Recipe: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

I made these cinnamon rolls for my husband for Valentine's Day. Cinnamon rolls are his favorite dessert, by far. I've only made him cinnamon rolls once before. The first time was about 5 years ago, when we were dating. They were a lot of time and work, so the cinnamon rolls were kind of a big deal. But, he didn't like them. So, I kind of went on strike and didn't make them again until last week. Thankfully, this recipe was received much better. No one wants to get their feelings hurt on Valentine's Day!

Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls:
¼ c. coconut oil
1 c. milk
¼ c. sugar
1 pkg. (2 ¼ tsp.) yeast
2 + ½ c. whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda

¼ c. butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. sugar

Ingredients for Icing:
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
4 TBS. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla

If you are milling your own flour, grind about 1 ½ cups of wheat berries to get 2 ½ cups of flour, plus extra for dusting.

Heat the coconut oil on the stove with the milk and sugar, just until the coconut oil is melted and everything is warm.

Pour the liquid into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes, until it gets foamy.

Add in 2 cups of flour. It will be very sticky.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm place for at least one hour. The dough will rise to almost double its size.

Mix in the last ½ cup of flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick on a floured surface.

Use a pastry brush to paint softened or melted butter onto the dough. Spread it to all the sides and corners. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over it.

Very carefully pull the dough up and roll it. Cut the roll to make 16 smaller rolls.

Put the rolls on a baking sheet that has been greased or lined with unbleached parchment paper. At the point, I actually threw the baking sheet in the freezer, because it was the day before Valentine's Day, and I wanted to bake them the day of. So, these can be frozen and baked at a later date. If you want to bake them right away, just set the baking sheet in a warm place and let them rise for one hour. If you do freeze them, take them out and give them a couple of hours to defrost, then continue to let them rise for one hour. Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated 350° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. (This picture is before the second rising).

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the icing. Mix the ingredients together, adding a little water to thin it out only if necessary.

When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes. Then, drizzle the icing all over.

I prefer them while they're warm; my husband likes them once they've cooled.

Store at room temperature in a covered container.

Printable: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls