The BEST Glazed Orange Rolls — These homemade orange rolls are filled with a buttery orange filling and are topped with a simple orange glaze. They can be prepped the night before, if needed.
Glazed Orange Sweet Rolls
These orange rolls are so soft, moist, tender, wonderfully sweet, and just irresistibly good. They’re one of the best things that has ever come out of my kitchen.
For the filling, I used store-bought orange marmalade, but if you have homemade, even better. I love the tiny bits of orange rind that are almost imperceptible in the finished rolls, but there’s just enough to add subtle texture.
The glaze is an orange juice-based confectioners’ sugar glaze, with orange zest stirred in for an extra pop of orange flavor.
The glaze is poured on as soon as the rolls come out of the oven. It soaks into the nooks and crannies and adds more moisture and softness to the already moist, soft orange cinnamon rolls.
Some glaze will drip through onto the bottom of the baking pan, so make sure to spoon it up and don’t waste of drop of that liquid gold.
Try them and you’ll be a believer, too. I promise. People here may have fought over who got the last one.
Ingredients in Orange Rolls
There are three components to this recipe for orange glazed cinnamon rolls: the dough, the orange filling, and the orange glaze.
To make the orange cinnamon roll dough, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Instant or dry yeast
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
For the orange filling, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Orange marmelade
- Light brown sugar
And for the orange glaze, you’ll need:
- Orange juice
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Salt
- Milk or cream
- Orange zest
Glaze Tip
I’ve also made the glaze using lemon juice when I was testing the recipe and if you’re a lemon fan, it’s a fun twist.
How to Make Orange Rolls
Making orange cinnamon rolls with orange icing is fairly simple, but as with any sweet roll recipe there’s quite a bit of prep work involved in rolling out and shaping the dough.
Here’s an overview of how the orange glazed sweet rolls are prepared:
- You first need to make the yeast dough. Once the dough comes together, let it rise for roughly 2 hours in a greased bowl, or until it’s doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a large rectangle.
- Spread the butter evenly over the dough, followed by the orange marmalade and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
- Gently roll up the orange roll dough and slice it into 20 even pieces.
- Place the orange rolls into your prepared baking pan and let them rise for another hour, or until doubled in size.
- Once risen, bake the orange cinnamon rolls until they’re golden on top.
- As soon as the orange rolls come out of the oven, whisk together the orange glaze and evenly drizzle it over the rolls. These beauties are best enjoyed immediately!
FAQs
The dough is buttermilk-based, and although I’ve made non-buttermilk sweet rolls before, for the softest, lightest, and most tender rolls, I swear by buttermilk. Between the eggs, butter, and buttermilk, the dough rises beautifully and it’s my new favorite dough base.
Yes, there’s an option to make the orange cinnamon rolls as overnight rolls. Start the dough at night, roll and shape it, and don’t let the dough rise.
Then refrigerate the coiled rolls until you’re ready to bake the next morning. Before baking, let the rolls rise at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
This way you don’t have to get up at 5am to have these ready with your first cup of coffee!
Yes, these sweet rolls can be made and baked to completion, and then frozen for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat the frozen rolls, set them on your counter to thaw and glaze them immediately prior to serving.
If you want to make these orange rolls in bulk in advance, I recommend baking these from start to finish and then freezing, rather than trying to freeze unbaked dough.
Tips for Making Orange Rolls From Scratch
Ingredients: Because this is more of a special occasion breakfast, I recommend buying the exact ingredients I call for in the recipe and not making any substitutions. Real buttermilk makes a big difference in these orange rolls, as does real butter and sugar.
Slicing cinnamon rolls: When slicing the orange cinnamon rolls, I highly suggest using dental floss instead of a knife to do the job. Floss doesn’t compress the rolls like a knife does, and it makes the process go more smoothly.
Storage: And if you have leftover orange rolls, you’ll want to keep them on your counter. If you store these in the fridge, they’ll dry out quickly.
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The Best Glazed Orange Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast, one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
- pinch salt, to taste
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
Filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3/4 of 1 stick, very soft – let it sit out while dough rises
- about 1 cup orange marmalade
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
Orange Glaze
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, orange extract may be substituted
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- pinch salt, optional and to taste (helps balance the sweetness)
- about 3 tablespoons milk or cream, or as needed for consistency
- 3 teaspoons orange zest, divided
Instructions
- Make the Dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or use a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon and your hands), add 3 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt; set aside.
