These easy whole wheat cinnamon rolls will always bring a smile. Scrumptious and good for you!
Easy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Who loves a warm, fresh from the oven,
homemade cinnamon roll?
Uh, everybody!
Ditch the bleached, nutrition-less white flour or the store-bought versions which are loaded with hydrogenated trans fats and many crazy chemicals. Yuk!
Today is your lucky day! Not only are these whole wheat cinnamon rolls easy and delicious; they are healthy, full of nutrition cinnamon rolls made with freshly milled whole wheat flour and other wholesome ingredients!
Ooo-wee; look at all that goodness!
My easy whole wheat cinnamon rolls are made with freshly milled flour that I mill in my own kitchen. If you are not familiar with milling grains, check these pages:
Real Bread
History of White Flour
Getting Started Milling Whole Grains, Corn & Beans
Alright, let’s get to making deliciousness!
Recipe
Easy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about 10-15 rolls
Dough:
1-1/2 cups Warm Water
1/4 cup Sucanat*, Raw Sugar or Raw Honey
1-1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Sunflower Lecithin* (optional)
1 teaspoon Gluten* (optional)
4-5 cups Whole Wheat Flour – freshly milled
Freshly milled Bean Flour* (optional) see Tracy’s Tip below
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup fresh ground Flax Seed* (optional)
1/3 to 1 cup Chopped Pecans, Walnuts and/or Raisins (optional)
Filling:
1/4 cup Softened Butter
1 to 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 cup Sucanat* or Brown Sugar
Glaze:
2 to 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice or Milk
1 cup Powdered Sugar*
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
*Ingredients: See explanation in the instruction sections below or for greater detail visit my Healthy Ingredients page.
*Sucanat: Is real brown sugar. See my Healthy Ingredients page for more details.
The optional ingredients are just that, optional. However, they DO enhance the taste, texture and nutrition of your bread; but you totally may omit them.
How much grain do I mill?
Take the total cups needed and divide by 1.5.
Example: 5 cups flour / 1.5 = 3-1/3 cups grain
If you do not mill your own flour yet
Simply replace the needed flour with unbleached all-purpose or bread flour.
See Getting Started Milling to learn about milling your own grain, corn and bean flours and corn meals.
Did you say Bean Flour?
For added protein & nutrition add dried beans in with your grain when milling. I like to use navy or baby Lima beans.
Simply add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried beans per every cup of grain. Have no fear, once you bake the bread you won’t taste the beans, just extra goodness. 😊
Instructions
Note: Again, if you are new to making yeast loaf bread made with whole wheat, I encourage you to take a look at my Bread Making Tips page for some very helpful tips and more thorough explanation.
Simple Instructions
Simple Instructions
1. Soak Raisins: For softer raisins, place them in a bowl and cover by an inch or so with apple juice, water or bourbon. Tip: if you do not soak firm raisins, they may be firm in your rolls.
2. Grease Pan: Grease your pan with butter
3. First 5 Ingredients: In large mixer bowl add first 5 ingredients. Give them a good stir.
4. Add Half the Flour & Yeast: Add half the flour and sprinkle the yeast on top. Mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
5. Resting: Cover bowl and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. This process is very important. It allows the fresh flour to absorb moisture.
6. Add Oil and Flax Seed: After the resting period, remove the covering and add the oil and flax seed
7. Adding Remaining Flour: Turn mixer on low; begin adding additional flour 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the dough hook to work in the flour a few turns. Continue adding flour UNTIL dough pulls away or CLEANS the side of the bowl ONE time, then STOP adding flour.
Dough may be slightly sticky, may stick to the sides or pool at the bottom of the bowl; but, DON’T be tempted to add more flour. Just let the dough hook do it’s thing, working in all the flour.
8. Kneading: Start your timer and knead for 8 minutes. Knead until gluten is fully developed. Hand kneading may take about 10-15 minutes.
9. Roll out Doug: Pour some oil on your hands and work surface. (Do not use flour on your work surface; this can make the dough heavier). This dough makes approx. 2 lbs. of dough. Cut the dough in half making two smaller batches to work with. Roll or press dough into about a 10×12 inch rectangle. Tip: thinner the dough, the more goody in the middle.
10. Filling: Brush rolled-out dough with softened butter, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, Sucanat or brown sugar, nuts and/or raisins. Divide filling between both batches of dough.
11. Roll up Dough: On one long side, start rolling dough (similar to rolling a sleeping bag). As you roll, pull the dough toward you a little to make the roll tight. Pinch seam.
Tip: Smaller rolls – roll from a long side. Larger rolls – roll starting on a short side.
12. Cut Rolls: Using a dough cutter, sharp knife or dental floss, cut rolls about 1-1/2 inches wide – about 2-fingers width. Place rolls in greased or lined baking dish, cake pan, stone or muffin pan.
Repeat with the other batch of dough.
13. Rising: Cover with plastic wrap or light towel and let rise in a warm draft-free place about 20-40 minutes or until doubled.
14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
15. Baking: Bake 20-25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
16. Glazing: Allow rolls to cool slightly before glazing; then, drizzle or spread glaze over the tops of your yummy whole wheat cinnamon rolls.
*Tips:
Sucanat – Sucanat is simply real brown sugar. You may substitute raw honey or white sugar.
Sunflower Lecithin: Lecithin helps soften the dough and metabolize saturated fat and cholesterol.
