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!).
This doesn’t seem too hard to do. Your substitutions are nice! Especially the whole wheat flour.
I’ve been looking for a cinnamon roll recipe that uses white whole wheat flour and this one sounds like it’s going to be the one. I got here via your comments on the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Banter. I really loved their post today about using whole grains in cookies. Going to have to try that too!
Wheat cinnamon rolls. I’ll just to try that. That way i won’t feel as guilty for eating the regular kind. But then again, I tend to slather on the icing on top.
They look ooey-gooey and so very delicious!
This look so good! Totally better than anything you can get out of a can!!! I also love that they are healthy.
They look really good! Great for a morning treat!
A healthier cinnamon roll? That one’s for me :) I would love it for dinner or breakfast or any time!
Everything sounds much healthier with the use of whole wheat flour =P Looks yummy!
Ooooh, this is painful! I’m so craving cinnamon rolls but I can’t walk because of a stress fracture in my hip! I’m not sure if this is helping, or hurting it more!
wow these look great. I’ve never made homemade cinnamon rolls before, but I think I’m going to try these. My husband will be pleased :)
We were obviously on the same wavelength this week. I made (and blogged about them) too. These look yum and I love the greek yogurt—I use it a lot on baking too.
I adore cinnamon rolls. These look fabulous! I always mean to make some and freeze others, but when it comes time, I can’t help myself and I bake them all!!
As I was on your site reading your friday favorites, I stopped dead on the page and stared at those delicious cinnamon rolls! I think if it was left up to me it would be gone in a heartbeat lol
First of all, Congrats on making top 9 on Foodbuzz.com
Second, Thanks for stopping by and the wonderful comments. I figured I am was not the first person to come up with Cheese Steak Egg Rolls. I am going to try to make Reuben Egg Rolls this week. Come by anytime. I will be a regular follower. Your blog is wonderful.
THAT IS MY KIND OF DINNER! Can I come over?
I’m always looking for tasty cinnamon roll recipes. I’ve never tried adding yogurt to mine, that’s a great way to keep them moist! Yum! I’ll have to try it some time!
These look so good. I am definitely going to make them this weekend. Might have to leave out the raisin as half my camp could do without them…