Sourdough orange cinnamon rolls offer the same soft, gooey bite as classic cinnamon rolls, but with a bright and citrusy burst of fresh orange flavor throughout.
If you already love sourdough cinnamon rolls, I can’t wait for you to try sourdough orange cinnamon rolls. Adding freshly squeezed and zested orange to the dough, the cinnamon sugar mixture, and the glaze adds a beautiful touch of cheerful citrus notes.
Orange and cinnamon are a wonderful combination. The citrus and spice aroma fills your home and boosts the holiday atmosphere. It makes a special breakfast for any occasion, and this recipe could easily be doubled to serve a large family gathering!
This recipe is so easy to start the day before. Knead the dough, ferment overnight, then assemble and bake the following morning to serve warm with coffee or a breakfast hash with crispy potatoes.
Try your hand at some other delicious sourdough bakes this holiday season, like buttery sourdough croissant bread, rich sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, cranberry French toast casserole, or some fluffy sourdough dinner rolls.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft, tender rolls – The dough is tender and light, golden and perfectly sweetened. It holds all the cinnamon and orange flavor while keeping its shape and offering a dreamy bite.
Bright orange flavor – Fresh orange zest adds loads of flavor to the dough and filling, while orange juice added to the glaze gives the perfect balance to the sweetness of powdered sugar.
Perfect for special occasions – While these can easily be enjoyed on a Saturday morning, gooey sourdough cinnamon rolls with the cheerful addition of orange make the ultimate Christmas morning treat.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter – Recently fed, active, and bubbly.
Orange juice – Freshly squeezed orange juice provides the best citrusy flavor.
Flour – I use freshly-milled hard wheat or an unbleached all-purpose flour.
Oil – Use a neutral oil of your choice. Melted butter also works well.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Microplane or citrus zester – If you don’t have either tool, you can also use a paring knife to peel off the orange rind, avoiding the bitter white layer. Finely mince the orange peel on a cutting board.
How to Make Sourdough Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: Combine the active sourdough starter, water, orange juice, flour, oil, honey, eggs, and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, then knead for 6 – 8 minutes until soft, smooth, and passes the windowpane test.
Step 2: Add the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid, and let the dough rest at room temperature overnight for the bulk fermentation. A warm place will boost your rise significantly.
Step 3: After the bulk fermentation, add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the dough. Mix in the stand mixer for five minutes or knead by hand until well incorporated.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to shape it into a rectangle that is roughly 12″x14″ and 1/4″ thick.
Step 5: Make the orange cinnamon filling by mixing the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest in a small mixing bowl. Spread the orange cinnamon filling evenly onto the dough,
Step 6: Starting at the long edge, roll the dough up tightly. Once rolled up, close the rolls by pinching the dough together and forming a seam.
Step 7: Slice into 12 rolls using a bench scraper, a sharp knife, thread, or unflavored dental floss. Place the rolls onto a greased baking dish or a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Step 8: Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. While the rolls bake, make the orange glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with freshly squeezed orange juice. Drizzle the glaze after the rolls have cooled for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Tips
- If your dough feels too soft for slicing the rolls after assembly, you can pop the whole roll in the freezer for a few minutes to make it a little easier to handle.
- Fresh orange juice and zest will add the best flavor to these delicious sourdough orange rolls.
- When rolling out the dough, a small amount of flour is fine to keep it from sticking. However, you can also try using a bench scraper to encourage the dough off the counter without flour. I don’t always need flour when I use this tool, and too much added flour can affect the texture of the rolls.
- The tighter the roll, the better the orange cinnamon swirl will be.
- Keep a close eye on the rolls as they bake. Overbaking dries them out, so remove from the oven as soon as they are golden.
- For the glaze, adjust the powdered sugar to your preference. More powdered sugar for a thicker glaze; less for a thinner glaze.
- Swap the orange glaze for my cream cheese frosting, if you’d like, but add some orange zest!
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Warm gently in the oven to soften.
Yes. After assembling the rolls, you can refrigerate them overnight or up to 24 hours. Before baking, place them at room temperature and allow them to proof until light and fluffy. You can also freeze unbaked rolls if wrapped well. Thaw and rise before baking.
Yes, you can do 2-3 sets of stretch and folds at 30 minutes apart before the bulk fermentation.
It’s best to let the orange rolls cool for about 10 minutes before adding the glaze. If you add the glaze to them hot, the glaze will absorb and run off. Drizzling icing over warm rolls keeps the icing visible, in place, and makes these the most beautiful rolls.
Some common mistakes are using a weak starter, not proofing the dough long enough, using a runny filling, slicing the rolls unevenly, and under- or overbaking. Follow this recipe, and you’ll do just fine!
Baker’s Timeline:
This can be started or made at any time. I like to start doughs at night time so they can rise all night. In the morning, they are ready to shape, boil, and bake.
Feed sourdough starter with flour and water.
Combine dough ingredients and knead until glossy. Cover and bulk ferment overnight at room temperature.
Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Knead by hand or in a stand mixer for 5 minutes. Roll out, make filling, and assemble rolls.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Make frosting and apply after the rolls have cooled for a few minutes.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts
- Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Discard Lemon Bread
- Sourdough Pastry Braid
- Sourdough Banana Muffins
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 microplane or citrus zester
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, bubbly and active
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Orange glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Combine the active sourdough starter, water, orange juice, flour, oil, honey, eggs, and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. Bring the dough together on low speed, then knead on medium for 6 – 8 minutes until soft, smooth, and passes the windowpane test.
- Add the dough to a greased bowl, cover it tightly, and let it rest at room temperature overnight for the bulk fermentation.
- After the bulk rise, add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the dough. Mix in the stand mixer for five minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle that is roughly 12″x14″ and 1/4″ thick.
- Make the cinnamon roll filling by mixing the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest in a small bowl.
- Spread the orange cinnamon filling evenly onto the dough, then roll the dough up tightly. Close the rolls by pinching the dough together and forming a seam.
- Slice into 12 rolls using a bench scraper, a sharp knife, thread, or unflavored dental floss. Place the rolls onto a greased baking dish or a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Make the orange glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with freshly squeezed orange juice. Drizzle the glaze after the rolls have cooled for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- If you are looking for gram measurements, toggle to the “metric” version in the recipe card.
- If your dough feels too soft for slicing the rolls after assembly, you can pop the whole roll in the freezer for a few minutes to make it a little easier to handle.
- Fresh orange juice and zest will give the best results for these delicious sourdough orange rolls.
- When rolling out the dough, a small amount of flour is fine to keep it from sticking. However, try using a bench scraper to encourage the dough off the counter without flour. I don’t always need flour when I use this tool, but too much added flour can affect the texture of the rolls.
- The tighter the roll, the better the orange cinnamon swirl will be.
- Keep a close eye on the rolls as they bake. Overbaking dries them out, so remove from the oven as soon as they are golden.
- For the glaze, adjust the powdered sugar to your preference. More powdered sugar for a thicker glaze; less for a thinner glaze.
- Swap the orange glaze for my cream cheese frosting, if you’d like, but add some orange zest!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
