Healthy Cinnamon Rolls - The Only Cinnamon Roll Recipe That You'll Ever Need
SERVINGS: 10-12 Rolls PREP TIME: 1 Hr 40 Min COOK TIME: 20-15 Min TOTAL TIME: 2 Hr 10 Min
Ingredients for the Dough:
2 cups of dairy free milk, slightly warmed
1/2 cup of raw cane sugar
1/2 cup of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee (if not vegan)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
4 Cups of whole wheat flour, sifted
1/2 - 1 Cup of bread flour (see recipe instructions)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sea salt
Ingredients for the Filling:
3/4 cup of coconut sugar
3/4 cup of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee
2 Tbs of ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the Frosting:
4 oz of dairy free cream cheese, room temp/softened
2 Tbs of coconut oil, vegan butter or ghee, melted
4 Tbs of dairy free milk room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of powdered sugar
Directions for the Dough:
Add warm milk, cane sugar, coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and stir. Add in the yeast and stir to “feed the yeast”. Allow this mixture to sit for 10 minuted so the yeast can bloom (very important for the overall rise / fluff of your cinnamon rolls).
Once yeast has bloomed for 10 minutes, add in 4 cups of sifted bread flour and mix with a wooden kitchen spoon until a wet sticky mixture has formed.
Tightly cover the top of your bowl with plastic wrap and allow the mushy mixture to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I usually will turn on my microwave for 2 minuted on high, BEFORE I place the bowl inside to warm the space up. This will cultivate a great rise in your dough.
After the dough has risen for 1 hour (it should have almost doubled in size), add in 1/2 cup of bread flour and begin to combine using your wooden kitchen spoon.
As the dough comes together, switch from your spoon to using your hands to mix. Turn the scraggly dough out onto a clean hard surface and kneed for 10 minutes or until the dough begins to smoothen out and no longer stick to your hands. Add small amounts of bread flour to the dough if it is too sticky or wet. Poke the dough to see if it is ready. If it springs back you are good to go! See video above for more details.
Once the dough is ready it’s time to roll it out. Be sure to roll your dough out on a floured surface until it’s about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Directions for the Filling:
Add all filling ingredients to a small or medium sized bowl and mix until a creamy paste forms.
Spread filling mixture all over your rolled out dough.
Roll the dough up as tightly as you possibly can.
Directions for Cutting & Second Proof of the Rolls:
Once the dough has been rolled, use dental floss to mark of 10-12 1-inch thick rolls. Use floss to slice rolls (see video above).
Place 6 rolls evenly spaced apart into two greased 8x8 dishes or a 9x13 dish. Be sure to leave space for the rolls to rise again. Cover with plastic wrap just like before and allow to rise again in a warm area for 35-40 minutes. ***SEE NOTES FOR FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS
Directions for Baking:
After rising (the rolls should have expanded and should be touching), bake your cinnamon rolls at 350˚F for 20-25 minus or until golden brown on top.
Directions for the Frosting:
Place softened cream cheese and vegan butter into a mixing bowl and cream together.
Add in milk and vanilla extract and whisk together.
Add in powdered sugar and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Pour frosting over warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. I typically like to allow my rolls time to cool after baking, letting them cool for 15-20 minutes is best.
NUTRITION: 1 Roll
Calories: 350 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 5g Monounsaturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 2003mg Potassium: 70mg Total Carbohydrates: 49g Dietary Fiber: 6g Sugar: 16g Protein: 6g
NOTES:
*TO FREEZE ROLLS: After rolling and slicing cinnamon rolls, place them in a greased baking dish. Immediately cover the dish with two layers of plastic wrap and place in the freezer before the second proof. When ready to serve, defrost rolls in your refrigerator over night or place them on your counter at room temperature to defrost for 3-4 hours. Bake as directed above and enjoy! Rolls can be frozen up to 3 months!
**All text & images © Copyright Kaili Mills for Measure Me Whole.
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