Gluten – Gluten helps the bread to rise, totally optional.
Beans Flour: For even more nutrition, throw in a handful of dried navy, northern or baby Lima beans in with your grain when you mill. You will be adding a ton of nutrients, protein and fiber. Who knew? Power-up those rolls!
Detailed Instructions
First Things First
1. Mill Grains & (Beans): Set you mill according to the mill’s instructions or medium-fine. Pour your grains and beans in the hopper and mill away.
*For milling instructions of whole grains (berries) and beans into flour instructions,
See: My Milling Basics post
*How to calculate how much grain – See Recipe section to mill for the flour needed.
*Remember, yeast breads using freshly milled flour may require a little more or a little less flour depending how much moisture is in the grain. See Yeast Bread Tips page for more details.
2. Soak Raisins: See tip below.
3. Grease Pan. I like to use butter. More butter the better, I say. 😁
4. Gather & Measure out ALL ingredients. You don’t want to forget anything.
Raisins: Remember, if the raisins are hard in the bag, they will be hard in the roll.
To soften raisins, place them in a bowl and cover by an inch or so with water or a flavored liquid such as apple juice or bourbon.
See how plump they became after soaking.
Bean Flour: I add bean flour into most of my baking: breads, biscuits, cookies, cakes, etc.
Beans have so much to offer in the way of protein, fiber and tons of nutrients. So why not power-up those baked goods!
Add 1 Tablespoon dried beans per cup of grain. I like to use dried navy beans or baby Lima beans; however, pretty much any dried bean will work.
Just add them in with your grain and mill all together.
Again, check out my Milling Basics page to learn more.
Super Cinnamon Rolls Why not?!
Grind Your Flax Seed
Grind your flax seed in your coffee grinder or blender.
Like flour, to benefit from all the nutrients of flax seed, it must be ground fresh every time. Pre-ground flax seed from the store has already lost much of its nutritional value due to oxidation.
Note: Never grind flax seed or other oily seeds or spices in your grain mill.
Time to Mix & Rest
First 5 Ingredients: In a large mixer bowl add the first 5 ingredients. Give them a good stir.
Add Half the Flour and Yeast: Add half the flour and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir well or mix on low for about a minute. Dough should be a loose batter-ish
I use the Bosch Universal Plus Mixer – AWESOME mixer!
By Hand
By Hand: If you are working by hand, no problem, simply divide as above, then mix with a sturdy wooden spoon.
Resting
Turn off mixer, cover and allow flour to absorb the moisture for about 15 minutes.
Allow Flour Time to Hydrate
After mixing the first 5 ingredients and half the flour & yeast, cover your bowl with a lightly dampened towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest or “sponge” for about 10-15 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the moisture.
I learned this trick years ago and it has helped so much with the softness of my fresh milled flour breads.
Moisture is the key!
Adding Remaining Flour & Kneading
Oil & Flax Seed: After the rest period add the oil and flax seed.
Start adding the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time UNTIL the dough CLEANS the side of the bowl ONE TIME.
Then STOP adding flour! Do not be tempted to add more flour even if it sticks to the sides or pools in the bottom of the bowl. Let the dough hood do its thing.
Start your timer and knead the dough for about 8 minutes (by hand, knead at least 10-15 minutes).
Dough should be slightly sticky. Adding too much flour will produce a dry and heavy roll.
Roll & Cut the Cinnamon Rolls
Raisins: Drain raisins well.
Pour some olive oil on your hands and work surface.
Cut dough ball in half. This dough produces about 2 lbs; cutting it in half makes for easier handling. Work with one dough ball at a time.
Roll or press dough: Roll dough into a 14 x 12 inch rectangle. It doesn’t have to be exact.
Note: The thinner the dough the more goody in the middle. 😍
Spread the softened butter on the dough.
Sprinkle with desired goody: amount of cinnamon, Sucanat (brown sugar) and chopped pecans and soaked raisins (drained well of course).
Lots of goody is needed here!!!
Starting on one long side, roll dough similar to rolling a sleeping bag. As you roll, pull the dough toward you slightly to make the roll tight. Pinch seam together.
If you roll from the long side will produce medium sized cinnamon rolls,
but rolling from the short side will create a larger cinnamon roll. Go big or go home!
Cut rolls about 1-1/2 inches wide (about 2 fingers width) using a dough cutter, sharp knife or dental floss.
Rising the Dough
Place cut rolls in your well butter-greased or lined baking dish.
Cover with plastic wrap or light towel and allow to rise 15-25 minutes. Place covered dish in a warm place while rising. You can place your covered pan in the oven with the light on only.
Baking
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Glazing Time
Mix together juice or milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add more liquid or sugar as needed for desired consistency.
Allow rolls to cool about 5 minutes or so before glazing. Drizzle or spread glaze on your beautiful, easy whole wheat cinnamon rolls.
Dust with cinnamon for a pretty look!
Make your own powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is made from bleached white sugar, but you can make a healthier choice by blending the cup of raw cane sugar in the blender with a 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or Arrowroot. Blend to a fine consistency, then make your glaze. See, good-for-you can be done.
I can smell them from here
DELICIOUS!!!
Are you ready?
To learn all the details you need to start milling your own fresh flours and corn meals, click the link below.
What is your favorite cinnamon roll filling?
