Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
DISCLAIMER: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you. Please read my policy page!
Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
These Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls are almost better than their classic counter parts–--seriously! Each roll boasts of it's brioche-like feel, fluffiness, tenderness with bold orange flavor and comes smothered in a rich, but perfectly orange-flavored glaze/frosting that won't disappoint. Truly the best breakfast, brunch, or dessert situation for the entire family during any season, especially citrus season. Overnight, Vegan, + Gluten-free options available.
OK, so I couldn't be more excited to share these Orange Cinnamon Rolls with ya'll because I'm definitely one who enjoys a good fluffy, brioche-like sweet roll. If you've been an avid reader of Orchids + Sweet Tea, then you know that we've been racking up quite the collection of these delicious sweet treats and I've made so many flavors that you're sure to find your favorite.
While I do enjoy the traditional recipe, I always enjoy taking things a bit further, especially when it comes to citrus season and using up all of those oranges----navel, mandarin, cara cara, you name it. It's all about eating these cinnamon rolls for breakfast or brunch or dessert or dinner (if that's you thing). Trust me, there won't be a moment of disappointment. Plus, you can make vegan cinnamon rolls or gluten free cinnamon rolls for those around you who need it.
And I KNOW! You might be thinking that aren't cinnamon rolls too dessert-like for breakfast, BUT I say no. You can totally eat something light for breakfast as the first thing in the morning and then enjoy a roll as an additional touch. Haha. Plus, it you're a fan of these cinnamon rolls then you're sure to thoroughly enjoy these Homemade Classic Cinnamon Rolls, Vegan Chai Latte Cinnamon Rolls, and Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls! Need some food inspiration? Look no further than our lineup of 21 Soul-Satisfying Southern Comfort Food Recipes and this Pan Seared Steak Recipe.
Trust me, once you taste just one of these rolls, you'll be so glad that you did! They're so brioche-like, soft, fluffy, and tender. Ugh---just glorious. While they do take a little time to perfect (especially the rising phase), I just love the finishing of these thick, tender rolls! Oh and I do have a secret ingredient to mine------bread flour! Yup. I love the brioche-like, fluffiness of using bread flour, so it's become my new cinnamon roll ingredient staple. That's my secret!
Jump to:
- Sweet Rolls or Cinnamon buns?
- Ingredients for Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Filling
- Orange Glaze/Frosting
- Why You'll Love These Cinnamon Rolls
- Can I Knead By Hand Instead of Using a Mixer?
- These Orange Cinnamon Rolls are Soft + Gooey...
- The SECRET to My Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls!
- Tips and Tricks for Making The PERFECT Cinnamon Rolls
- Why You'll Love These Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST
- Perfect Occasions For Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- What Is The Best Way To Cut Cinnamon Rolls?
- Common Q + A's for these Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- More Delicious Citrus Recipes to Try Next!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Sweet Rolls or Cinnamon buns?
No matter what you call them—cinnamon buns, cinnamon rolls, sweet rolls, sticky buns, sticky rolls, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon danish—everyone has a favorite. I've never met someone who didn't like them.
A cinnamon bun or sweet roll is a sweeter, fluffier bread dough with a filling, usually cinnamon-based, in the middle. They are usually served around the holidays. When the filling is cooked, it makes an iconic swirl of deliciousness.
Ingredients for Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Here's what you need for the fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls brioche-style dough:
- All-purpose flour. I use organic flour from Bob's Red Mill.
- Bread flour. You can find this from King Author or Bob's Red Mill.
- Milk. You can totally use regular whole milk or plant-based milk. Choose unsweetened. Feel free to use a different plant-based milk if you like. I recommend making easy homemade almond milk (my recipe doesn’t require soaking!)
- Orange zest and juice. Choose a heavy, juicy orange that's sweet and bold. This is the star flavor.
- Brown sugar. I like to use organic to ensure that it's vegan-friendly. This adds nice color and caramelization to the flavor of the rolls. You could also use cane sugar or coconut sugar.
- Eggs. You'll need them to be at room temp.
- Ground spices. In this recipe, I use cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Instant yeast. Also called Rapid Rise Yeast.
- Butter. Use warm, melted unsalted butter.
- WARM water. This is important to help activate the yeast at the beginning.
- Vanilla extract. The pure vanilla is the best flavor.
Cinnamon Roll Filling
Here's what you need to make the spiced filling for your cinnamon rolls:
- Brown sugar. Ensure that it's organic so that it's vegan-friendly.
