Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls
The ultimate comfort food, Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls are sweet, fluffy, and infused with fresh orange flavor. These rolls are perfect for breakfast or brunch, and they’re guaranteed to impress your friends and family. Try them tonight and taste the love in every bite!
Equipment
- 9" diameter cake pan
Ingredients
- 3⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2¼ teaspoon rapid rise dry yeast 1 package, active dry yeast will work, too
- ½ cup whole milk warmed to approx. 100° F
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, and then cooled to approx. 100° F
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 cup confectioner's sugar aka powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough attachment, mix together the flour and the yeast. With the mixer on medium speed, add the warmed milk and melted butter (that's cooled slightly) to flour/yeast mixture. Next add in the sour cream, sugar, salt, and egg. Beat at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 5 minutes. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still stick to the bottom.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the prepared bowl, turning to coat the top. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm draft-free place until it has doubled in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
- While the dough is rising, spray a 9-inch round pan (2 inches in height) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Once the dough has risen, lightly punch it down and on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 14-inch by 10-inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter (6 tablespoons) evenly over the dough. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar (⅔ cup) and zest (2 tablespoons) then sprinkle it over the butter. Starting on one long side, roll the dough into a log. Make sure to roll it tightly for uniform rolls that bake evenly.
- Slice the log into 9 to 10 rolls. Place them in the prepared pan, ensuring they’re close but not touching. Cover the rolls again and let them rise in a warm draft-free place until almost doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls uncovered until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they bake to prevent over-browning.
- Let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon zest, confectioners' sugar, and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle and smear the icing over the warm rolls, allowing it to melt into the crevices.
Notes
- Tip 1: If using active dry yeast in place of rapid rise, simply allow the dough to rise a little longer.
- Tip 2: Don't add really hot milk and melted butter to the flour/yeast mixture; if you do, it will kill the yeast and the dough won't rise.
- Tip 3: The dough can be prepared the night before; simply cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Tip 4: If you don't have a zester or micro-plane, you can rub the skin of the oranges against the small blades on the side of a box cutter.