tight tube, then cut into 12 evenly sized (roughly 1") slices using a very sharp knife. (NOTE: I recommend using a ruler and pre-marking before you actually make any cuts)
Rise again. Lay the slices on a large, greased 13" by 18" baking pan about ½" - 1" apart. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes or until double and touching in the pan.

Step 3 - Baking

Bake. While your dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once risen, bake in a preheated oven for 20-24 minutes, or until the bottom and the top are golden brown.

Step 4 - Make the Orange Frosting

Make the frosting. In an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down very low and add the powdered sugar (3 cups), vanilla, orange extract flavoring, finely grated orange zest, and orange juice and then mix until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.
Spread over the sweet rolls. Spread a thick layer of this orange frosting onto the warm rolls, just out of the oven, paying close attention to evenly coat the edges of the sweet rolls. Enjoy!

Orange cinnamon rolls with orange flavored frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you reheat sweet rolls?

You can add the entire pan of rolls back in the oven on 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or you can place the sweet rolls in the microwave on a paper plate and heat it for about 20 seconds or until warm. Adding an extra dollop of orange frosting to the rolls when reheating makes them even more delicious! Enjoy!

Storing And Reheating

Refrigerator: wrap leftover sweet rolls in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: wrap sweet rolls in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
To Reheat: for a single portion, you can reheat in the microwave until warm. Otherwise, add the entire pan of rolls back into the oven at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. If you have extra frosting, feel free to add a little extra over the top.

homemade orange sweet rolls with orange dreamcicle frosting

Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls Recipe

These Homemade Sweet Orange Rolls with orange frosting are light, fluffy, and bursting with orange flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 409kcal

Author The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Sweet Roll Dough

2 cups Water warm
2 Tablespoons Rapid Rise Yeast
¼ cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter melted
5.5-6 cups All-Purpose Flour

Orange Roll Filling

4 Tablespoons Butter melted
½ cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Orange Zest or zest from 2 large oranges

Orange Frosting

½ cup Butter room temperature
3 cups Powdered Sugar plus an extra ½ cup if needed
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Orange Extract
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice

Instructions

Sweet Roll Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly and activates the yeast.
Add the melted butter, eggs, salt, and 2 cups of flour, then mix on low using the bread hook for 2 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed.
Add an additional 3.5 cups of flour, then stir on low to combine. You may need to add up to ½ a cup more (you will know you've added enough flour when the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl). Once all of the flour has been added, continue to knead on low for 3 minutes more.
Turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Assembling

Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and form it into a small rectangle with your hands. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into an approximately 24" x 12" rectangle (should be about ½" thick).
Melt the butter, then add the sugar and orange zest. Mix, then spread evenly over the rolled dough.
Starting at either 24" side, roll the dough up evenly making sure to get a nice tight tube, then cut into 12 evenly sized (roughly 1") slices using a very sharp knife. (NOTE: I recommend using a ruler and pre-marking before you actually make any cuts)
Lay the slices on a large, greased 13" by 18" baking pan about ½" - 1" apart. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes or until double and touching in the pan.

Bake

While your dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once risen, bake in a preheated oven for 20-24 minutes, or until the bottom and the top are golden brown.

How to Make Orange Frosting

In an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down very low and add the powdered sugar (3 cups), vanilla, orange extract flavoring, finely grated orange zest, and orange juice and then mix until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.
Spread a thick layer of this orange frosting onto the warm rolls, just out of the oven, paying close attention to evenly coat the edges of the sweet rolls. Enjoy!

Nutrition

More Sweet Roll Recipes

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These Homemade Sweet Orange Rolls with a Dreamsicle Orange Frosting are ooey and gooey and so fun to make. They're bursting with orange flavor and smothered with a sweet and tangy creamsicle orange frosting.

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