Quick & Easy Orange Sweet Rolls (Ready in 90 Minutes!)

Why I Like This Recipe

• Quick rise. These orange sweet rolls only need to rise for 30 minutes, then go straight into the oven. Fresh sweet rolls from start to finish in a little over an hour!
• Easy to adapt. This sweet dough is an adaptation of one I stumbled upon probably 15 years ago. It's incredibly versatile, and I use it for many delicious recipes, such as braided cherry bread and quick-rise cinnamon rolls with buttercream frosting.
• One recipe for both filling and frosting. The filling for the orange rolls is the same as the frosting. You'll use half inside the rolls and half spread over the baked orange rolls. Easy!

What Others Are Saying

These are amazing! Best sweet rolls I’ve ever had. My husband agrees.---Dede

Tips and Tricks

• How to slice orange roll dough. To cut rolls traditionally, roll the dough into a log, then use a sharp serrated knife to cut it into slices before baking. You can also use dental floss or twine to tie off the slices. Lately, my go-to method is to use a pizza cutter to slice the rolled-out dough into strips, then roll each strip individually into a roll.
• Let the orange rolls cool slightly before frosting. This may be a matter of personal preference, so I'll share my reasoning with you and let you decide. If you spread the hot rolls with icing, it will melt into a clear glaze over the rolls. If you wait 10-15 minutes, then spread, you'll get a soft frosted cinnamon roll. I prefer to frost warm cinnamon rolls rather than hot, but again, that's simply a personal preference.
• How to reheat orange rolls. For a fresh-from-the-oven taste on day 2 or 3, simply pop the rolls in the microwave for a few seconds!

Ingredients

Sweet Roll Dough

• Milk: Adding milk to a yeast bread dough enhances the richness and golden color of the baked goods.
• Butter: You are welcome to use margarine if you prefer, but I like salted butter for baked goods, as it adds a richer texture and flavor.
• Flour: Both all-purpose flour and bread flour work well for this recipe.
• Yeast: Use instant yeast if you have it on hand. It works best for this quick-rise recipe.
• Sugar: Just a small amount to sweeten the dough.
• Salt: For flavoring. It's just a small amount, but omitting salt in a bread recipe is a mistake; you'll notice it right away.
• Water
• Egg: Eggs bind ingredients together and add richness.

Orange Roll Filling and Frosting

• Butter: Again, butter is my go-to, but you can use margarine.
• Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness and a soft, fluffy texture.
• Orange zest: Zest adds amazing flavor to the filling and frosting.
• Orange juice: Fresh orange juice is used to think out the frosting instead of milk. It also adds flavor.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Orange Sweet Rolls

Step 1: Prepare the dough by mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 2: Knead the dough until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together frosting ingredients.

Step 4: Roll the dough into a 12"x9" rectangle. Spread half of the orange frosting over the dough. 

Step 5: Shape orange rolls. There are two ways to do this:

• Roll up the dough and pinch the seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal-sized rolls using a sharp knife or string.
• You can also use a pizza cutter to slice the rolled-out dough into 12 strips, then roll each strip individually into a roll (as shown in the image).

Step 6: Place rolls on a lightly greased 9x13" baking pan.

Step 7: Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Step 8: Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until browned. Spread remaining frosting over warm rolls. 

Orange Rolls FAQs

More Sweet Roll Recipes To Make

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