---
title: Orange Rolls
servings: 8
category: lunch
source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023939-orange-rolls
description: "Citrusy cinnamon rolls made without yeast, perfumed with fresh orange zest and finished with an orange-cream cheese glaze."
tags:
  - vegetarian
  - dessert
  - bread
image: https://roux.roo.lol/recipe-images/orange-rolls.webp
---

Make the dough: Heat the #oven to 375°F. Place @light brown sugar{1/3%cup} in a small #bowl and zest the @orange{1} directly over it. Gently rub the zest into the sugar and transfer 2 tablespoons/25 grams of the orange sugar to a large #bowl to use for the dough. Save the rest of the orange sugar for the filling.

Add @all-purpose flour{1 2/3%cups}, @baking powder{1 3/4%tsp} and @salt{1/4%tsp} to the large bowl and whisk well. Add @unsalted butter{3%tbsp} and @cold cream cheese{2%tbsp}, and smash and rub them into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until they’re fully incorporated and the mixture resembles crumbs.

Add @whole milk{2/3%cup} all at once and stir gently with a fork until the dough comes together and no dry bits remain. Freeze while you prepare the pan and filling. Very generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round #cake pan or ovenproof #skillet with softened @unsalted butter{}.

Make the filling: Mix @ground cinnamon{1/2%tsp} (and cardamom if using) into the reserved orange sugar.

Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough or flour your hands to pat the dough into a 12-by-5-inch rectangle. It may be sticky; flour as needed so you can shape it.

To fill the dough, spread the very soft @unsalted butter{2%tbsp} evenly over the surface, then sprinkle the orange sugar on top. Starting with one long side of the dough, roll it up into a 12-inch-long log. If it sticks to the surface, scrape it up as you roll using a bench scraper or stiff spatula.

Use a serrated knife to cut the log with a sawing motion into 8 slices (about 1 1/2 inches thick). Place a slice in the center of the pan, then space the remaining slices about 1/2 inch apart around it. At this point, the rolls can be covered and chilled for up to 2 days before baking directly from the refrigerator.

Bake until golden on top, ~{23-25%minutes}. You don’t want to overbake, but want the dough cooked through — when you press the top, the roll shouldn’t sink but should spring back a little.

If you’d like to glaze the rolls, make the glaze while the rolls bake: Place @cream cheese{1/4%cup} and @confectioners sugar{3%tbsp} in a #bowl. Zest the @orange{1} directly over the sugar, then mix together until smooth. Squeeze in ~{2%tbsp} orange juice and mix well. The glaze should be thick because it will loosen on the hot rolls. Adjust confectioners' sugar or juice to taste.

Let the rolls cool for ~{5%minutes} in the pan, then spread the glaze all over them. Cool a bit longer to serve hot or warm.
