if you need to get information out of me, you could more likely have it if you bribed me with any type of sweets.

but if you need to get classified, top secret information from me and you give me warm, gooey cinnamon rolls, i will probably spill it all out, even if i went to prison afterwards. really. i’m that lame. but my weakness for cinnamon rolls are beyond words.

cinnamon rolls are so comforting… it’s like having a blanket 24/7 without getting junk mail in your mailbox. it’s the best thing ever, right?

i decided to experiment with tons of cinnamon, gooey frosting and the best part, not that i want to sell you these rolls, but, they are made with whole wheat flour. boom.

you can make the cinnamon rolls the night before and bake them in the morning for a special occasion, brunch, or as a gift for a friend. i’m telling you, they are going to love you and ask for more once they try them :)

these pictures show how i made the rolls. but, let me know if you have any questions!

here. we. go.

scald milk until the bottom of the pan looks like this.

mix sugar with salt, whole wheat and all-purpose flours. mix well with a whisk.

when scalding the milk it should be around 125F. here’s a little over but it’s okay ;)

add hot milk to dry yeast and combine well.

here’s the bottom of the pan so you know what it looks like when scalding the milk.

add melted butter to the mixing bowl.

followed by oil and beaten egg.

after mixing well. change the mixing paddle with the dough hook and add flour, alternating with milk/yeast mixture.

while the dough is kneading, butter a glass bowl where the dough will go.

cover with parchment paper and a dish towel.

combine sugars, cinnamon and salt in a glass bowl and whisk until incorporated.

dough is looking awesome after 1 hour!

sprinkle flour on the counter top.

roll out dough in a rectangle-ish shape – hahaha – it should be a rectangle. oh well.

pour butter evenly across the dough surface.

followed by the cinnamon sugar mixture.

start rolling!

sorry about my arms being in these shots!

mmm! looking good.

butter a baking dish and let the cinnamon rolls rest for one hour or overnight in the fridge before baking. i only put 8 rolls in here and the other two in a different baking dish.

rested and ready to go in the oven.

for the frosting, add sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla and salt to a food processor. blend until well combined.

cinnamon rolls

dough:
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
3 packages instant dry yeast
4 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
1 egg slightly beaten, room temperature {sitting on the counter for 30-50 minutes approx.}
1 cup milk, scalded at 125F {any milk you have in your fridge works!}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

yields 10 cinnamon rolls

1. preheat oven to 220F.

2. in a sauce pan, heat milk over low heat until scalded and reaches 125F. scalding is basically burning the liquid at the bottom of the sauce pan. you’ll see a thin texture forming on the bottom. don’t burn the milk or boil it.  if you don’t have a thermometer, turn off the heat when the milk starts steaming. make sure milk is hot.

3. in a bowl mix 3 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, salt and sugar. set aside.

4. open dry yeast packages and add to a medium sized bowl. follow by the warm milk and mix with a fork. lumps are okay.

5. in the bowl of a stand mixer, add cooled melted butter, oil and egg. mix on  speed setting #3 for two minutes. beating for a few minutes will make the dough airy and fluffy, which will pay off once the cinnamon rolls are done. if you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer works well, too.

6. switch the mixing paddle with dough hook. set speed to low and add flour mixture to egg, oil and butter alternating with warm milk/yeast mixture until combined.

7. sprinkle the remainder 1/4 cup all purpose flour until dough is not longer sticking to the walls of the bowl. you’ll still have some dough left on the walls, which is fine. knead for 3 more minutes at low speed.

8. in the meantime, grease a glass bowl with butter. once dough it’s done kneading, transfer to bowl.

9. turn oven off.

10. cover dough with parchment paper and a dish towel. put bowl in warm oven and let it rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled its size.

filling:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
8 tbsps unsalted butter, melted

11. turn oven back on to 220F. in a bowl, mix sugars, salt and ground cinnamon.

12. roll dough in a countertop sprinkled with flour in a rectangle shape. 15 inches long and 10 inches wide. it doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle, but at least close to these measurements. you want the rectangle width to be in the thicker side, preferably.

13. melt butter and add to the dough evenly. follow with cinnamon sugar mixture. sprinkle it evenly as well so it’s leveled and you have the same amount of cinnamon sugar throughout. use your hands so it’s easier to spread.

14. start folding the dough by pinching the longer side closer to you. roll dough tightly as you go until you run out of dough. pinch ends so it’s tight as well.

15. cut 1 1/2 inch thick rolls with a serrated knife. put rolls in a greased 9” x 13” baking pan. 3 in a row. or any other pan you have available.

16. turn oven off. cover cinnamon rolls with parchment paper and dish towel. let it rise in the oven for one hour before baking.

17. bake for 18-20 minutes at 375F or until very light golden brown. do not over bake and proceed to make frosting.

frosting:
1/8 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of sea salt

18. in a food processor, add sugar and grind until it has a flour texture. you can use powder sugar instead.

19. add milk, melted butter, vanilla and sea salt. mix well. if it curds, pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds.

20. pour mixture over warm cinnamon rolls and let it absorb.

store in an airtight container for up to three days.

warm up cinnamon rolls for 15-20 seconds in the microwave and they will be as gooey as if you just took them out of the oven.