Breakfast for Dinner – Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous post, last night I made breakfast for dinner.  To accompany my ham and asparagus frittata, I made some whole wheat cinnamon rolls.  These cinnamon rolls are also adapted from a recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook.  The first time I made the rolls, I followed the recipe as it was written (well, almost).  They turned out a bit dry.  I am not sure if it was the recipe or something I did.

So, yesterday when I decided to make some cinnamon rolls, I made a few changes (ok, maybe more than a few). I often use sour cream or buttermilk when I am baking.  Since I had some Oikos organic yogurt in the fridge, I decided to add that instead.  I also used King Arthur 100% Whole Wheat White flour instead of just all purpose flour to make the rolls a bit healthier.  Finally, I switched up the filling a bit, using just raisins and walnuts instead of the apricots and pecans in the original recipe.

I only baked half of the rolls.  I stashed the other half in the freezer for breakfast one day this weekend.  The ones that I did bake turned out wonderfully – and they were delicious! They are small, so I had two for dinner last night- and then two with some fruit for breakfast this morning!

Without further ado, here is the recipe for my whole wheat cinnamon rolls (adapted from Cooking Light).

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 package rapid rise yeast
• 1/4 cup milk (I had whole milk, so that’s what I used – the original recipe calls for skim)
• 1 – 5.3 ounce cup of plain Oikos organic Greek yogurt
• 4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups 100% whole wheat white flour (I use King Arthur)
• 1 1/2 cups al purpose flour, divided

Filling Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, cooled

Glaze Ingredients (Optional):

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the warm water and yeast in another large bowl.  Stir to combine until yeast is dissolved.  Add the milk, yogurt, butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla, stirring to evenly combine all of the ingredients.  Add the whole wheat flour and one cup of the all purpose flour. Stir with a wooden spoon, until a sticky dough forms.  Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Gradually knead in the remaining 1/2 cup of all purpose flour.  Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and does not stick to your hands.

Place the dough in the bowl prepared with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 60 minutes.  The dough should double in size. Once it has finished rising, punch the dough down and set it aside to rest for 5 minutes while preparing the filling.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon for the filling.  Spray two nine inch cake pans with cooking spray and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to form a large rectangle (approximately 18 inches by 10 inches). Brush the dough with the melted butter, and sprinkle the filling over the dough, reserving 1/2 cup filling.

Carefully roll the dough lengthwise, forming a long cinnamon roll (approximately 18 inches long).  Pinch the dough at the seam to seal, but do not seal the ends.  Cut the roll into 24 slices and arrange them in the two prepared cake pans, cut side up. (Note – the original recipe suggests using dental floss to cut the rolls.  Simply slide the floss under the roll, cross the ends over the top of the roll and pull to cut through.  I tried this, and it works quite well!) Cover each of the cake pans of rolls and set aside to rise for another 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Once the rolls have risen, sprinkle the remaining filling over the tops of the rolls and bake for 20 minutes.

If desired, once the rolls have cooled slightly, prepare the glaze.  Whisk together the milk and powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Drizzle over the warm cinnamon roll.  Serve while still warm (although they are delicious the next day, too!).