Gluten-Free Orange Rolls

These soft, fluffy gluten-free orange rolls are the perfect holiday breakfast! Made with a simple gluten-free dough, zesty orange filling, and sweet orange glaze, they’re a breakfast dream come true!

Homemade orange rolls & cinnamon rolls were a HUGE treat for me as a kid. My mom only made them about once a year, and we LOVED them! When we went gluten-free over a decade ago, I didn’t know if I’d have a great homemade gluten-free cinnamon roll or orange roll again, but after SO MANY rounds of tests, we’ve finally nailed our homemade gluten-free orange sweet rolls!

The big secret is in the flour blend. King Arthur launched a gluten-free bread flour last year that made sweet rolls SO MUCH EASIER! After plenty of tests, we’ve gotten this gluten-free orange sweet rolls recipe just right.

This soft enriched dough is remarkably easy to make, and paired with the sweet orange filling & a zesty orange glaze on top? They’re pretty much perfect.

I know that homemade gluten-free bread can be intimidating, but we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get these just right. Let’s dive in!

Simple Ingredients To Get Started

• King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. This is the ONLY gluten-free flour blend that will work for this recipe. No 1:1 or measure-for-measure blends will work, and not even other brands of gluten-free bread flour will work for this recipe. I order on Amazon for the best price!
• Sugar. Regular granulated sugar (white sugar) goes into both the gluten-free orange roll dough and the orange filling.
• Instant Yeast. This recipe uses INSTANT (or rapid rise) yeast, rather than regular active dry yeast. Active dry yeast must be proofed in warm water before adding it to the recipe, and we’re not doing that here. The rise time & instructions are for instant yeast. You’ll just need one (1/4-ounce) packet!
• Baking Powder. I use this trick in gluten-free focaccia, too! Adding some baking powder gives these rolls extra puff and softness.
• Salt. To balance the flavor.
• Butter. This is an enriched dough, meaning it has the addition of butter and eggs. Melted butter goes into the dough, while softened (or melted) butter goes into the orange filling.
• Warm Water. To help activate our yeast!
• Warm Whole Milk. This is a time where whole milk is worth it. The extra fat helps keep the dough moist and pliable.
• Eggs. Another trick for delicious, tender dough!
• Orange Zest & Orange Juice. Fresh orange zest adds bright orange flavor to these orange rolls! Since we already have fresh oranges on hand for the zest, I use fresh orange juice in the glaze, too.
• Simple Orange Glaze or Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. Lastly, we’ll finish this gluten-free orange rolls recipe off with a simple sweet orange glaze OR an orange cream cheese frosting. I’ve got instructions for both in the recipe card!

Get The Right Flour!

You MUST use this King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour for these orange rolls. No other flour will work in this recipe!

SHOP THE FLOUR

How To Make Gluten-Free Orange Rolls, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

First, Make The Dough

1. Combine Dry Ingredients. Add gluten-free flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder to a stand mixer and gently pulse on low speed to combine.
2. Add Wet Ingredients. With the mixer on LOW speed, gradually add warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and eggs, one at at time.
3. Beat. Turn the mixer speed up to HIGH and mix the dough for 3 full minutes to allow the dough to fully blend. It will look VERY sticky and wet–more like thick, sticky cake batter than bread dough. This is normal!
4. Cover & Chill. Use an oiled spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl and form the dough into a ball. (Make sure to also scrape the bottom of the bowl to check for any unmixed spots!) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill 20 minutes to make the dough easier to handle.

Make The Filling & Shape The Orange Rolls

1. Combine Sugar & Zest. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar with 2 Tablespoon orange zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant and well-blended. This distributes the orange essential oils into the sugar, which gives your rolls a more vibrant citrus flavor.
2. Roll Out. Lay down a sheet of parchment paper or very lightly flour your countertop. Transfer the dough from the bowl to your parchment or counter and cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 15-inch square (15″x 15″).
3. Fill The Rolls. Spread Softened Butter over the 15-inch dough square in an even layer. The butter should be VERY soft so it’s easily spreadable. If you can’t get the butter soft enough, you can melt it and cool it slightly before spreading. Sprinkle the orange sugar mixture over the butter in an even layer.
4. Form The Rolls. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into twelve (1.25-inch) strips. Roll each strip up to form a roll, starting at one end and tightly rolling to make a spiral as you go. (We find this method works MUCH better with gluten-free sweet rolls than the traditional rolling the dough into a long cylinder and slicing.) Place rolls into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
5. Then, cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise 45-60 minutes. They’ll look puffy but won’t double in size at this point. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees as the orange rolls rise.
6. Bake. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan, then bake orange rolls in preheated oven 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. The interior of the dough should read at least 190-200 degrees F. Set rolls aside to cool for 15-20 minutes, while you make the glaze.

Mix Up The Glaze & Finish The Rolls

1. Combine. In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, heavy cream, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, and pinch salt. Whisk until very smooth. If you want thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. For thinner glaze, add additional cream 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
2. Glaze Rolls. Pour the orange icing on top of the orange rolls. Enjoy right away!
3. Serve & Store. Enjoy right away. Store leftover orange rolls covered at room temperature 1-2 days, or freeze up to 2 months. (If serving with cream cheese frosting, store leftover orange rolls in the refrigerator.)

Prefer Cream Cheese Frosting Instead? I’ve got a recipe & instructions in the recipe card below!