Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Fresh Milled Flour
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These Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Fresh Milled Flour are topped with a maple cream cheese glaze and rival the ooey-gooey Cinnabon! These are so soft, fluffy, and absolutely perfect. You’ll never need another cinnamon roll recipe again.
Is there anything better than a cinnamon roll? Not if you ask me!
Cinnamon rolls have to be up there as my favorite baked sweet breakfast treat, and they’re a Christmas morning staple.
I’ve spent many years perfecting my cinnamon roll technique and have gotten quite the reputation among my in-laws as the cinnamon roll queen. 😉
However, almost all my baking these days is done with fresh milled flour, so I have had to tweak my recipes and methods to work with the unique properties fresh flour has.
I am so excited to share this simple recipe for those looking to make soft, gooey homemade cinnamon rolls with whole wheat flour–especially fresh milled flour!
Due to the time they take, cinnamon rolls are a labor of love–it’s no secret that they take several hours to make. That said, they aren’t difficult. I’ll offer plenty of tips to help you through the most common mistakes–see the Important Tips & Tricks section.
Ingredients
Here are some of the most important ingredients needed to make this incredible whole wheat cinnamon rolls recipe. For the full ingredient list, the recipe card at the bottom of the post:
Whole Wheat Flour– If making this recipe with fresh milled flour, I recommend hard white wheat berries. Hard white berries are lighter in texture and color than red wheat. It’s perfect for treats that you want to keep light and fluffy. If using bagged flour, you can get White Whole Wheat. King Arthur’s Flour sells it in an orange/brown bag.
Sugar – Both white & brown. You will use a little white sugar in the cinnamon roll dough and brown sugar for the filling.
Buttermilk – You don’t need much, just 1/4 cup. If you prefer not to buy a whole jug of buttermilk, measure 1/4 cup whole milk into a cup and add one teaspoon of lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes and you’ve made a homemade buttermilk substitute.
Avocado Oil – I prefer to use avocado oil in my baked goods instead of vegetable oil. Avocado oil has excellent nutritional value: it’s high in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, carotenoids, and polyphenols. It’s worth it to invest in a quality brand to ensure purity.
Instant Yeast – Instant Yeast is best for this recipe. If you only have active dry, check the Substitutions section for altered instructions.
Cinnamon
Cornstarch – To help thicken the filling as it bakes so it doesn’t run out the bottom of the rolls.
For the Glaze
Cream Cheese & Butter
Powdered Sugar
Maple Syrup – Just a touch to flavor the glaze, but you can skip this if needed. No need to replace with anything; the glaze will just be a bit thicker, but it doesn’t matter because it will melt on the warm rolls.
How to Make Fresh Milled Cinnamon Rolls
1. Begin the Dough
Measure the wheat/flour using a kitchen scale if possible, though it will be about 4 1/2 cups. Mill the wheat berries, then pour flour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the water, sugar, buttermilk, egg, and avocado oil to the bowl of flour. Do not add the salt or the yeast yet. Mix the ingredients together until everything is thoroughly combined.
Cover the bowl and let it rest 30-45 minutes.
2. Knead
After the dough has rested 30-45 minutes, sprinkle the salt and the instant yeast on top of the dough.
Attach the dough hook and begin to knead the salt and yeast into the dough. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until you have a nice, smooth ball.
3. Rise
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled.
Toward the end of the rise, prepare the cinnamon sugar filling by whisking together 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
4. Roll out the Dough
Pour the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten into a large rectangle, roughly 16″x20″.
Spread the 1/2 cup softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving about half an inch untouched on the longer sides of the dough.
5. Spread the Sugar
Pour the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough and spread it out on top of the butter, also avoiding the half-inch edge on the longer sides. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the dough with a rolling pin.
6. Roll & Score
Starting with one of the long edges, roll the dough up jelly-roll style into a tight log. Cut off the oddly shapen ends if needed (you can still bake these in the loaf pan).
Score the dough every 1.5 inches or so inches to make sure you cut them into even portions. You will have 13 rolls, plus the ends.
Depending on the size of the ends, you may want to roll them together and bake as one.
7. Slice the Rolls
Line a 9×13 inch baking dish and a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Use a clean string or piece of dental floss to slice the rolls by wrapping the string around the score and pulling the ends across to slice.
Alternatively, you can use a pizza cutter to slice the dough while it is still a flat rectangle, & then roll the cinnamon rolls one at a time and place in the pan.
8. Proof
Cover the cinnamon rolls lightly with plastic wrap and let proof until the rolls get puffy and start to crowd the pan.
Alternatively, place the covered pan of rolls in the refrigerator after slicing and let them do a “cold proof” in the fridge overnight.
If you refrigerated the rolls overnight, pull them out when you wake up in the morning. If needed, let them sit 1-2 hours to warm up and finish proofing–they are ready whenever they’ve gotten puffy.
9. Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-25 minutes until the tops start to turn golden, but do not let them get too dark if you want gooey rolls!
10. Frost
While the rolls bake, add the softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. I like to use my Kitchenaid, but you can do this by hand, too.
After removing the rolls from the oven, allow them to cool slightly, then top the warm rolls with the frosting.
Important Tips & Tricks
Proper Proofing
Proper proofing ensures these rolls are fluffy and soft, not dense. Having a warm room temperature for rise/proof helps speed this recipe along.
I like to turn on my fireplace to warm the air. I don’t recommend placing the dough right by the fire as that will likely be too hot, but moving your dough to a nearby table can be helpful.
Measuring by Weight
I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour, but it can also be used for all ingredients. This will ensure the dough is soft and supple.
