These orange cinnamon rolls with fresh citrus and whole milk so they’re tender and won’t dry out. Top warm rolls with fresh citrus icing for even more orange flavor.
Stir whole-wheat flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Whisk milk, butter, and egg in a separate bowl. Add the milk mixture to the flour and stir until dough is formed. Add orange peel and juice and knead into the dough for one minute. After kneading, the dough should bounce back slightly when pressed. If it doesn’t, add a little more flour and knead again. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Dust a flat surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 14 by 9-inches in size.
Make the Filling:
Spread softened butter on top. Stir sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and grated orange peel and sprinkle on top of the dough. Roll the dough up tightly and then slice into 8 pieces. Slice off the edges of the roll to level each end and form a flat surface if desired. Transfer to a greased 9-inch round pie dish. Loosely cover and allow to rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake 25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown
Make the Icing:
Whisk confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and butter and set aside.
Remove baked rolls from the oven. Pour icing over warm rolls.
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Notes
Icing is optional. Feel free to omit if you want to make this recipe easier and lower in sugar.