The perfect recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls: My family loves anything sweet, like cakes, brownies, cookies, you name it. It is fair to say that we all agree that nothing beats a soft, warm, and oozing cinnamon Roll😍🤤 - especially these white whole wheat cinnamon rolls😏! If you are skeptical about whole wheat flour, I understand. I would be too. Making decadent sweets like cinnamon rolls using whole wheat flour sounds like a great idea, so great that it makes you wonder.🤔 Will this be just another bland cinnamon brick recipe?
That would Hardly ever work in my house! 😜 Cinnamon rolls speak to the happy place in my husband's heart, not to mention my kids, so if I mess with their bliss, it has to hit the spot. Anyway, let's talk about the recipe.
Usually, I get lucky and make a recipe once, and it comes out the way I like it. But, with these cinnamon rolls, (argh)🤯 I could never get them to be as good as regular flour cinnamon rolls, but finally, I nailed it.!!!! After countless trials and errors, I have perfected my whole wheat cinnamon rolls without damaging the scrumptiousness!!!! So, here's my perfect 100% whole wheat cinnamon rolls recipe for you to try. 😉
How to Make Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
This dough comes together quickly in a stand mixer with a hook attachment. However, if you don't have one, you can still make these Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls by hand.
Cover with a cling wrap and allow the dough to rest in a relatively warm environment until doubled in size for about 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your house.
Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half with a rolling pin into a 12 by 18-inch rectangle. Brush dough with softened butter, leaving a ½-inch border along one long side of the rectangle free of butter.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over each portion of dough. Roll up into 2 (18-inch) cylinders and pinch the loose edge to the cylinder. Cut into 30 rolls (15 from each cylinder).
Place Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls cut-side into 2 parchment-lined 9 by 13-inch pans. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
About 10 to 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 if using glass pans). Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
Leave the cinnamon rolls in the pan to cool since they benefit from the steam, making them softer. Allow the rolls to cool for 15 minutes.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 25 g (2 tablespoons) instant dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water , 120-130F
- 15 ml (1 Tablespoon) honey
- 100 g ½ cup light brown sugar
- 100 g ½ cup granulated sugar
- 15 ml Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup warmed milk , 120-130F
- 1 stick (softened) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 870 g (6 ½ cups) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat, spooned into a measuring cup, leveled off, and sifted
Filing:
- 218 g 1 cup light brown sugar
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Saigon cinnamon
- ¾ cup toasted pecans or walnuts , chopped (optional)
- 1 stick (softened) unsalted butter, softened
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 (8 ounces) full fat cream cheese, softened
- 113 g (1 stick)unsalted butter, softened
- 122 g 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Dough:
- Lined with parchment paper or grease with butter (2) 9 by 13-inch pans; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, water, honey, and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, and eggs with a fork. With the mixer on low, add the sifted white whole wheat flour. Increase the speed to medium, and Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough clears the sides but sticks to the bottom.
- If the dough is still sticking to the sides, add only enough extra flour, a tablespoon at a time - to have it clear the sides. (The dough should be sticky, don’t be tempted to make the dough “smooth and elastic.” Instead, flour only just until the dough is manageable enough.)
- Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Next, lightly oil your hand and transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil, then knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together and is smooth and easier to handle, about 30 seconds.
- Cover with a cling wrap and allow the dough to rest in a relatively warm environment until doubled in size for about 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your house.
For the Filling:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugars and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon; set aside.
Shape & Bake:
- When doubled in size, punch down dough. Turn dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half with a rolling pin into a 12 by 18-inch rectangle. Brush dough with softened butter, leaving a ½-inch border along one long side of the rectangle free of butter.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over each portion of dough. Roll up into 2 (18-inch) cylinders and pinch the loose edge to the cylinder. Cut into 30 rolls (15 from each cylinder) and place cut-side up into 2 parchment-lined 9 by 13-inch pans. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
- About 10 to 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (350 if using glass pans). Bake the whole wheat cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the rolls reaches 190 degrees. Leave the rolls in the pan to cool since they benefit from the steam - it makes them softer. Allow the whole wheat cinnamon rolls to cool for 15 minutes.
How to Make the Frosting:
- While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the frosting in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla on medium-low speed until very smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Divide the frosting evenly among the warm rolls using a large spoon and then spread to cover all the 100% whole wheat cinnamon rolls fully. Let cool more before serving.
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.