Eat 5 cinnamon rolls, drink 4 cups of coffee, take 3 naps, buy 2 more pairs of coated leggings for Beyonce-style napping/living, and have 1 sweater that you wear every single day. And now we just have 5 weekdays, 4 new pink vintage glasses, 3 runs, 2 concerts, and one burrito a day. Because you see it just takes 1 night (for the dough to rise), 1 morning (to casually roll these out), 1 person (who’s my favorite) to say they love cinnamon rolls for me to make them at least once a month.
So anyhow, these guys are wheat-y and I’m into it. They get baked up in melted butter and brown sugar so when you flip them over the new top is crispy sugary goodness. And since frosting is a necessary accessory, brown butter icing happens for topping these.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Icing
Recipe adapted from my mom’s no-knead recipe
Ingredients:
proof that yeast –
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 t sugar
- 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast
dough f’sho –
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (cold is fine)
- 1/2 cup boiling water + 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
brown sugar crust –
- 3 T butter
- 3 T brown sugar
roll up in it –
- 1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, but more like a couple handfuls
- generous amount of cinnamon
Directions:
- In a small bowl, proof the yeast. Whisk together 1/4 cup warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 of a active dry yeast in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, until all puffy and bubbly. Now we have proof that yeast is working.
- In a large bowl stir together 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 a stick of butter, 1/2 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup cold water and 1 egg. Stir until the butter is mostly melted. Add yeast water, and lastly add 3 1/2 cups of flour. Stir, stir, stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge for 8 eight hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place butter in the pan you’re going to bake them in. Melt the butter in the oven. Remove the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Divide dough in half and roll each into a rectangle, and about 1/4 inch thick. Spread evenly with a 2 tablespoons of softened butter using a spatula. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and top that with a generous amount of brown sugar. Gently pat the brown sugar down into the dough a little. Roll up, slice into twelve equal pieces and divide among the muffin cups. Repeat with other half of dough. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in the pan for 30 minutes.
- Bake the rolls for 15-25 minutes, or until set and baked throughout. Allow to cool slightly. Frost.
Brown Butter Icing
- 3 T butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1-2 T milk
Directions:
- Make glaze by melting butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat until 4-5 minutes, or until browned. Pour over confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk (a teaspoon at a time) until smooth and glazey. Spread over cinnamon rolls.
Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipe above.
Loving that these are whole wheat. To me, cinnamon rolls scream fall! And I definitely need to make me some pumpkin swirls!
Whole wheat can give such a nice depth of flavor in baked goods. I’m sure it gives them a slightly nutty, earthy sparkle in these cinnamon rolls. I’ve been wanting to make cinnamon rolls for so long, I think you just pushed me over the edge to the land of “I HAVE TO DO IT NOW.”
WOW these look SO yummy… I just love cinnamon rolls, we only get them for the holidays because they are usually unhealthy but I like the whole wheat idea!! Keep up the good work!
Mmm cinnamon rolls! Always a good thing, especially when they have brown butter icing…swoon. Pinned!
GURL. These rolls. That pan. Insane.
I want someone to send me a bouquet of these babies.
So they’re healthy then, right? 🙂
They look gorgeous and looooove the styling with that pretty floral underneath.
Girl, I love the way you ROLL! But for serious, these are amazing and need to be made post haste 🙂