Southern Style Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was just developed this week as a Lagniappe (Party Favor) for a dinner party. It is a healthier alternative, with all the same great flavor in a fluffy inside, crispy outside dough. They take a little prep time, but are well worth it when you get to enjoy them with a little Maple Syrup or butter, or even BOTH!

Makes 30+ medium sized rolls.

For the dough:

3 cups AP Flour

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons Salt

1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Superfine Sugar

2 pkgs. Yeast

1/2 cup Warm Water

2 Whole Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

1/2 lb. Butter Cut in Small Cubes

For the Filling:

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Vanilla

1/2 cup Granulated Superfine Sugar

1.5 ounces Ground Cinnamon

1/4 cup Warm Water

One day prior to serving:

Start by emptying the dry yeast into the warm water in the bottom of your electric mixer. Make sure you have the dough hook attachment and let the yeast begin to activate. Let sit and begin mixing all the dry ingredients in a separate large bowl. After the dry ingredients are mixed and the yeast has begun to activate (approximately 5-10 minutes), start to incorporate the dry ingredients into the mixer with the dough hook running at slow speed (1-2 on a KitchenAid). Slowly incorporate the eggs one at a time and let the dough form. Once all of the eggs are in you can slowly add the cool butter (NOT MELTED!), making sure each amount is well incorporated before adding more. Once all of the butter is incorporated you should have a tacky well kneaded dough. Place in a floured large bowl and cover with plastic. Place this bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

2 hours fefore serving

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place onto a floured work table. Roll the dough out the about a 1/2 inch thickness. It should be a large rectangle. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, water, vanilla, and cinnamon mixing well into a paste. Spread the Cinnamon Sugar mixture over the bottom 3/4 of the dough, leaving the top to close off the rolls. Next, roll up the dough starting at the bottom. It helps to break the dough down into two or four pieces before rolling. When the dough is rolled up and you can no longer see the cinnamon paste, wet the tip of your finger and run along the top before closing. This will help the rolls seal shut. Lastly cut the rolls about 1 1/2 inches thick and place on a sprayed baking sheet. Leave room for the rolls to proof (See the first image). Once all the rolls have been cut and placed on trays, allow the rolls to sit at room temperature for atleast an hour or until almost doubled in size. They should be all bunched together now. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

1 hour before serving

Place in your preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and let cook for another 10-15 minutes. Remove, let cool, and serve. You can garnish with maple syrup, butter, crushed pecans, or whatever else you like! Most of all enjoy this healthier version of Cinnamon Rolls.