Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Anyone in the mood for breakfast food? Cinnamon rolls always do the trick with me. I love them pretty much any way you want to serve to to me. These are especially soft and delicious. I topped with with a cream cheese frosting so it would be more substantial than a "drizzle" although a drizzle is healthier for you this adds to the cinnamon roll eating experience to have the warm and smooth frosting dripping over the sides. 

I've been meaning to make cinnamon rolls at home for weeks now. There are a million recipes that I want to try at home though and I talk about them almost all the time. My husband much prefers seeing the results of my talking about them instead of me just telling him I found this delicious looking recipe I want to make (yeah, I can see why :) ). My son was also very excited and we started laughing because he brought me the pan off the counter and asked for one please. He's only two and so that's still adorable. 

You could probably cut down on the time with these by preparing them the night before through shaping and cutting them then putting them in the pan. After they're in the pan you could loosely cover them and pop them in the refrigerator then pull them out in the morning and pop them in the oven. I wanted to do it this way but had other stuff going on so I did it all the same day. It's just a thought though. A lot of the time for this recipe is spent waiting on it to rise, which is okay also because it give you time to get stuff done. Happy Baking!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 roll)

Ingredients:
Dough:
- 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons warm 1% milk (100° to 110°)
- 2 tablespoons warm water (100° to 110°)
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- dash teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅙ - ⅓ cup raisins
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 ounces butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm milk and 2 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until foamy. Add butter and next 4 ingredients; stir well.
2. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, stirring until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; roll into a 8” x 12” rectangle on a floured surface. Coat surface of dough with cooking spray.
4. To prepare filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; sprinkle over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle raisins over dough, pressing gently into dough. Roll up rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam to seal. Cut the dough into 8 rolls. Place the rolls, cut sides up, in a 7”x11” baking pan coated with cooking spray.
5. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375°.
Uncover rolls. Bake at 375° for 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
6. For frosting, combine cream cheese in butter in a mixer until fluffy and almost completely smooth. Add in vanilla, then the powdered sugar ¼ cup at time, mixing in between, until desired consistency is reached.

Printable recipe


Adapted from Cooking Light