Overnight Orange Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1

Take the eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours prior and let them sit in a bowl on the counter to come to room temperature. Take the butter out and allow it to soften to room temperature.

Step 2

Warm up the milk. Measure out the orange juice for the dough so it can warm up to room temperature.

Step 3

In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and room temperature eggs. Set aside.

Step 4

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cardamom and orange zest. Whisk until there are no large clumps of ingredients together. Attach the dough hook, then turn the mixer on low speed. Slowly add the warm milk mixture followed by the room temperature orange juice. Allow the ingredients to combine for one minute.

Step 5

Increase the speed to low-medium and add the softened, cubed butter in pieces until it's fully incorporated and there are no large chunks of butter. At this point, the dough will be very wet. Continue mixing at low-medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is still fairly wet, add up to another ¼ cup of flour gradually, in 2 tablespoons increments. The dough should be soft, but not too wet or sticky to handle.

Step 6

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm location of the kitchen (I place mine in an un-heated oven) and allow the dough to double in size. This usually takes about 2 hours. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

Step 7

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Grease two 8-inch cake pans thoroughly and set aside.

Step 8

Once the dough has sufficiently risen, place on a lightly floured sourface and roll the dough out into a large, thin rectangle. Spread the butter across the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Step 9

Carefully roll the dough into a long, tight cylinder. Cut into 12 to 16 even pieces that are each about 2-inches thick, then arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared greased baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.

Step 10

In the morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and place it on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; this takes about 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F; once ready, return the rolls to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Step 11

While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth. Once the rolls are done, remove from the oven and spread about 1/4 of the icing evenly over the rolls. Allow the buns to cool for 5-10 minutes, then top with the remaining icing just before serving. (this helps create a thicker icing!).