Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting - Do all the work a night before and enjoy these rolls for breakfast next morning!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: Not specified
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: Not specified
  • Yield: 8 rolls
  • Category: Recipes
  • Cuisine: Kitchen notes

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 2¼ teaspoons dry active yeast [1 packet]
  • ¾ cup whole milk (warm [around 120 f degrees])
  • ¼ cup + 1.5 teaspoons granulated sugar (1.5 teaspoons to be added in the yeast mixture)
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons warm water

Filling

  • ⅓ cup brown sugar (you may increase to ½ cup to increase sweetness)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
  • ⅓ cup pecans (chopped finely)
  • 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon powder

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • 1.25 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon orange extract
  • orange zest (for garnishing)

Method

Dough

  1. Start by mixing together flour and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Heat milk in microwave for 30-45 seconds, it should be warm but not boiling hot. [temperature around 120 F degrees, use a kitchen thermometer in case you have one]
  3. To the warm milk, add yeast and 1.5 teaspoons of sugar. Give a quick stir with a spoon and leave the mixture for 5-10 minutes. This is called proofing of the yeast.
  4. While the yeast is proofing, in the steel bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or using a hand mixer whisk together melted butter, sugar, water and egg till well combined.
  5. After 5-10 minutes the yeast will get activated and you will see it all bubbling up.
  6. Add the yeast mixture to the the egg-butter-sugar mixture and mix till well combined.
  7. Start adding the flour mix in parts, add 1/2 of it first and run the mixer on low speed till it's all incorporated.
  8. Using a spatula scrap down the sides to mix in all the flour together.
  9. Now add the remaining flour and mix at low speed.
  10. Once it's all mixed, increase the speed to medium [fitted with dough hook] and let it knead for 5-7 minutes or till the dough is totally smooth. Alternatively you can use your hands to knead the dough.
  11. Take a bowl and and coat it will canola or vegetable oil.
  12. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a cling sheet and let it rise at a warm place for around 90 minutes to up to 2 hours or till it's more than double it's size.
  13. After 90 minutes, the dough will more than double in size.

Filling

  1. In a bowl mix together cinnamon powder and brown sugar. Set aside.
  2. Chop pecans finely using a sharp knife.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and punch to release the air. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
  4. Using a roller or your hands, roll the dough to a 14 x 9 inch rectangle. I used my hands and used my pan as a guide for measurement.
  5. Take softened unsalted butter and spread it all over the dough.
  6. Now sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar all over, making sure you cover the entire dough including the edges and corners. Also sprinkle chopped pecans all over.
  7. Starting from the long end, start rolling the dough tightly.
  8. Roll till you have a log. You can use little water to seal the edges towards the end.
  9. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
  10. Brush a 13 X 9 inch pan with oil or butter and arrange the cinnamon rolls in it, leaving a little space between each roll.
  11. Cover with a cling sheet and keep it the refrigerator overnight.

Baking rolls in the morning

  1. Take the rolls out of the refrigerator
  2. Place them in a warm place for 45 minutes-1 hour for 2nd rise.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  4. Bake the rolls at 350 F degrees for 25-28 minutes or till nice golden brown in color.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. While the rolls are in the oven make the frosting.
  2. In the stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or using your hand mixer, beat together room temperature cream cheese.
  3. Once it's all smooth, add in the powdered sugar and mix.
  4. Add fresh orange juice, orange extract and beat till everything is nice and smooth.
  5. Slather the frosting using a knife on the warm cinnamon rolls, sprinkle some orange zest on top and enjoy!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.