Orange Rolls
Soft yeasted rolls swirled with orange zest and sugar, baked until golden and glazed with orange icing.
Before You Start
Use warm milk, not hot.
Stop adding flour while the dough is still tacky.
If your oven runs hot, check at 20 minutes.
Cut the roll with thread or a sharp knife for neat slices.
Cooking Orange Rolls
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Mix the flour, yeast, 60 g sugar and salt. Add the warm milk, egg and melted butter and mix to a soft dough.
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Knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave for 1 hour until doubled.
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Roll the dough into a 30 by 40 cm rectangle. Spread with the softened butter, then the filling sugar mixed with the zest.
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Roll up from the long side, cut into 12 slices and set them in a lined 25 by 35 cm tin. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Mix the icing sugar and juice and spread over the warm rolls.
What's Going On Here
Keep the dough soft. That is most of the recipe, and the part people skip.
The dough should feel tacky but not stick to your hands, so add flour a spoonful at a time and stop early. Knead for 8 minutes until it springs back when pressed. Warm milk, not hot, wakes the yeast. Hot milk kills it, and the dough will not rise.
Leave it for 1 hour until doubled. Roll it into a rectangle, spread it with softened butter and a mix of sugar and orange zest, and roll it up tightly from the long side. Cut it into twelve slices and set them in a lined tin.
Let the rolls rise again for 30 minutes, then bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. If your oven runs hot, check at 20 minutes. Ice them while still warm. Grate the zest before squeezing the oranges, as a squeezed orange is nearly impossible to zest.
Storage and Reheating
Best the day they are baked. Keeps in a tin for 2 days.
Good With
- Hot coffee
- Fresh orange segments
- Warm milk
- Hot tea
Still Wondering?
How long does Orange Rolls take to make?
About 55 minutes of hands-on work — 30 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking — plus 1 hour 30 minutes of Rising, so allow 2 hours 25 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 12.
What are the key tips for making Orange Rolls?
Use warm milk, not hot. Stop adding flour while the dough is still tacky. If your oven runs hot, check at 20 minutes. Cut the roll with thread or a sharp knife for neat slices.
What should I serve with Orange Rolls?
Hot coffee; Fresh orange segments; Warm milk; Hot tea.
How should Orange Rolls be stored?
Best the day they are baked. Keeps in a tin for 2 days.
Is Orange Rolls suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Orange Rolls?
About 336 kcal per serving, with 6 g protein, 51 g carbohydrate and 12 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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