- In 2-cup glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, and the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add buttermilk to melted butter and warm to temperature, about 45 seconds on high power in the microwave. (Based on the type of yeast used, milk temperatures will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower temperatures, about 95 to 105F. Heat the mixture according to manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging. Taking the temperature with a digital thermometer is highly recommended, but if you’re not, make sure the milk is warm, not hot. Err on the cooler rather than hotter side so you don’t kill the yeast.) If the milk separates or gets a little funny looking after being warmed, whisk it to smooth it out.
- Add butter-buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, crack and lightly whisk the eggs, and then add eggs to mixing bowl.
- Turn mixer on low speed and allow it to knead dough for about 5 to 7 minutes (about 7 to 10 minutes by hand using a wooden spoon and then switching to your hands). 3 cups of flour and 5 minutes is perfect for me, but if after 5 minutes your dough is very sloppy, wet, and won’t come together, add up to 1/4 cup flour, or as needed until it does come together. However, the more flour added, the denser and heavier the rolls will be; wetter dough is preferred to overly dry. If dough is dry or crumbly, drizzle in buttermilk until it comes together.
- Remove dough from the mixing bowl, spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl, and flip it over once so it’s lightly oiled on both top and bottom.
- Cover bowl with plasticwrap and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or doubled in size. I keep my bowl inside a powered-off oven that I preheated for 1 minute to 400F, then it’s powered off. Do not, repeat do not, keep the oven on. The pre-heated, warm oven creates a nice 85F-ish environment, ideal for yeast. If your rising spot is cold, rising will likely take longer than 2 1/2 hours.
- While dough rises, line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Roll Out the Dough & Fill
- After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a Silpat or floured countertop.
- With a rolling pin, roll it out to about 26-by-13-inches. Use the 13-inch side of the 9-x13 pan to eyeball it, no need use a ruler.
- Using a knife, evenly spread butter over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch bare margin.
- Add about 3/4 cup marmalade, more as needed, and smooth it with a knife. It should be a thin-ish layer; too much and you risk it leaking, but not enough and the rolls aren’t orangey enough; use your judgment. The butter and marmalade get smeared together, which is okay.
- Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over the top, and lightly pat it down with your fingertips to help it adhere.
- Slice the Dough
- Starting with a long edge (the 26-inch side), roll the dough into a tightly wound log, with the seam side down.
- Using a knife, make small hash marks so there will be 20 evenly sized rolls (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide; or make bigger rolls and yield 12 to 16). Hash marks create less guesswork once you start slicing and things get messier and harder to eyeball where to slice; the hash marks are nice place-markers.
- Use plain, unwaxed dental floss to slice the rolls. I highly recommend slicing the rolls with floss, not knives. Floss does not squish or compact the log like knives do.
- Arrange the rolls in the prepared pan, 5 rows of 4 rolls across. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour. (See note below)*
- Bake the Orange Rolls
- Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and cooked through (ovens, dough, and climates vary and so will baking duration, but 1 to 2 minutes matters in this recipe). Watch rolls like a hawk and don’t overbake or they won’t taste nearly as good.
- Make the Orange Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add the orange juice, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, optional salt, and whisk to combine; mixture will be thick.
- Drizzle in the milk as needed until mixture can be whisked smooth and is to desired consistency.
- Whisk in 2 teaspoons zest; set aside remainder.
- Evenly pour glaze over rolls.
- Evenly sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon zest.
- Serve immediately. Rolls are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight at room temp for up to 4 days; reheat in micro for about 5 seconds to re-soften or as desired. I am comfortable keeping glazed rolls at room temp and do not recommend storing them in the fridge because they will dry out.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These are amazing!
Just a tip: I noticed that some people are having problems with preheating the oven for only one minute with the setting at 400 degrees. I set mine at the LOWEST setting, i.e. 100 degrees F, and then turn it off when it reaches that temp. After I’ve opened the door to put in the dough, I know the temp has dropped even further. It works very well, and won’t get too hot (even if I forget to turn it off.) It heats at the same speed;. In an electric oven, 400 degrees is just the temp. at which it stops heating. It doesn’t affect the temp. of the elements or the rate at which the oven heats. Thanks for the recipe!
Yes this is a constant battle because people don’t read everything in full and they act before reading everything thoroughly is my guess.
And this isn’t a “required” step, it’s a helpful trick (but only if one reads well!).
Glad the 100F setting works great for you!
Love, love, love your website and these rolls are fabulous. We made these twice in 1 week and each time they were devoured in 24 hours by 3 people!! Decadent!
Have you ever made these in a sheet pan (like your cinnamon rolls) so they don’t squish?
Love, love, love your website and these rolls are fabulous. We made these twice in 1 week and each time they were devoured in 24 hours by 3 people!! Decadent!
Have you ever made these in a sheet pan (like your cinnamon rolls) so they don’t squish?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they have been a hit and devoured within a day and that you made them twice in a week!
