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Sourdough Cranberry Orange Rolls

Joselyn Buehler
Combine the tangy richness of sourdough with vibrant cranberry-orange filling and a luscious orange cream cheese glaze. Perfect for the holidays, this naturally leavened recipe features overnight fermentation for irresistibly soft, flavorful rolls that are as stunning as they are delicious.
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Ingredients
  

Sweet Starter (Night Before)

  • 15g ripe sourdough starter
  • 75g water
  • 75g bread flour
  • 15g granulated sugar

Dough Ingredients

  • 120g 1/2 cup sweet starter
  • 57g 4 tbsp browned or melted butter, cooled
  • 180g 3/4 cup milk, slightly warmed
  • 50g 3 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 60g 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 425g 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 10g 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Butter for Assembly

  • 115g 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 227g 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 115g 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
  • 120g 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 60g 4 tbsp orange juice (adjust for consistency)
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Day 1: Prepare Sweet Starter (Evening)

  • Sweet Starter helps cut acidity and make your rolls less tangy. You can skip this step and use your fed starter if you want a more tart roll. 
  • Combine all ingredients for the sweet starter in a straight edge vessel (jar). Cover loosely and leave at room temperature overnight (8–12 hours). Make sure starter has doubled before using. 

Day 2: Dough Preparation and First Proof (Morning)

  • Mix the Dough (8:00 AM)
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the browned butter and milk. Add the sweet starter, orange juice, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
    • Gradually add the bread flour and sea salt, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour 1 tbsp at a time if sticky.
  • First Rise (9:00 AM)
    • Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place (around 75°F) for 4–5 hours, performing one set of stretch-and-folds after the first 30 minutes. The dough should expand by about 50%. (I love these straight edge containers that make it easy to see how much my dough has risen https://amzn.to/41asbCq)
  • Refrigerate (2:00 PM)
    • Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight (up to 16 hours). This slows fermentation and enhances flavor.

Day 3: Shaping and Baking (Morning)

  • Prepare Filling (7:00 AM)
    • In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, honey, orange juice, orange zest, and cardamom. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and the mixture thickens (5 minutes).
    • Whisk cornstarch with 1 tbsp water to make a slurry. Add to the cranberry mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
    • Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and transfer to a dish to cool completely.
  • Shape the Rolls (8:00 AM)
    • Roll the dough into a 12x18” rectangle on a floured surface.
    • Spread softened butter evenly across the dough, leaving a 1/2” border at the top.
    • Spread cooled cranberry filling over the buttered dough.
    • Roll tightly from the long edge to form a log and mark for 12 rolls.
    • Slice the log into 12 even pieces (use floss for clean cuts) and arrange in a 9x13” pan lined with parchment. (This 9x13 pan is my favorite https://amzn.to/499bWaI)
  • Final Proof (8:30 AM)
    • Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 3–4 hours until puffy and doubled in size.

Bake and Frost (Late Morning)

  • Bake (11:30 AM)
    • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and centers feel firm to touch.
  • Prepare the Glaze
    • Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar, orange juice, and zest, mixing until creamy and spreadable.
  • Cool and Frost (12:00 PM)
    • Let rolls cool for 10–15 minutes, then spread or pipe the glaze generously over the rolls.
Course Baked Good, Rolls, Sourdough