Sourdough Cranberry Orange Rolls
A sweet and tangy take on classic cinnamon rolls, these sourdough cranberry orange rolls are sure to please. These sourdough sweet rolls are filled with a fresh cranberry jam filling, which is complemented by an orange zest infused pastry. Top them off with a sweet orange cream cheese frosting that will have you licking the bowl.
Why You Will Love these Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Don’t get me wrong, I love classic sourdough cinnamon rolls, but it’s fun to mix it up sometimes with seasonal flavor combinations.
Cranberry orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations. If you haven’t explored this sweet and tangy combo, you can also try some of my other cranberry orange recipes. Check out my cranberry orange sourdough scones and try cranberry orange sourdough discard biscotti if you are a coffee lover. You can also try these sourdough discard cranberry orange muffins and this cranberry orange sourdough quick bread
Ingredients and Substitutions
Sourdough Sweet Roll Dough
- Flour: You can use all purpose flour for this recipe. If you only have bread flour you can also use that.
- Milk: You can use whatever type of milk you have on hand for this recipe. I typically use whole milk or 2%.
- Sourdough Starter: Use active sourdough starter in this recipe. To prepare your sourdough starter, feed 50 g of starter with 50 g of flour and 50 g of water the night before baking. If your starter does not reliably double after feeding it, feed it an additional time before baking with it.
- Orange zest
- Salt
- Brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar for this recipe.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for this recipe. If you only have salted, this will work as well.
Cranberry Filling
- Water
- Fresh Cranberries: Do not substitute dried cranberries in this recipe. Fresh cranberries are necessary to make the cranberry sauce filling.
- Sugar
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. Salted will give slightly more flavor.
- Cream Cheese
- Orange Juice: You should only need one orange for this whole recipe. Use the orange you zested for the orange juice.
- Orange Zest
- Powdered Sugar
How to Make Sourdough Cranberry Orange Rolls
Step 1: Make the dough. Warming the milk slightly on the stove helps jump start the fermentation process.
Step 2: Allow the dough to proof. The dough should increase in size by about 50%. I usually eyeball this in the bowl. The top of the dough will look puffy and will have a somewhat smooth surface.
Step 3: Make the cranberry sauce. You want the sauce to cool down before spreading it over the dough so it does not cool the dough. Do this at least 1 hour before you plan on filling the rolls. If your sauce has been in the refrigerator and has completely chilled, warm it slightly in the microwave so it is close to room temperature.
Step 4: Roll and fill the dough. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Try to make the edges as square as possible so the rolls appear even in size. Spread the cranberry sauce evenly and loosely roll the dough into a long cylinder. Use unscented dental floss to cut the rolls into 12 equally size rolls.
Step 5: Allow the rolls to proof an additional 2 hours. You can bake them immediately or put them in the fridge to bake the next day.
Step 6: Bake the rolls. Use a pastry brush to brush the remaining milk over the rolls. Then, bake the rolls until puffy and the tops appear golden. The internal temperature should reach 195F.
Step 7: Make the cream cheese frosting. Once the rolls have cooled for at least 20 minutes, spread the frosting over the finished rolls.
How to Store
Store these rolls in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or in the baking pan covered with plastic wrap. For best results, consume within 3-5 days.
How to Reheat
To reheat individual rolls, microwave for 20-30 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave.
How to Make Vegan
To make these sourdough orange cranberry rolls vegan, you will need to make a few substitutions:
- Milk: swap the milk for your favorite vegan milk. I use oat milk, Ripple milk, or cashew milk.
- Cream Cheese: Swap vegan cream cheese for the regular cream cheese. I recommend Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese, or Myoko’s vegan cashew cream cheese.
Sourdough Cranberry Orange Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1¼ cup whole milk or oat milk + 2 tablespoons for brushing the rolls before baking
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon orange zest about zest from ½ an orange
- ⅔ cup sourdough starter active and bubbly
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups flour
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
For the Cranberry Filling
- 1 cup water
- 12 oz fresh cranberries rinsed and picked through
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ tablespoon orange zest
- 1½ tablespoons orange juice
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the milk and stir for 15 seconds to slightly warm it. Remove from heat.
- Add the brown sugar, orange zest and salt and stir until smooth.
- Add the sugar along with the flour and sourdough starter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
- After the rest, knead the dough on low speed for 7 minutes. The dough should come together to form a smooth ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof until increased by about 50% in size. This can take anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on the temperature of your home.
- Meanwhile, make the cranberry sauce. In a small saucepan, bring the water, cranberries and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until most of the cranberries have popped open. Allow to cool to room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Note: I recommend making the cranberry sauce about 2 hours before you are ready to fill the rolls. If you need to make it earlier in the day, cover the cranberries and refrigerate. When ready to fill, warm the cranberry sauce slightly by microwaving for 20-30 seconds. This will soften it and prevent it from inhibiting the proofing during the second rise.
Roll and Fill the Rolls
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an approximate 12×22 inch (30×55 cm) rectangle. Use your hands, if needed, to shape the corners into as sharp of corners as you can so the end rolls are uniform with the rest of the rolls.
- Spread the cranberry filling evenly over the dough with a spoon.
- Roll the long edge of the dough towards you somewhat loosely until you have rolled the dough into a long cylinder. You don't want the dough to be rolled too tight or they will not adequately expand outward during the final proof.
- Use unscented dental floss or a sharp kitchen knife to cut the rolls into 12 equal sized rolls. The easiest way to do this is to cut the large roll in half, then cut those halves in half again. This allows you to visually cut the four smaller pieces of dough into three equal sized rolls.
- Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Tip: place the end rolls upside down so the cut edge is facing up. Then, gently flatten the roll to the level of all the other rolls. This will help it appear similar to the other rolls once baked.
- Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to rise another 2 hours.Once the rolls have proofed, you can either bake them immediately or refrigerate overnight to bake the next day.
When Ready to Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Brush the rolls with remaining 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. If you refrigerated the rolls prior to baking them, add an extra 5 minutes to the baking time. The rolls should reach an internal temperature of 195℉. Note: I highly recommend testing the temperature for doneness as different altitudes and ovens can result in a variable baking time. Allow to cool 20 minutes before spreading with the icing.
To Make the Icing
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to cream together the softened butter and cream cheese. Add the orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar, and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined and the icing is light and fluffy.
- Use a spoon or rubber spatula to spread the icing over the surface of the rolls. Serve warm.
