The Best Orange Sweet Rolls Ever

For the dough:
Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Put the water into a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the water for 1 minute in the microwave. Immediately add the yeast and brown sugar into the bowl of a standard mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the warm/hot water over the yeast. There is no need to stir the yeast. About ten seconds after the water and yeast have had a chance to mix, the yeast should foam and form bubbles. Let the yeast rest for about 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon and half of the orange zest. Add flour mixture into the yeast mixture and mix for 2 minutes. If dough is super sticky add small amounts of additional flour until dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. I had to add about 1/4 cup more. Do not add more than 1/2 cup.

Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for about 5-6 minutes until a tight ball forms.

Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 15×9 inch rectangle. I used a ruler for accuracy. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick, even at the corners.

For the filling:
Spread the dough rectangle with the softened butter. Spoon the orange marmalade across width of dough. It’s okay if it does not spread across the entire length. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.

Tightly roll up the dough into a log, starting with one of the long sides. Cut the log of dough into 12-15 even rolls (1 1/2 inch in width each) with a very sharp knife. Arrange them in the prepared baking pan, placing them with the cut side up.

Bake rolls for about 15 minutes, until they are lightly golden in color. Then transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

For the glaze:

In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract, remaining half of the orange zest, butter extract, and almond extract. Drizzle over rolls before serving.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Rolls taste best fresh out of the oven; but if not serving immediately, do not ice them. Allow them to cool to room temperature then reheat and glaze just before serving.