Orange Cinnamon Rolls

I’m away at a foodie blogger's get-together this week. We did this in March, too, and it’s so lovely to get together with others in this space! We can talk about websites, recipes, and photography non-stop, and no one gets bored! So I’m a bit behind with this week’s Substack, and I’m writing it this morning before our next day of chats gets started. I’m sharing some gooey orange-cinnamon rolls today. There’s orange zest in the dough and the filling, and it goes so perfectly with warm cinnamon. The dough is lightly enriched and can be worked with by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. The dough will rise twice. The first can happen at room temperature, or you can let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight.

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

The printable recipe is here.

• 180 g (3/4 cup) whole milk

• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast

• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

• 530 g (4 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 60 g (1/4 cup) fresh orange juice

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons orange zest finely grated

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 85 g (6 Tbsp) butter, softened to room temperature

Filling

• 55 g (4 Tbsp) softened butter

• 100 g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar

• 1 Tablespoon orange zest finely grated

• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Frosting

• 113 g (1/2 cup) block-style cream cheese, room temperature

• 30 g (2 Tbsp) butter, softened to room temperature

• 180 g (1 1/2 cup) confectioner sugar

• 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

• 1 Tablespoon orange zest finely grated

• Pinch of salt

* The cup sizes given are US-sized cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use grams.

Method

In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.

Add the flour, orange juice, eggs, zest, and salt to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix until a thick dough forms. Add the softened butter, a few cubes at a time.

Mix at medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and strong, or knead by hand for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic and smooth. If you need a break, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and return to it; dough like this responds well to resting time and can become easier to knead.

Once kneaded, form the soft dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 ½ hours, or pop it in the fridge overnight (but ensure it’s well covered so it doesn’t dry out.)

Filling

In a medium bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and cardamom with an electric mixer until they form a creamy paste. Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large 12×16-inch rectangle  (30cm x 40 cm).

Add the filling mixture and use an offset spatula to spread it out. Roll the dough up, starting from the longest side up the top, into a jelly-roll style log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces and place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls have their second rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C. Bake the rolls in the oven for 25-28 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil. While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the confectioners' sugar, orange zest, orange juice and salt. Beat on low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy. Let the buns cool for 20 minutes, then spread on the orange icing. Top with a bit of extra orange zest. 

Happy baking!