Substituting whole wheat for white flour is, at times, problematic in that it tends to produce drier, tougher finished products.
For this cinnamon roll recipe, I alleviated the dryness by adding grated apple to the recipe, making the dough less "thirsty," and providing a moist, dense finished roll. The recipe also relies on a bit more oil to keep it moist.
My two favorite baking assistants, Curlytop (age 5) and Snugglebug (age 4) helped.
 |
| Snugglebug, "on a roll." |
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls That Don't Suck
1 1/4 c. warm water (“baby bath water” warm - not too hot, or you'll kill the yeast)
1 1/2 T. dry yeast
1/4 c. oil
1 heaping cup grated apples (about 2 medium), packed
6 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. salt
1/4 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
1 T. oil
2 to 4 T. vegan stick margarine, softened
1/4 c. evaporated cane juice crystals or vegan sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
Glaze:
Blend until smooth or desired consistency:
2 to 3 c. vegan powdered sugar
2 to 3 T. vanilla soy milk
Add more powdered sugar or soy milk if necessary.
Directions for rolls:
Preheat oven to 375 degress.
In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and allow to dissolve.
Add oil and grated apples, mix thoroughly.
In a large bowl, combine and mix flour, salt and sugar. Make a “well” in the middle of the dry mixture, then add liquid mixture. Stir liquid into flour until it’s too stiff to stir with a spoon, then oil your hands and knead the dough.
Add a little more flour or water if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Dough should be slightly sticky, but not totally clinging to hands or bowl. When dough forms easily into a ball, remove from bowl, put a tablespoon of oil into the bottom of the bowl, and roll the ball of dough in the oil to coat it.
Allow to rise until doubled in size – about an hour.
Punch the dough down, divide in half and roll out on a floured board into two large rectangles – about 15” x 9”.
Spread a layer of softened margarine over each rectangle.
Mix sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over buttered rectangles.
Starting at the wide end, roll the dough tightly into a long roll.
Slice each roll, using a serrated knife, into 12 sections. Place the sections, cut sides creating the tops and bottoms, into oiled muffin tins and let rise for about 20 minutes.
Bake until edges begin to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Top with glaze while warm.
"Like" Sexy Vegan Mama on Facebook! Don't forget to swing by The Gonzo Mama's place to see what she's up to.
