Orange and Cinnamon Swirly Bread, AKA Sticky Buns, easy made from scratch recipe. Soft, sticky rolls, perfect for the holiday season, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you enjoy eating sticky buns, then these orange and cinnamon Swirly bread buns will be just perfect for you to enjoy!
For this recipe, I've kept it very simple and made some easy to follow instructions with photos for each step because I know some of our readers are a bit afraid when it comes to making bread using yeast.
This recipe is all from scratch, and really easy, so if you've never made bread before, give it a go, follow the recipe step by step and you can't go wrong!
I've been making swirly bread in all different flavors for many years. You can check out our Blueberry Cream Cheese Swirly Bread, or our lovely Almond and Raisin Swirly bread recipes. They're delicious!
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Some of you might relate to these orange and cinnamon swirly bread buns as 'sticky buns', or 'Chelsea buns', although Chelsea buns are usually with raisins inside, the technique and shape of the buns are the same!, or even 'Christmas buns'.
Whichever way you choose to call these, it's all in the flavor and texture, so enjoy them!
I came about this recipe because it's fast approaching Thanksgiving and Christmas time and I wanted to make another swirly bread, only this time, incorporate some festive spices and flavors into the bread. So I decided upon the combination of cinnamon and orange.
About the flavors
I added some orange zest into the actual bread dough to give it a good kick of flavor, as well as a little cinnamon, and for the extra special glaze, I made that using cream cheese, orange juice, and orange zest. and oh boy, it is certainly delicious!
The glaze makes the buns sticky and keeps them nice and soft, as well as giving the bread an added orange flavor. The glaze is also very easy to make and takes no time at all.
Tips for making bread from scratch, a beginners list of must do's
- For those of you who haven't made bread before, you need to make sure that the dough is in a warm place with no draughts so it can rise nicely. I usually pop the dough on top of my cooker or near a radiator or in an airing cupboard, covered with plastic wrap, so it's nice and warm and it can rise.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, you know it's ready to be knocked back, by kneading it lightly for a minute, then you can shape the dough according to the recipe.
- The first rise of the dough takes the longest, anything from an hour to 2 hours or so, depending on how warm your house is. The colder the house, the slower it will take to rise.
- The second rise is only about 30 minutes, and then it's ready for the oven. You need to be a little patient for the dough to rise if you want nice fluffy soft bread, so don't rush that part of the recipe.
What if you want to freeze or make ahead of time?
If you wanted to make these orange and cinnamon swirly bread buns ahead of time you can!
You can either freeze them once baked (without the glaze), then bring back to room temperature, pop in the oven to warm through and then add the glaze, or place the buns in the pan ready for baking, and freeze BEFORE the second rise.
When you want to use them, defrost in the same pan, allow them to rise as normal, in a warm place, and bake as the instructions.
Whichever way you decide, these would certainly be a popular choice for breakfast time on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, or indeed Easter time. Serve as part of a breakfast or brunch, add to a lunch box or simply enjoy on their own with a lovely cup of tea or coffee. You choose!
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make these delicious Orange and Cinnamon Swirly bread buns. Please enjoy!
Prep Time
3 ½ hours
Cook Time
20 – 25 minutes (approximate)
Yield
16 Rolls
Ingredients
The dough
5 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 cup or 250 ml Whole milk, warmed
½ cup or 125 g Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs
5 ½ cups or 845 g All-Purpose (plain) Flour plus extra for dusting
2 tsp Salt
Grated zest of 1 Orange
½ Cup or 125 g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
The Filling & Egg Glaze
6 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ cup or 60 g Unsalted Butter, melted for brushing
1 Large Egg, beaten
The Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
½ Cup or 60 g Confectioners (icing) sugar, sifted
8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
Juice of 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Orange
Instructions
1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then add the granulated sugar, eggs, flour, salt, orange zest, and butter
2. Using the dough hook, knead on low speed. Add a little more flour as needed for the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl after a few minutes of kneading.
Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth, about 5 - 7 minutes. Then remove the dough from the bowl.
3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft free spot until it doubles in size. About 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon and set aside. (The other bowl you see beside the sugar is the glaze)
Line a half sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times.
