These overnight orange rolls should actually be named dream rolls because they are deliciously dreamy! Super soft, tender, bursting with orange flavor and the orange cream cheese frosting on top is otherworldly. They only take a few minutes to put together too and most of the work happens while you sleep.

“Otherworldly”

Funny story about the word “otherworldly”. In college I was never the student that English teachers were hailing as the next famous author, I just did what needed to be done to get an “A”. So one day in English 2010, I was critiquing some fellow students work as a class assignment and one student was exceptional and had aspirations to be an author someday, which she probably is now.

She was amazing and I was supposed to critique her paper. Ha ha yes, me. She had written a beautiful paper and used the word “otherworldly”. You guys, I did not know that was even a word at the time, so I kindly praised her on her creative word use but very gently suggested she swap out the word “otherworldly” for a real word. Hahahaha She looked at me weirdly then insisted that it was a real word. The teacher then confirmed that it indeed was a real word.

Moral of the story, be careful the advice you give and remember that you probably don’t know everything, like my so naive self. Ha! Oh youth, the older I get the more I know I don’t know. So now, every time I read that word or use it, I eat a little piece of humble pie all over again. Humble pie is good for the soul every now and then.

Back to these orange rolls, they are indeed “otherworldly” in every sense of the word and if I knew where that student was today I would thank her for teaching me a new word and offer her a whole batch of these orange rolls as my reconciliation.

What you need to make these Overnight Orange Rolls:

Makes 8 large orange rolls

The Dough:

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4-4.5 cups flour
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

The Filling

1/4 cup butter – softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
6 drops orange oil

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 tablespoons cream cheese – softened
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (add more for a thinner consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 drops orange oil

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add warm water and yeast.
Let yeast activate for 3 minutes.
Add the sugar, melted butter, salt, eggs and orange zest and mix together.
Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing briefly after each cup.
Once the dough starts to come together slowly add the last few cups of flour until the dough is manageable and not longer super sticky, You may need slightly less than 4.5 cups or slightly more.
After all the flour has been added, knead the dough for 5 minutes or until dough feels smooth and elastic.
Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting.
Mix together your sugar, orange juice and orange oil.
Prepare a large baking dish with cooking spray.
Once the dough has rested, on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough onto a large rectangle, so it is about 1/2 of an inch thick.
Now spread the softened butter on the dough and spread orange and sugar mixture on top.
Now starting on one end, begin rolling the dough into a long log.
Slice to rolls into about 1 1/2 inch thick rolls, you can go thicker if you want larger rolls.
Place the sliced rolls on the greased or buttered pan. Leave space between each roll so they can rise. I like my rolls to touch each other because they end up softer but some people like un-touching rolls so adjust to how you like them.
If you are not freezing them for later then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
***If you are freezing the rolls for later- place sliced rolls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet not touching each other. Freeze for a few hours then once frozen put into a zip lock bag. Pull them out whenever you want to bake them. When you pull them out of the freezer place in a warm oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes then bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.
If you want to bake them immediately, allow to raise for 45 minutes to an hour or until the dough is nearly doubled.
If you refrigerate over night, pull out in the morning and place still covered orange rolls into a warmed oven, not above 120 degrees.
Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm oven or 2 hours on a counter top.
Remove the plastic covering and leave the rolls in the oven while you turn the heat to 350 F.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops get golden brown and the dough feels baked.
In a small bowl. blend together all of the orange cream cheese frosting ingredients until smooth.
Once your Overnight Orange Rolls have slightly cooled, spread frosting over the top. Enjoy!

What the dough looks like before it gets rolled up.

What they will look like rolled up and ready to get covered with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator over night.

If you’re looking for a more traditional Cinnamon Roll Recipe, Check out these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Overnight Orange Rolls

These orange rolls with orange cream cheese frosting are the best thing to wake up to! Super soft, flavorful and delicious! They are also easy to make!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

rest time8

Total Time8 40

Course: bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Baked goods, Breakfast, Dessert, rolls

Keyword: Breakfast, Christmas, Dessert, Easter, Easy Recipes, Kids Favorite, side dish, snack

Servings: rolls

Ingredients

For the Dough:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Melted Butter
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
4-4.5 cups Flour
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
For the Filling:
1/4 cup Butter softened
1/2 cup White Sugar
1 tablespoon Orange Juice
6 drops orange oil
For the orange cream cheese frosting:
8 tablespoons cream cheese – softened
2 tablespoons Softened Butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Milk add more for a thinner consistency
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops orange oil

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add warm water and yeast.
Let yeast activate for 3 minutes.
Add the sugar, melted butter, salt, eggs and orange zest and mix together.
Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing briefly after each cup.
Once the dough starts to come together slowly add the last few cups of flour until the dough is manageable and not longer super sticky, You may need slightly less than 4.5 cups or slightly more.
After all the flour has been added, knead the dough for 5 minutes or until dough feels smooth and elastic.
Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting.
Mix together your sugar, orange juice and orange oil.
Prepare a large baking dish with cooking spray.
Once the dough has rested, on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough onto a large rectangle, so it is about 1/2 of an inch thick.
Now spread the softened butter on the dough and spread orange and sugar mixture on top.
Now starting on one end, begin rolling the dough into a long log.
Slice to rolls into about 1 1/2 inch thick rolls, you can go thicker if you want larger rolls.
Place the sliced rolls on the buttered pan. leave space between each roll so they can rise. I like my rolls to touch each other because they end up softer but some people like un-touching rolls so adjust to how you like them.
If you are not freezing them for later then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
***If you are freezing the rolls for later- place sliced rolls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet not touching each other. Freeze for a few hours then once frozen put into a zip lock bag. Pull them out whenever you want to bake them. When you pull them out of the freezer place in a warm oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes then bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.
If you want to bake them immediately, allow to raise for 45 minutes to an hour or until the dough is nearly doubled.
If you refrigerate over night, pull out in the morning and place still covered orange rolls into a warmed oven, not above 120 degrees.
Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm oven or 2 hours on a counter top.
Remove the plastic covering and leave the rolls in the oven while you turn the heat to 350 F.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops get golden brown and the dough feels baked.
In a small bowl. blend together all of the orange cream cheese frosting ingredients until smooth.
Once the rolls have slightly cooled, spread frosting over the top. Enjoy!

WP Recipe Maker #5435