These Orange Breadstick Twists are soft, buttery, sweet, and covered in an easy homemade orange glaze. They make the perfect breakfast treat or midday snack with your coffee or tea.
Feel free to keep the dough as is, or pack it with more flavor and mix-ins, such as dried fruits, a combination of fresh citrus, or even candied orange peel. And if you are looking for more of the best sweet roll recipes, you can try my Caramel Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Sweet Rolls, or our Best Cinnamon Rolls.
Orange Breadstick Twists
The smell alone of these sweet breadsticks baking will make you want to eat them straight out of the oven. But, I highly recommend that you wait long enough to cover them in a thin layer of gooey, sweet orange glaze.
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The soft and tender breadstick dough is rolled out flat, divided into two pieces, and spread with a buttery orange filling in between. They’re cut into pieces, twisted, and baked until golden. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So much flavor! The combination of buttery dough and sweet citrus glaze with a ribbon of orange filling through the middle gives these breadsticks so much flavor in every bite.
- They’re super easy to make. Even though these breadsticks are made entirely from scratch, they are so simple to throw together. Once the dough is mixed, you just sandwich it together with the orange and sugar filling, then cut into long rectangles and twist them up.
- Neverending flavor variations. You can use this recipe as a base to make all kinds of flavor variations—different kinds of citrus, nuts, fruits, chocolate, and more!
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Water – you want your water to be between 95-105 degrees F. This helps to activate the yeast.
- Sugar – you can also substitute honey if you would like.
- Yeast – we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be “proofed.”
- Flour – all-purpose flour is perfect for this recipe.
- Fresh Oranges – to make the filling and the glaze, you will need both the zest and juice from fresh oranges.
- Butter – use unsalted butter for this recipe for both the bread dough and the icing.
- Powdered Sugar – it’s a good idea to sift your powdered sugar because it has a tendency to clump.
How to Make Orange Roll Twists
- Make the dough. Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast and let set until bubbly. Once proofed, add in the oil, salt, and about half of the flour. Mix until combined, then add in up to 2 more cups of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed for about 1-2 minutes, then cover and let rise until doubled in size.
- Roll and shape. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, then roll each to about 12” x 18” rectangles. Mix together the melted butter, sugar, and orange zest, then spread it over the top over one piece of dough. Top with the second dough, then cut the rectangle in half and then into 1 ½” strips. Twist each about 2-3 times, then place on a greased baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Make the icing. Combine the butter, orange zest, powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice and mix until fluffy.
- Serve. Drizzle the icing over the warm breadsticks. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations and Tips
- Flavor the dough and the icing with a different kind of citrus—lemon, blood orange, meyer lemon, etc. For the dough, mix the zest in with the dry ingredients first so that it won’t clump up as easily.
- Don’t rush the dough—making sure that the dough has plenty of time to rise helps keep the orange twists super soft and fluffy.
- Make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Or, you can shape the twists and gently cover with plastic wrap to store in the fridge the night before. The next day, pull them from the fridge and bring to room temperature before baking as directed.
Storage Instructions
- Storing instructions: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: transfer completely cooled bread to freezer bags and store frozen for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: reheat breadsticks in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes, or in the microwave.
More You’ll Love
These soft and chewy orange twist breadsticks are the prefect sweet treat for breakfast or a midday snack. They’re topped with an easy orange glaze made with fresh orange zest and juice.
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Orange Twist Breadsticks Recipe
These Orange Twist Breadsticks are soft, buttery, sweet, and covered in an easy homemade orange glaze. They make the perfect breakfast treat or midday snack with your coffee or tea.
Yields people
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup water, warm (95-110 degrees F)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3-3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Orange Twist Filling
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/2 cup sugar
Icing
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
- Once your yeast has proofed, add the avocado oil, salt, and about 1½ cups of flour. Using a dough hook, mix until all the ingredients are completely combined. Add up to 2 more cups of flour, about a 1/4 cup at a time, just until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
- Mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes, then cover and let the dough rest in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until about doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- Lightly grease your hands, then gently pull the dough out of the bowl and place on the counter. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to roughly 12" by 18" pieces, then place into a lightly greased baking sheet. Gently pull and press the dough until it covers the bottom, then continue to roll the second half of the dough the same as the first.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and orange zest. Mix, then use the back of a spoon to spread the orange mixture onto the dough in the baking sheet.
- Place the second sheet of dough onto the first. Pull the dough gently to match up the edges of the dough. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough in half and then into 1½" strips. Gently twist each of the strips about 2-3 times, then let them rest for about 15 minutes.
- Once they have had a chance to rest, bake in your preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the bottom and the top are golden brown.
- While they are baking, beat the room temperature butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down very low and add the orange zest, powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice. Mix on low until all the ingredients are combined, add more orange juice or powdered sugar as needed. Mix until smooth.
- Remove the breadsticks from the oven once baked and drizzle the icing over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing instructions: store breadsticks in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating: reheat in the microwave or a preheated oven for a few minutes.
Make-ahead tips: you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight when you are ready to use it.
Nutrition
Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 2mg
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