- Butter. Again, unsalted butter. Soften the butter to room temperature for an easy spread.
- Cinnamon. Adds additional warm flavor to rolls.
Orange Glaze/Frosting
Top your cinnamon rolls with a delicious citrus-infused glaze made with:
- Powdered sugar. If you use granulated sugar, your frosting will have a gritty texture, so I highly recommend organic powdered sugar.
- Orange juice. You'll only need ½ of an orange for a fresh squeeze.
- Milk. You can use heavy cream, regular, or plant-based milk to add a bit of moisture to create a velvety glaze.
Why You'll Love These Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are an American pastry staple. Many breakfast restaurants and diners across the country make them, and they make them BIG! It's funny how cinnamon rolls are associated with breakfast when they are as sweet as a dessert, but they work for either meal. Or both meals! They are also a perfect kid-friendly lunchbox-friendly treat! Oh and don't forget that you can make these vegan or gluten free without compromising the flavor at all!
I've always had a fascination and love for cinnamon rolls. You can roll up pretty much anything into a fluffy homemade dough and it would be delicious, hence why I have so many types of cinnamon rolls on my site!
Can I Knead By Hand Instead of Using a Mixer?
Absolutely! Usually, I make my cinnamon roll dough via my electric stand-mixer which has the appropriate attachments for the kneading process, however, with these cinnamon rolls, I have had the pleasure of doing this all by hand and it wasn't difficult.
It just requires a bit more arm work, that's all! Plus, there’s nothing that a light drizzle of flour can’t help, right?! You'll basically follow all steps for making the dough in a large bowl and once it begins to come together and can form a ball, then you'll begin working the dough in a front-to-back and folding motion a few times until you begin to feel the dough "soften" and become elastic-like. It took me about 5-6 minutes or so total. Not bad!
These Orange Cinnamon Rolls are Soft + Gooey...
This recipe is for orange cinnamon rolls that you can really sink your teeth into. I definitely wanted you to feel like your were eating a classic slice of citrus or orange cake, therefore, I chose to highlight flavors like the orange throughout both the dough and glaze/frosting for a nice bold flavor profile, without being over-powering.
The glaze is super simple and ties everything together, especially with the orange notes. You really can't go wrong! We have options for our plant-based friends that want to enjoy all the goodness without the dairy too! Enjoy Vegan + Gluten-Free + Dairy-free options that meet everyone's dietary needs while remaining just as delicious as the classic version.
The SECRET to My Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls!
As I’ve mentioned many times before, I love adding Bob’s Red Mill Organic Bread Flour to my orange cinnamon rolls as a secret ingredient because it creates such fluffy rolls.
This bread flour is made with premium high-protein flour milled from America’s highest quality wheat. While using all-purpose flour can achieve soft cinnamon rolls, there’s just something special about the rolls when this type of flour mixes in. I don’t know how to explain it, but mixing in this bread type allows for the rolls to be thicker, airy, fluffy, soft, and just GOOD!
Tips and Tricks for Making The PERFECT Cinnamon Rolls
Due to many delicious attempts at perfecting this recipe, I have come across some very helpful tips that will ensure a perfectly baked cinnamon roll, especially these Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls:
NEVER OVERHEAT THE MILK!
It is so important that your milk is warm, but NOT hot! It should be warm to the touch. If you find that your milk has overheated, allow it to cool before adding the yeast. Milk that is too hot will kill the yeast and you won't get the big, fluffy rise in the dough. We want these rolls super fluffy, and that's only possible when the yeast is bloomed properly.
USE VERY SOFT BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
Like in most baking, room temperature ingredients mix better than cold ingredients. However, in the case of cinnamon rolls, I like to use very soft butter for the filling instead of melted butter, because I find that it creates a tender center and allows for a nice texture.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT OVER-MIXING
I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. With cakes and cookies, you never want to overwork a dough because working develops the gluten in the flour. Gluten development leads to a chewy, unpleasant texture in cakes and cookies, making them dense and heavy.
Because cinnamon rolls use a yeast dough, it is required to develop the gluten in the dough. The yeast brings elasticity that lightens and fluffs the dough, much like bread dough. When making these rolls, keep on mixing even after you think you've mixed enough!
RISE THE DOUGH OVERNIGHT
While I developed this recipe as a quick-bake cinnamon roll, more flavor develops in the dough if you allow it to rise overnight. The dough has more time to rise, leading to a more developed, yeast-bread flavor. This yeast flavor is a perfect pairing with the sweet filling and frosting.
