Chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven. These buns feature a yeasted dough, chocolate and orange filling, all drizzled with an orange glaze. So simple and so delicious!
Chocolate + Orange
Some flavor pairings are meant to be. Chocolate and orange is one of those pairings! And when combined in these sweet buns, they’re what breakfast dreams are made of. Read on to learn all about these scrumptious buns!
Ingredients For Chocolate and Orange Sweet Buns
There are a few components to this recipe: the sweet dough, the chocolate and orange filling, and the orange glaze. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Whole milk
- Sugar
- Active dry or instant yeast
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Salt
- Bread flour
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Unsweetened natural or Dutch process cocoa powder
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Orange zest
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Powdered Sugar
How To Make Chocolate and Orange Sweet Buns
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top.
- Add the remaining sugar, the butter, eggs, salt, and 1 cup of flour and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 3 cups flour, switch the mixer down to low speed, and beat until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be very soft, but not overly sticky. Beat in 2-3 more Tablespoons of flour if dough seems very sticky. Avoid adding more flour than you need.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 6-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 full minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a metal or glass 9×13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 10×16-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick.
- For the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together except for the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips. Spread mixture all over the dough. Sprinkle /chocolate chips evenly on top. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, between 1-1.5 inches each. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (You can also opt to store covered in the refrigerator overnight at this point. Just bring to room temp 30 minute before you plan to bake them!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 25-28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. After about 15 minutes, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly and baking unevenly. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes as you make the icing.
- Make the icing: Combine powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to combine the icing until smooth. Frost the warm buns and serve warm!
How To Personalize These Buns
If chocolate and orange aren’t your favorite flavor combination, feel free to mix it up! You can swap any citrus in for the orange, and choose to either omit or swap out the semi-sweet chocolate for a different chocolate. My Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls are a classic if you’re looking for a more traditional recipe (the brown butter cream cheese frosting makes them outrageously good!).
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Chocolate and Orange Sweet Buns
Chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven. These buns feature a yeasted dough, chocolate and orange filling, all drizzled with an orange glaze. So simple and so delicious!
Servings: 12 buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk warmed to about 100°F
- 6 Tablespoons sugar divided
- 1 Tablespoon active dry or instant yeast
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups bread flour spooned & leveled, plus more as needed for hands/work surface
Chocolate and Orange Filling
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened natural or dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 orange zested
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Orange Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Zest and juice of one orange
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top.
- Add the remaining sugar, the butter, eggs, salt, and 1 cup of flour and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 3 cups flour, switch the mixer down to low speed, and beat until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be very soft, but not overly sticky. Beat in 2-3 more Tablespoons of flour if dough seems very sticky. Avoid adding more flour than you need.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 6-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 full minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a metal or glass 9×13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 10×16-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick.
- For the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together except for the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips. Spread mixture all over the dough. Sprinkle /chocolate chips evenly on top. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, between 1-1.5 inches each. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (You can also opt to store covered in the refrigerator overnight at this point. Just bring to room temp 30 minute before you plan to bake them!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 25-28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. After about 15 minutes, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly and baking unevenly. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes as you make the icing.
- Make the icing: Combine powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to combine the icing until smooth. Frost the warm buns and serve warm!
Notes
Original recipe slightly adapted from Sally’s Bake Blog!