Description
Deliciously soft and sweet orange rolls, featuring a fluffy yeast dough filled with a fragrant orange zest butter mixture. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, these rolls have a tender crumb and a bright citrus flavor, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- Zest of 2 small oranges (or 1 large)
Instructions
- Prepare milk and butter mixture. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until the butter is fully melted. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
- Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine the active-dry yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes or until it becomes foamy, indicating the yeast is active.
- Make the dough. Once the milk and butter mixture is lukewarm, add it to the foamy yeast mixture and stir well. Add the beaten eggs, then gradually incorporate all 4 1/2 cups of flour to form a sticky dough.
- First rise. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
- Prepare the filling. Mix together the softened butter, sugar, and orange zest until well combined. Set aside.
- Divide and roll out dough. Punch down the risen dough to release air. Divide the dough in half. Flour your hands and work surface generously. Take one half of the dough and roll it out into a large rectangle.
- Spread filling and shape rolls. Spread half of the orange butter filling evenly over the rolled dough. Roll the dough lengthwise tightly, like cinnamon rolls. Slice into 12 equal pieces and place each piece into greased muffin tins.
- Repeat with second half. Repeat the rolling, filling, slicing, and placing steps with the remaining dough and filling.
- Second rise. Cover the muffin tins with kitchen towels and let the rolls rise again until doubled in size.
- Bake the rolls. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Bake the rolls for 15 minutes until they are golden and cooked through. Remove from oven and enjoy warm.
Notes
- The dough is sticky, so flour your hands and work surface well to prevent sticking.
- You can substitute orange zest with lemon zest for a different citrus flavor.
- For extra sweetness, add a glaze made from powdered sugar and orange juice after baking.
- Store leftover rolls in an airtight container; they keep well for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.