For those of you who don't have an electric mixer, you can take a look at this tutorial on how to knead, rise and shape dough. It's great!
Cut the dough in half,
then dust the dough and roll out into a rectangle, about 10 inches by 16 inches.
Brush the surface of the rectangle with half of the melted butter,
then evenly sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
6. Starting at the long side farthest from you, roll up the rectangle to form a long log.
7. Cut the ends of the log to tidy it up
then cut into 8 slices, each about 2 inches thick. Place the slices cut side up in a circle, side by side and barely touching, on half of the prepared pan.
8. Repeat steps 5 - 7 for the other half of the dough.
9. Cover the rolls loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until they double in size, and are spongy to touch. About 30 - 40 minutes.
After half an hour can you see the rolls have started to grow and become closer together?
10. Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C.
11. Brush the rolls lightly with the beaten egg
and bake until golden brown. About 20 - 25 minutes. Test to see if done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a roll and see if it comes out clean.
12. Just before the rolls are ready, make up the orange cream cheese glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, orange juice and zest until all dissolved and the mixture thickens a little.
13. Let the rolls cool slightly in the pan then brush on the glaze while they are still warm. I just dolloped a teaspoon of the glaze mixture on top of each roll then brushed over to spread the glaze.
Then they are ready to serve. Please enjoy!
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Orange and Cinnamon Swirly Bread recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
If you'd like to make a variety of sticky buns to take to a party, check these Old Fashioned Sticky Buns, they have caramel in them!
Recipe Card
Orange and Cinnamon Swirly Bread
Orange and Cinnamon Swirly Bread, made from scratch, easy recipe. Soft, sticky, creamy, rolls, perfect for the holiday season, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ingredients
THE DOUGH
- 5 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 cup or 250 ml Whole milk, warmed
- ½ cup or 125 g Granulated Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 5 ½ cups or 845 g All Purpose (plain) Flour plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp Salt
- Grated zest of 1 Orange
- ½ Cup or 125 g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
THE FILLING AND EGG WASH
- 6 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ cup or 60 g Unsalted Butter, melted for brushing
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
THE ORANGE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
- ½ Cup or 60 g Confectioners (icing) Sugar, sifted
- 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
- Juice of 1 Orange
- Zest of 1 Orange
Instructions
1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then add the granulated sugar, eggs, flour, salt, orange zest, and butter.
2. Using the dough hook, knead on low speed. Add a little more flour as needed for the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl after a few minutes of kneading. Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth, about 5 - 7 minutes. Then remove the dough from the bowl.
3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size. About 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Line a half sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured work surface. Cut the dough in half, dust the dough and roll out into a rectangle, about 10 inches by 16 inches. Brush the surface of the rectangle with half of the melted butter, then evenly sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6. Starting at the long side farthest from you, roll up the rectangle to form a long log.
7. Cut the ends of the log to tidy it up then cut into 8 slices, each about 2 inches thick. Place the slices cut side up in a circle, side by side and barely touching, on half of the prepared pan.
8. Repeat steps 5 - 7 for the other half of the dough.
9. Cover the rolls loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until they double in size, and are spongy to touch. About 30 - 40 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C.
11. Brush the rolls lightly with the beaten egg and bake until golden brown. About 20 - 25 minutes. Test to see if done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a roll and see if it comes out clean.
12. Just before the rolls are ready, make up the orange cream cheese glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and zest until all dissolved and the mixture thickens a little.
13. Let the rolls cool slightly in the pan then brush on the glaze while they are still warm. Then they are ready to serve. Please enjoy!
Recommended Products
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Rachael Ray 54073 Yum -o! Nonstick Bakeware Baking Pan With Grips / Nonstick Cake Pan With Grips, Round - 9 Inch, Gray -
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red -
Wilton Recipe Right Non-Stick 9 x 13-Inch Pan -
OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Cake Pan 9 x 13 Inch -
X-Chef Silicone Basting Pastry Brushes for Cooking BBQ Meat Cakes Pastries Butter Kitchen, Heatproof, Dishwasher Safe Flexible Easy Clean, BPA Free and FDA Approved, Set of 4
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 440mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
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Joy
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