I haven’t ever made them in a sheet pan but you could give it a try or use a slightly larger pan that’s not a sheet pan to allow for a bit more spacing.
First time making orange rolls and they came out awesome! My hubby absolutely loves the buttery orangey sweetness of these rolls. The only thing is they were on the soft side (melt in your mouth kind) and I wonder if it’s the way this recipe is set to be? It’s not really fluffy and chewy like most rolls, probably because of the amount of glaze on top. Overall really happy. Thanks!
First time making orange rolls and they came out awesome! My hubby absolutely loves the buttery orangey sweetness of these rolls. The only thing is they were on the soft side (melt in your mouth kind) and I wonder if it’s the way this recipe is set to be? It’s not really fluffy and chewy like most rolls, probably because of the amount of glaze on top. Overall really happy. Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they turned out awesome on your first attempt!
Yes these are a very soft roll, not a very dense or chewy roll, definitely on the softer side. But maybe you’d benefit from a touch more flour and/or more kneading, that will cause more gluten to develop and will create a fluffier and chewier roll. With bread making, there is a bit of trial and error, especially since exact ingredients, climates, etc vary.
Just checked my raising dough and I’m pretty sure it’s ruined. I preheated and turned off the oven as in the recipe. The bowl is so hot and I’m sure the yeast was affected, it hasn’t risen at all. How much earlier do you preheat the oven before putting the dough in to raise?
I basically preheat my oven for a few minutes, shut the oven off, and put the dough into rise. I basically preheat my oven for a few minutes, shut the oven off, and put the dough into rise. It’s supposed to be a warm environment, it’s not supposed to be so hot that it’s cooking anything or overheating anything. During the winter months, it’s hard to get dough rise in a cold kitchen on the counter which is why I suggest this trick, but if it’s more trouble than it’s worth, just allow your dough to rise in the future on the counter.
These are delicious! I baked a pan for Christmas and popped it in the freezer. What would you suggest is the best way to thaw it?
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad these turned out delicious! For thawing, I would simply placed on your counter top and let it come to room temperature, however long that takes, it might be a couple hours it might be 10 hours, depending on how warm or cold your kitchen is. And then maybe I would put one in the microwave at a time for 10 seconds before I actually ate it with extra icing 👍
I love to bake, but I am hesitant when it comes to using yeast. This recipe is amazing. I tried it out today and I immediately ate one. Oh my goodness! I will use this recipe from now on. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that you love these!
How do you know when they are cooked through as mine seemed a bit doughy on the bottom but golden on top after 15min. of cooking.
I guess you just have to have a bit of experience to know when a roll is done. If they seemed doughy, then I would say give them a few more minutes.
I’ve made this 3x and the first rise only takes an hour, not 2-2 1/2. Also, I use a Kyocera ceramic knife for slicing. The blade is very thin.
I am a new baker and I don’t know what I did wrong,
The first raise was beautiful, the second rise after the rolls were in the pan not so much. The rolls flavor is delicious but they are small and very dense, almost hard. What did I do wrong?
I got your email as well. I really don’t know what to say. Usually if the first rise is fine, things will be fine. Not sure why they didn’t rise much on the second rise and that they were hard. Making bread can be tricky at times and it’s so hard to say from afar what exactly happened. Thanks for trying the recipe.
(I’m attempting my question again, can’t find it when I scroll through so maybe it didn’t post.)
I’ve made these a few times and they are always fabulous, always a huge hit! I’ve used the bake-straight-through method as well as the overnight method, both work great. Now I’m even shorter on time for a morning, but still would love to make these for friends. Do you think they would be just as delicious if I baked them the night before, then left them in the fridge (or on counter?) overnight, and then reheated and added the glaze in the morning?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are always a hit! With cinnamon rolls or sweet rolls like this I do think that fresh is best but if it’s just overnight maybe they will still be just as good if you heat them up slightly and then glaze that morning.
I’ve made these a few times and they’re always a huge hit! I’ve used both the bake-straight-through method and the overnight method. Now I am wondering if I can bake straight through one day, put them in the fridge (or on the counter?), and then just heat them up and add the glaze the next morning. Do you think they’d be just as fabulous?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are always a hit! With cinnamon rolls or sweet rolls like this I do think that fresh is best but if it’s just overnight maybe they will still be just as good if you heat them up slightly and then glaze that morning.
Hi! Planning to make these today. Do you know how well it would work to double the recipe or would it be better to just do the whole thing twice? Thanks!
Good question. I have never doubled it and making the whole thing twice is more of a guarantee for success but if you are an experienced bread-maker, I don’t think it would matter too much. Enjoy!