It's citrus season, so I have been making blood orange flavored everything. These blood orange sweet rolls are filled with orange zest, sugar, and pecans, then topped with tangy blood orange cream cheese icing! Best of all, you can prep them the night before and then just pop them in the oven first thing in the morning for breakfast or brunch!
These are basically just blood orange cinnamon rolls but since they don't contain cinnamon, I just call them sweet rolls!
You might also like these sourdough cinnamon rolls or this blood orange chocolate tart!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make these blood orange rolls!
Blood Oranges - I prefer to use blood oranges for their beautiful color! However, regular navel oranges will work just as well!
Pecans - This recipe works best with plain, unsalted, dry roasted pecans! You could also substitute toasted walnuts or just leave out the nuts all together.
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Whole Milk - The whole milk helps keep the brioche dough tender, but you can substitute skim milk or water if you prefer.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet Rolls
You can make these blood orange sweet rolls in one day or let them rise in the fridge overnight! I've included instructions for both options!
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, eggs, butter, whole milk, orange zest and orange juice) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It will roughly double in size.
While the dough is rising prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, add the orange zest to the sugar and gently massage into the sugar with your fingers (this helps release the oils to add extra orange flavor). Then add in the softened butter and mix together until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large 13x15 inch rectangle. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
Spread the orange sugar filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log). Then if desired, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the filling.
Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. If desired, trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 12 inches long.
For even slices, measure the dough and score the top at even intervals (about 1 inch apart).
Then using a very sharp serrated knife, or unflavored dental floss, cut the log into 12 1-inch pieces. [To cut with dental floss, break off a long piece and carefully slide underneath the dough. Then pull the ends of the floss and cross over the top. Pull gently to slice cleanly through the dough.]
Arrange the blood orange rolls in the greased baking dish.
Same Day Option: Cover loosely and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until the dough has puffed up and filled in some of the empty space.
Overnight Option: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (8-16 hours). The next morning, remove from the fridge at let rise at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the blood orange sweet rolls for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. The filling will be bubbly.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you make the glaze.
Spread the blood orange cream cheese frosting over the warm orange rolls and enjoy!
Tip: only frost the sweet rolls you're planning to eat right away and keep the extra frosting in the fridge!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be stored either frosted or unfrosted!
Pop in the microwave for about 30 seconds and they'll almost taste like they just came out of the oven!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Blood Orange Sweet Rolls
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest, optional
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup blood orange juice, about 1 orange
Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons blood orange zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, finely chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons blood orange juice, about 1 orange
Instructions
Dough
- You can make these blood orange sweet rolls in one day or let them rise in the fridge overnight! I've included instructions for both options!
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, eggs, butter, whole milk, orange zest and orange juice) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
- The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It will roughly double in size.
Filling
- While the dough is rising prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, add the orange zest to the sugar and gently massage into the sugar with your fingers (this helps release the oils to add extra orange flavor). Then add in the softened butter and mix together until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.
Assembly
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large 13x15 inch rectangle. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
- Spread the orange sugar filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log). Then if desired, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the filling.
- Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. If desired, trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 12 inches long.
- For even slices, measure the dough and score the top at even intervals (about 1 inch apart).
- Then using a very sharp serrated knife, or unflavored dental floss, cut the log into 12 1-inch pieces. [To cut with dental floss, break off a long piece and carefully slide underneath the dough. Then pull the ends of the floss and cross over the top. Pull gently to slice cleanly through the dough.]
- Arrange the blood orange rolls in the greased baking dish.
- Same Day Option: Cover loosely and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until the dough has puffed up and filled in some of the empty space.
- Overnight Option: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (8-16 hours). The next morning, remove from the fridge at let rise at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the blood orange sweet rolls for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. The filling will be bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while you make the glaze.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter until fully combined and smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
- Then slowly drizzle in the blood orange juice until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. [I like mine thick like frosting, but you can add in a little extra orange juice to make it more like a thin glaze.]
- Spread the blood orange cream cheese frosting over the warm orange rolls and enjoy!
- These sweet rolls are best eaten immediately, but you can cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be stored either frosted or unfrosted! Tip: only frost the sweet rolls you're planning to eat right away and keep the extra frosting in the fridge!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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