Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm milk (110°F)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries, chopped
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Activate: Warm milk to 110°F, combine with sugar and yeast, let sit until foamy (5 minutes – mixture should bubble)
- Mix & Rise: Add flour, salt, butter, cinnamon. Knead 5-7 minutes. First rise in oiled bowl (1 hour – dough doubles in size)
- Shape: Roll into rectangle, add butter and cranberry-orange filling, roll tightly, slice into 12 pieces (15 minutes – keep even thickness)
- Bake: Second rise 30 minutes, bake at 350°F until golden, add icing (25-30 minutes – internal temp 190°F)
Notes
- Test milk temperature with your wrist – it should feel barely warm, not hot
- Chop cranberries into smaller pieces to prevent them from falling out during rolling
- Use dental floss to slice rolls cleanly without squashing the delicate dough
- Maintain proper dough temperature throughout the process – too hot kills the yeast, too cold slows rising
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 285 calories
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
Keywords: cranberry orange cinnamon rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls, cranberry rolls, orange rolls, breakfast pastry, holiday baking