The table below shows the weights for the ingredients in the recipe as written.
Slicing the Rolls
I find the easiest way to slice the rolls to be with a piece of dental floss. Even mint-flavored dental floss works fine–it’s never left any flavor behind.
Using a knife tends to smush the rolls. A lot of people like to leave the rolls as a flat sheet and slice them individually instead of rolling the dough into a log. You can use a pizza cutter to cut each piece about 1 1/2 inches wide, then roll up the individual slice.
I prefer the dental floss method because it is easier to contain the cinnamon-sugar mixture, but if I didn’t have floss, then slicing individually is the way to go rather than using a knife.
Substitutions
Grain/Flour
I love hard white wheat berries to keep these cinnamon rolls light and fluffy, but hard red wheat will work just as well. This recipe has not been tested with other types of grains.
You can use bagged whole wheat flour if you don’t own a grain mill.
Yeast
I highly recommend using Instant Yeast for whole-grain baking. It provides a bit more lift than regular active dry yeast, which is helpful when using denser flour (like whole wheat). This recipe also requires a short dough rest before kneading, and the flexibility of the Instant Yeast makes that easier to do.
However, if you only have active dry yeast, prep the yeast by adding it to the cup of warm water with a spoonful of sugar. Let it sit 10 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk makes this dough soft and delicious. If you don’t have buttermilk, just use 1/4 cup whole milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice added. Let the milk sit for 5 minutes before using.
Baking Schedule Options
Ready for Breakfast
Most people want to eat cinnamon rolls in the morning. In that case, I suggest starting these rolls the day before in the evening (around 5 or 6pm). After the first rise, roll the dough out, spread the butter & sugar, then slice. Place the cut rolls in the baking pans, then cover with plastic wrap and stick them in the fridge.
Overnight, they will likely rise a little bit, but you might need to make up some ground in the morning. Pull them out of the fridge as soon as you wake up, and then put them somewhere warm to continue rising for the next couple of hours.
Bake them once they are sufficiently puffy.
Prep Days Ahead
These rolls should be fine in the refrigerator for 1-2 two days, however, if you need to make these farther ahead than that, you can freeze them after slicing the rolls. I recommend using a disposable foil pan if you need to freeze them.
At least a full day before you’d like to bake them, take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to begin the thawing process. In the morning, follow the steps outlined above to get them warmed up and baked.
Related Recipes
Here are some of my other favorite whole wheat, fresh milled baked treats!
- Pumpkin Spice Sourdough English Muffins with whole wheat flour are perfect any time of year, but especially fall!
- Whole Grain Banana Carrot Muffins are like a healthy carrot-cake-inspired breakfast snack.
- Fresh Milled Sourdough Bagels are chewy, tangy, and the perfect vehicle for butter or cream cheese.
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Cherry Twists are perfect for brunch or an afternoon coffee break!
- Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough is the perfect savory recipe to get a pizza on your table in under an hour.
Leave a 5-Star Rating & Review!
If you make these ooey, gooey whole wheat cinnamon rolls with fresh milled flour, please come back and let me know! Leave a 5-star rating and review–it helps me out so much, and I reply to every comment. 🙂
Happy Baking!
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Equipment
- 1 9"x13" baking dish for 12 of the rolls
- 1 Loaf Pan to bake the remaining 2 rolls
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Dough
- 585 grams hard white wheat berries - ground into flour (or use bagged whole white wheat)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
Filling
- 1/2 cup butter - softened
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter - softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Use a kitchen scale for the flour if possible, though it adds up to about 4 1/2 cups. Mill the wheat berries into flour and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use bagged whole-white wheat.
- Add the water, sugar, buttermilk, egg, and avocado oil to the bowl of flour. Mix it together until everything is thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl and let it rest 30-45 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, sprinkle the salt and the instant yeast on top of the dough. Attach the dough hook and begin to knead the salt and yeast into the dough. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until you have a nice, smooth ball.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled. Toward the end of the rise, prepare the cinnamon sugar by whisking together 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
- Pour the dough out onto a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten it into a large rectangle, about 16×20". Spread the 1/4 cup softened butter evenly over the dough leaving a half-inch on the longer sides of the dough untouched.
- Pour the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough and spread it out on top of the butter, also avoiding the half inch edge on the longer sides. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the dough with a rolling pin.
- Starting with one of the long edges, roll the dough up jelly-roll style into a tight log. Cut off the oddly shapen ends if needed (you can still bake these in the loaf pan). Score the dough every 1.5 inches or so to make sure you cut them into even portions. You will have 13 rolls, plus the ends. Depending on the size of the ends, you may want to roll the pieces together.
- Line a 9×13" baking dish and a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Use a clean string or piece of dental floss to slice the rolls by wrapping the string around the score and pulling the ends across to slice. Alternatively, you can use a pizza cutter to slice the dough while it is still a flat rectangle and then roll the cinnamon rolls one at a time and place in the baking dishes.
- Cover the cinnamon rolls lightly with plastic wrap and let proof until puffy and starting to crowd the pan. Alternatively, place them covered in the refrigerator after slicing and let them do a "cold proof" in the fridge overnight.
- If you refrigerated the rolls overnight, pull them out when you wake up in the morning. If needed, let them sit 1-2 hours to warm up and finish proofing–they are ready whenever they've gotten puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-25 minutes until the tops start to turn golden, but do not let them get too dark if you want gooey rolls!
Making the Frosting
- While the rolls bake, add the softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and maple syrup to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. I like to use my Kitchenaid, but you can do this by hand, too.
- After removing the rolls from the oven, allow them to cool slightly before topping with the frosting.
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