USE A BREAD FLOUR MIX
After much trial and tribulation, I have found that a mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour is the perfect combination for cinnamon rolls. The bread flour gives a tender, thick, brioche-like texture that I think is perfect for this dish.
ROLL THEM UP TIGHT!
A loose roll will fall apart upon slicing and bake unevenly. Instead, begin with a very tight roll and keep that momentum throughout the roll. The dough is sturdy and can handle being rolled tightly due to its elasticity.
Why You'll Love These Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
OK, so if you’re still not entirely sold on these homemade orange cinnamon rolls, then let me tell you what’s so great about them:
- They are SOFT, FLUFFY, + BRIOCHE-LIKE in texture.
- A phenomenal make-ahead breakfast, brunch, or dessert situation.
- Fun to eat! Pillow-y spirals of buttery dough filled with hypnotic swirls and bold orange flavor!
- Mouthwatering, fluffy cinnamon goodness.
- Freezes beautifully for convenience.
- Perfect kid-friendly + lunchbox-friendly treat!
- Warm, gooey, and utterly delightful for any season, especially citrus season!
RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST
If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
Perfect Occasions For Orange Cinnamon Rolls
These events are a great excuse to eat cinnamon rolls!
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Barbecues
- Potlucks
- Kids Sleepovers
- Holiday Gatherings
- Graduations
- Baby Showers
- Dinner Parties
- Actually, any time is a good time for cinnamon rolls, right (much like cake)? Bake away for a little weekday pep-up!
What Is The Best Way To Cut Cinnamon Rolls?
Ready to ditch the traditional knife and embrace a quirky method for cutting cinnamon rolls? It's time to bring out the dental floss. Yes, you read that right! Unflavored dental floss is the secret weapon for perfectly sliced cinnamon rolls.
Why? Because it slices from the inside out, avoiding any squishing mishaps that can happen with a regular knife. Simply run it along the bottom of the rolls, and cross the two ends over each other. Give it a pull, and voila! Your perfectly sliced cinnamon rolls are ready to bake. But if you're using a knife, remember to channel your inner lumberjack and saw gently back and forth without squishing the rolls.
Common Q + A's for these Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
Basically, the main reason why your rolls aren't rising is because the yeast didn't fully activate as it should. All in all, your ingredients were TOO HOT or TOO COLD for the yeast to create a warm enough environment to do it's thing and "activate".
However, when using Rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast, it's usually easier to maneuver since it doesn't necessarily need to be "bloomed" before using. It's not dormant as regular active dry yeast, which makes it more convenient!
Not only are overnight cinnamon rolls super easy and convenient to make, but they also come out to be incredibly soft and fluffy in addition to my secret ingredient! Honestly, making these cinnamon rolls fully overnight was the best decision ever!
If you don’t want to make your Orange Cinnamon Rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Absolutely! When it comes to these cinnamon rolls or any for that matter, you always have the option of making them the traditional way which requires a 1-2 hours initial rise and then another 20-25 minute rise before baking OR an overnight option.
However, if you're in a rush to make these or don't want to deal with a long rise time, you can simply create your dough and do a quick rise (20-25 minutes) and placing them straight in the oven to bake. Either way, cinnamon rolls are AMAZING and worth whatever wait time you choose!
OK, so the great debate has been the idea of needing to add heavy cream or yogurt to your cinnamon rolls in order to add moisture. Now, I've seen many people top their cinnamon rolls with a few cups of heavy cream right before baking after it rises to create a soft, tender roll, BUT I've found a better trick.
Simply, make your glaze/frosting a few minutes before your rolls are out of the oven, then once you take them out, allow them to SLIGHTLY COOL for 10 minutes before topping half of your glaze atop the warm rolls. This way, it'll melt and seep through your rolls and add moisture. Then after 5-10 minutes, add the remaining glaze as your "final layer" and wallah! PERFECTLY MOIST ROLLS!
Absolutely! If you're looking to make these GF, I recommend substituting both flours with Bob's 1:1 Baking flour and slightly reducing the amount by 1 cup, slowing adding more if the dough is too sticky.
To make these orange cinnamon rolls vegan, simply omit the eggs and substitute with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Also, substitute the butter with vegan butter and ensure that you use plant-based milk.
OK, so you might think it's possible, but you can totally make cinnamon rolls, including these Orange Cinnamon Rolls without yeast, if you ever needed to! Just know that the texture wouldn't be as brioche-like or fluffy, and they'll be more dense, but still good.
Instead of yeast, you'll just need to substitute with 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder to allow some level of rise to occur.
