Homemade Orange Rolls

Homemade orange rolls are like cinnamon rolls but with a delicious orange sugar filling and citrus glaze frosting. Use the Instant Pot to proof dough even faster!

Buttery orange rolls taste so fresh with citrus zest that you’ll want them for breakfast and not only for dessert. My great grandma Busch used to make orange rolls. Sadly, she never passed down her recipe but I think these come pretty close.

If you love bread, check out my amazing homemade bread recipe, which is made out of the same dough base that we’ll be using in this recipe.

We’ll also be using my Instant Pot hack to speed up proofing dough with the Instant Pot. But don’t worry, you can proof dough the traditional way without an Instant Pot too.

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Make dough:

Mix dough in by hand or using a stand mixer. Then proof dough in the Instant Pot or the traditional method.

1. Add 2 cups warm water, 2 tbsp yeast and 1/3 cup sugar into bowl of a stand mixer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes bubbly.
2. Add 2/3 cup oil, 3 cups of flour and 2 tsp salt to the yeast mixture. With dough hook attachment, mix ingredients on low speed for 1 minute.
3. Continue mixing on low speed until flour is incorporated. Slowly add remaining flour cup by cup until dough clean itself from the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough may need an additional 1/2 cup of flour (for a total of 5.5-6 cups of flour). Continue mixing for 5 more minutes to allow time for the dough to become more elastic from activating the gluten.

proof dough

Choose from one of the methods below to proof dough.

• Traditional method: place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
• Instant Pot dough proofing with yogurt mode method: Grease pot or use a piece of parchment paper in bottom of pot. Place dough in bottom of Instant Pot. Cover with a clear lid or plate that fits (I prefer clear lid to see the dough rise). Push yogurt button. Press adjust button until set to ‘less’ or ‘low’ temperature. Do NOT use it if screen reads boil, this will burn your dough. Keep adjusting setting until ‘low’ reads on screen. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Dough is done when doubled in size.
• Proof dough in Instant Pot Lux model (without yogurt mode) method: Place trivet in bottom of pot. Add 1 cup water to pot. Grease a glass or stainless steel bowl that will fit inside the Instant Pot. Place dough inside bowl and place bowl on trivet. Cover Instant Pot with a clear lid or plate. Push KEEP WARM button and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off and unplug Instant Pot. Set another timer for 15-20 minutes. Let dough rise until double in size during this time.

Making Orange Filling and Roll UP dough:

While dough is rising, make the orange filling.

1. Grate/zest 2 oranges. Reserve 1 tsp orange zest for glaze, set aside.
2. In a bowl or stand mixer, add orange zest (except for the 1 tsp reserved).
3. Juice oranges. Add 2 tbsp orange juice into bowl for the filling. Save extra juice for glaze, set aside.
4. Add softened butter and sugar into filling bowl. Mix well.
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down dough to remove extra gas bubbles. Place dough on a lightly floured surface or use a large silicone baking mat for easy rolling. Roll dough out into about 16×20″ size rectangle.
6. Using a spatula, spread filling evenly across dough. Starting with the longest side, tightly roll up dough into a log. Pinch seam closed and roll dough seam side down.

Slice dough, rise and bake:

1. Using a serrated knife or long piece of thread, cut dough equally into a little larger than 1″ pieces (18 pieces). To cut with a thread, slide thread underneath dough. Bring both edges up over dough log and cross each other. Continue to cross/pull thread until it cuts dough through.
2. Place rolls onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Bake rolls at 350F for 17 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and cooked through.

Drizzle glaze on top:

Make orange glaze while rolls are baking. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 4 1/2 tbsp orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. I like to use this silicone pastry brush. Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Orange Rolls

Homemade orange rolls are like cinnamon rolls but with an orange sugar filling and delicious citrus glaze frosting. Use the Instant Pot to proof dough even faster!

(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 57 minutes minutes

Servings: 18 rolls

Calories: 220kcal

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 cups warm water
• [1/3 cup sugar]
• [2 tbsp active dry yeast]
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• [5 1/2 cups all purpose flour]
• [Nonstick spray]

Orange Filling:

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed
• Zest of 2 orange rinds reserve 1 tsp zest for glaze below

Orange Glaze Frosting:

• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 4 1/2 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed from oranges above
• 1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

• Add water, yeast and sugar into bowl of a stand mixer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes bubbly.
• Add oil, 3 cups of flour and salt to the yeast mixture. With dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute.
• Continue mixing on low speed until flour is incorporated. Slowly add remaining flour cup by cup until dough clean itself from the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough may need an additional 1/2 cup of flour (for a total of 5.5-6 cups of flour). Continue mixing for 5 more minutes to allow time for the dough to become more elastic from activating the gluten.
• Next, proof dough. (See notes below for proofing dough in Instant Pot with the yogurt mode or without yogurt mode). For traditional method to proof dough: Lightly grease/oil a large bowl. Remove dough from mixing bowl and gently shape into a ball and place in the greased bowl. Cover with a light towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• While dough is proofing, make orange filling. Grate/zest 2 oranges. Reserve 1 tsp orange zest for glaze, set aside.
• In a bowl or stand mixer, add orange zest (except for the 1 tsp reserved).
• Juice oranges. Add 2 tbsp orange juice into bowl for the filling. Save extra juice for glaze, set aside.
• Add softened butter and sugar into filling bowl. Mix well.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down dough to remove extra gas bubbles. Place dough on a lightly floured surface or use a large silicone baking mat for easy rolling. Roll dough out into about 16x20" size rectangle.
• Using a spatula, spread filling evenly across dough. Starting with the longest side, tightly roll up dough into a log. Pinch seam closed and roll dough seam side down.
• Using a serrated knife or long piece of thread, cut dough equally into a little larger than 1" pieces (18 pieces). To cut with a thread, slide thread underneath dough. Bring both edges up over dough log and cross each other. Continue to cross/pull thread until it cuts dough through.
• Place rolls onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Bake rolls at 350F for 17 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and cooked through.
• Make orange glaze while rolls are baking. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine powdered sugar, 4 1/2 tbsp orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest.
• Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Speed up the process and proof Dough in Instant Pot 2 ways:

To proof dough with Instant Pot Lux Model (without yogurt mode): Place trivet in bottom of pot. Add 1 cup water to pot. Grease a glass or stainless steel bowl that will fit inside the instant pot. Place dough inside bowl and place bowl on trivet. Cover Instant Pot with a clear lid or plate. Push KEEP WARM button and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off and unplug Instant Pot. Set another timer for 15-20 minutes. Let dough rise until double in size.

To proof dough in Instant Pot with yogurt mode: Grease pot. Place dough in bottom of Instant Pot. Cover with a clear lid or plate that fits (I prefer clear lid to see the dough rise). Push yogurt button. Press adjust button until set to 'less' or 'low temperature. Do NOT use it if screen reads boil, this will burn your dough. Keep adjusting setting until 'low' reads on screen. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Dough is done when doubled in size.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 301mg | Sugar: 26g