Soft and buttery homemade brioche dough is rolled with orange marmalade and spices, baked until fluffy, gooey, and golden, then topped with a beautiful sweet orange glaze. These orange rolls make the perfect bright, citrusy treat for Christmas morning. The dough can be prepped the night before so they are completely hands-free in the morning.
These orange rolls can brighten up any day of the year, for sure. But what’s more perfect for Christmas morning than a dish that combines:
- an indulgent, gooey homemade cinnamon roll
- bright, seasonal winter citrus
- a beautiful aesthetic
- scratch method that’s family-friendly, satisfying, and nearly fool-proof
- overnight method with no hands-on time in the morning
- irresistible aroma to fill the home
Thus, to me these are “Christmas Morning Orange Rolls” in every sense.
This recipe is a simple adaptation of my brioche cinnamon roll recipe, so you can easily make adjustments to create different flavors from the same batch of dough. For instance, I like to use half the dough for orange rolls and half for chocolate rolls (like chocolate mocha or chocolate hazelnut & fig…recipes to come). I’m also not opposed to adding shaved dark chocolate on top of the orange marmalade filling to make a chocolate orange roll. All that said, there’s something extra special about the simple orange roll that’s hard to replace… even for a chocoholic like myself.
The Brioche Dough
This is my go-to, tried and true brioche dough recipe that serves as the basis for nearly all of my cinnamon roll spin-offs (i.e. London Fog Buns, Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls). The one Christmasy twist in this recipe is the option to substitute eggnog for some of the whole milk. I definitely recommend it for extra richness and as a great way to use up leftover eggnog, but if you don’t have any eggnog on hand, it’s certainly not necessary.
For the brioche dough, you’ll need:
- whole milk +/- full fat eggnog (optional), warmed to about 110ºF
- instant yeast
- granulated sugar
- an egg + a yolk, at room temp
- unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- fine sea salt
- bread flour
Note that I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour because the higher protein content allows for more gluten formation, meaning stronger, stretchier dough. The result is taller, airier, fluffier rolls. You’ll know what I mean when you see the rolls puff up like magic and try to crawl out of the pan. Gluten is also how you get that super satisfying stretch when you pull apart a freshly baked roll.
In this recipe, kneading the dough is crucial for gluten development–thus optimal dough strength and chew. But don’t fear this step! All you need a hand-held electric mixer or stand mixer with a dough hook, and it will do all the work for you in just 7-8 minutes. Then you just plop the dough ball into a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot.
The Orange Filling
After rolling out the dough, you’ll slather on the filling:
- unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- orange marmalade – I love Bonne Maman’s orange marmalade, but you can use your favorite brand or even a homemade version. It stands in for sugar and helps to keep the rolls extra moist and gooey in the center.
- ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- fresh orange zest – A small amount goes so far to enhance the vibrant, robust orange flavor. Don’t skip it!
Assemble and Bake
Then, there are two ways to go about assembling the rolls:
- Roll the whole rectangle into a log, then slice cross-wise with a serrated knife or unscented floss.
- Use a pizza wheel to cut vertical strips across the width of the rectangle, then roll up each strip by hand. *I personally prefer this method. If making different flavors from the same sheet of dough, I cut the rectangle into large sections before adding the fillings, then finish cutting each strip to make individual rolls.
The recipe as written yields 9 large rolls. Place the rolls in a baking dish lined with parchment paper, just barely touching one another so they have room to rise. At this point, you can move forward with the second rise (about 45 min starting from room temp) and bake, OR cover the dish and refrigerate overnight (ideally no more than 12 hours). About 2.5 hours before you plan to serve, pull the dish out of the fridge, bring to room temp and place in a warm spot for the second rise (about 1.5-2 hours total from the fridge), and you’re ready to bake. They just need about 20 minutes in the oven at 350ºF. Your home will smell heavenly.
The Orange Glaze
So simple yet so magical. On first lick of the spoon, I was instantly filled with the nostalgia of a Creamsicle–bright citrus flavor balanced with sweetness and smooth cream. Literally all you have do is whisk together:
- orange juice – Freshly squeezed is ideal, store-bought is perfectly fine.
- powdered sugar
- fresh orange zest
- heavy cream
Spoon the glaze all over the rolls hot out of the oven for a beautiful glossy finish, extra sweet citrusy flavor, and syrupy moisture in every crevice.
Christmas Morning Orange Rolls
Soft and buttery homemade brioche dough is rolled with orange marmalade and spices, baked until fluffy, gooey, and golden, then topped with a beautiful sweet orange glaze. These orange rolls make the perfect bright, citrusy treat for Christmas morning. The dough can be prepped the night before so they are completely hands-free in the morning.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3/4 cup whole milk (or 1/2 cup full fat eggnog + 1/4 cup whole milk), warmed to ~110ºF
- 2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 cups (360g) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- oil for the bowl
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- zest from 1/2 - 1 orange
For the glaze:
- ~1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 orange)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- zest from 1/2 - 1 orange
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Warm the milk: Pour milk (and eggnog, if using) into a microwave-safe measuring cup and microwave about 35-40 seconds, or to 110ºF (like warm bath water). Make sure it is not scalding, as it could kill the yeast.
- Transfer the warm milk/eggnog to the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top. Add sugar, egg, yolk, and melted butter (room temp or warm, not hot). Mix until fully combined.
- Stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
- Place the dough hook attachments on a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, and knead dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes. The dough should form into a structured, stretchy ball and be slightly sticky to the touch. (If too wet or sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add in 1-2 Tbsp additional bread flour.)
- Transfer the dough ball to a large, well-oiled bowl, and loosely cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Place in a warm spot (such as a slightly warm oven, turned off, with the door cracked) and let it rise 1 - 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- After the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a 14x9-inch rectangle, the long axis oriented horizontally.
- Spread 1/4 cup softened butter all over the dough, then spread orange marmalade evenly over the butter, leaving 1/4-inch margin free at the far edge. Evenly sprinkle on cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest.
- Use a pizza cutter wheel to slice the dough into 9 equal vertical strips, each about 1.5 inches wide. Tightly roll each strip of dough away from you into a pinwheel. (Alternatively, roll the whole rectangle into a 14-inch-long log, starting at one end and progressively tucking the edge closest to you under, then rolling tightly away from you. Then, using a serrated knife or unscented floss, cut the log into 9 equal rolls, about 1.5 inches each.)
- Prepare a 9x9-inch baking pan or 9-inch round cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place rolls in the prepared pan, pinwheel side facing up. They should be close enough to barely touch each other, with room to expand.
- For the overnight option: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge, loosen the plastic wrap to allow room for expansion, and cover with a warm towel. Bring to room temperature on the counter, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours total from the fridge. For the same-day option: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a warm towel, and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove plastic wrap and towel. Bake the buns 20-25 minutes, or until golden on the edges.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine orange juice, powdered sugar, orange zest, and heavy cream in a bowl and whisk until smooth without lumps.
- Spoon some of the orange glaze all over the hot rolls right out of the oven, letting it seep in between the layers. Serve the rolls immediately with extra glaze as desired.
- Wrap any leftover rolls tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- To reheat leftovers, I recommend using the oven or toaster oven. Preheat to 350ºF. Place cold rolls on a large sheet of foil, and pour about 1 Tbsp water over each roll. Wrap them up in the foil so they are completely covered. Place in the heated oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. In a pinch, you can wrap a cold roll in a damp paper towel and microwave 20-30 seconds, or until heated through.