More Delicious Citrus Recipes to Try Next!
Now that you're on a orange/citrus baking kick with these cinnamon rolls, give these other citrus-infused recipes that your entire family will love a try next:
- Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal + Roasted Oranges
- Citrus and Honey Mocktail
- Citrus Ginger Turmeric Ice Cubes and Tea
- Southern-Style Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
- Citrus Honey Mint Mocktail
- Lemon Brown Butter Pasta
- Lemon Coconut Cake
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Iced Lemon Loaf Pound Cake
- Creamy Lemon Broccoli Tortellini Soup
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.
Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 3 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 2 cups organic Artisan bread flour
- ½ cup organic brown sugar + 1 Tbsp
- 1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs, room temp.
- 1 Navel orange, freshly-squeezed
- 1 cup Almond milk + 2 Tbsps, at room temp. (You can use whole milk or your fave plant-based milk, if preferred)
- ¼ cup WARM water (See Notes!)
- 6 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted (Make sure that it's WARM, not hot!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING:
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
ORANGE GLAZE/FROSTING:
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
- ½ Navel orange, freshly-squeezed
- 1-2 Tbsps Almond milk (You can use whole milk, heavy cream, or your fave plant-based milk, if preferred)
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH:
- Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly pour in warm water while stirring frequently. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate.
- Add in the room temperature milk and warm butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the eggs (one at a time), orange juice, and vanilla, whisking to incorporate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt and add them to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
- Change “Mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed together with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
LET THE DOUGH RISE:
- Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.
- In the meantime, you can work on the filling!
FOR THE FILLING:
- Add the softened the butter (best if done at room temp. so that it's more "paste-like" in texture once smeared) in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon and brown sugar, mixing them together. Set aside.
ROLLING OUT OF DOUGH + ASSEMBLY:
- Once the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang from the sides.
- Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape (approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
- Then, generously add ¾ of the softened butter atop dough (spreading it out evenly with a spoon or knife), followed by the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, ensuring that the top is coated evenly. NOTE: I also use a 'pastry brush' to sweep sugar mixture evenly across the dough to ensure that every bite is sweet!
- Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5" rolls, placing each roll (cut side down) into a large baking dish (lined with parchment paper!).
RISE FOR A SECOND TIME + BAKE:
- Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls, smear the tops with remaining softened butter and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).
- Once the rolls have doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, bake them for approximately 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
- While all the baking magic is happening, make the Glaze/Frosting.
TO MAKE THE ORANGE GLAZE/FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, beat (using a hand-mixer) the softened butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice, and milk, beating everything together until the glaze becomes smooth and velvety. NOTE: Add additional milk (1 tablespoon at a time) if the glaze is too thick or powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) if too thin.
- Remove the rolls from oven and immediately spread half of the glaze/frosting atop WARM rolls. NOTE: This helps the rolls to become super "moist" as the glaze/frosting seeps in. Then add remaining glaze/frosting atop the first layer, before spreading it atop the rolls using a rubber spatula evenly until fully covered.
- To serve, cut out each roll desired and enjoy.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- TO STORE: Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
- RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST: If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
- FLOUR: If you don’t have bread flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead.
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: If you're looking to make these GF, I recommend substituting both flours with Bob's 1:1 Baking flour and slightly reducing the amount by 1 cup, slowing adding more if the dough is too sticky.
- OVERNIGHT OPTION: If you don’t want to make your Cinnamon Rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- VEGAN OPTION: To make these orange cinnamon rolls vegan, simply omit the eggs and substitute with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Also, substitute the butter with vegan butter and ensure that you use plant-based milk.
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS recipe?
Tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea
LOVE THIS RECIPE?
LET US KNOW!
So yummy! I love the orange in the icing! I think we would eat this in one sitting. No leftovers at all!
These look fantastic!! I love how professional they are and that you said you used to be intimidated by the idea of making them but are not anymore, great work.
Oh wow, these look absolutely heavenly!!
I love the sound of the orange flavour, and the frosting looks absolutely amazing! yum
Love the orange flavor in these rolls. They look so decadent and delicious!
I know what I will be making for breakfast tomorrow! This looks amazing and will pair nicely with my morning cup of coffee!
Orange.....cinnamon....cream cheese frosting......yesssss please!
Ohmygosh I can taste them already! Cannot wait to make these luxe rolls!
Oh my goodness, these sound so dangerous! I think I might eat the whole pan. Haha! That orange glaze sounds awesome!