Cardamom Orange Rolls

Not like other orange rolls

There’s lots of orange sweet roll recipes out there, but this one is unique. I’ve adapted the recipe from a dog-eared page in my copy of The Foster’s Market Cookbook.

These sweet buns use a soft, airy, easy-to-work-with yeast dough that I use to make these awesome dinner rolls as well as these amazing sweet rolls.

I usually make a full recipe of the refrigerator rolls and split the dough in half to use one for a batch of soft dinner rolls and the other half to make these sweet, lightly spiced cardamom orange rolls. It’s the best of both worlds.

Sweet roll dough

This dough is such an easy and versatile one, it’ll be your go-to recipe from here on.

• You can make the dough up to a week in advance – just keep it refrigerated.
• You can assemble the sweet rolls the night before and bake them the next day.
• No stand mixer is needed to make the dough for the cardamom orange rolls.
• They’re soft, flaky, yeasty and irresistible.

What you’ll need for cardamom orange sweet rolls

• ½ Recipe Refrigerator Rolls
• Unsalted Butter
• Sugar
• Cardamom
• Orange Zest
• Sour Cream
• Orange Juice
• Kosher Salt

How to make orange rolls:

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch down.
2. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, orange zest and cardamom and set aside.
3. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle between ¼” to ½” thick.
4. Brush the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
5. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 12 equal pie shaped wedges.
6. Roll up each wedge like a crescent roll, starting at the edge and ending with the pointy tip.
7. Transfer the rolls to a prepared pie plate, arranging them in a circle like a pinwheel.
8. Cover with a tea towel and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.
9. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
10. Brush with the orange glaze recipe.

Using pizza cutters for more than just pizza isn’t anything new, but I find them particularly useful when working with dough. Unlike a knife which can stretch and pull, the pizza cutter is a seamless extension of your hand that can be fluidly rolled in any direction. I use it to form my raspberry almond braid to spectacular results.

Aside from having a very different look than most other orange sweet rolls out there, these breakfast pastries are also have a softer, perfumed spice than those that are loaded with cinnamon. The cardamom is a floral spice that pairs perfectly with the orange zest in the gooey sugar filling.

What’s the best pan to cook the orange rolls in?

To get the signature look, I prefer a 9″ glass pie plate.

1. Because these buns are rolled into a crescent shape instead of a traditional round pinwheels, they take on a really beautiful visual in the pie plate.
2. Nestle the orange crescent shaped rolls into the pan in a pinwheel formation (see sketch below).
3. If there’s one or two extras, just fit them into the center of the plate.
4. The sweet buns need an extra 30 minutes to puff and rise before baking.

How do I make orange rolls the night before?

1. Assemble the rolls and fit them into the pie plate as described above.
2. Instead of letting them rise, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
3. The next morning let the rolls rest on the counter, covered with a dish towel for 45 minutes to an hour to come to room temperature and rise.
4. Bake as usual and brush the warm rolls with the orange glaze.

Crazy good orange glaze recipe for sweet rolls

This orange glaze is easy to assemble and only takes about 5 minutes of hands on time. Instead of a plain confectioner’s sugar glaze or a cream cheese frosting, these sweet buns have a luscious orange glaze that’s cooked in a saucepan. The glaze is sweet, but not cloying and bathes the buns in sticky, finger-licking bliss.

An easy orange glaze with only 5 ingredients:

• Sugar
• Orange Juice
• Sour Cream
• Butter
• Kosher Salt

How to make orange glaze

Just mix the ingredients together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then bring them to a boil and stir constantly for 3 minutes.

It makes a super smooth, creamy glaze with a tangy finish that’ll make you swoon.

Spread the orange glaze liberally over the warm sweet rolls so that every nook and cranny is swimming in the lustrous, gloriously sticky, sweet topping.

FAQ’s

Swaps and variations on orange sweet rolls

• Make lemon pastries. Swap orange zest for lemon zest and use lemon juice in the glaze recipe.
• Make a tropical version with key lime zest and juice and ¼ cup of flaked coconut sprinkled in the filling and over the glazed buns. Swap lime juice in the glaze recipe.
• Intensify the orange rolls with more spices. Add ¾ teaspoon cinnamon to the sugar and orange filling mixture for a more pronounced spice flavor.
• Add a crunchy topping. Sprinkle the sweet buns with sliced almonds before baking.
• Make a cranberry orange sweet roll. Pulse ½ cup of fresh cranberries in a food processor with the sugar for the filling until finely chopped. Stir in the orange zest and spices for a tangy cranberry orange filling.

In my opinion, any time you’re having a special weekend brunch or morning-iso holiday gathering, a sweet treat is a must. These are some of my favorite occasion-worthy breakfast pastries. I hope you like them too!

More sweet rolls and breakfast pastry you might like:

• King Cake
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Braid
• Cinnamon Walnut Sweet Rolls
• Orange Currant Breakfast Scones
• Lemon Berry Sweet Buns with Cream Cheese Glaze
• Apricot Almond Fruit Pastry
• Guava Cream Cheese Pastries
• Streusel Coffee Cake

Pin it for later!