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A whole wheat cinnamon roll on a white plate with a cinnamon stick.
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Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

These whole wheat Cinnabon-inspired cinnamon rolls are made with fresh milled flour and topped with a maple cream cheese glaze.
Prep Time55 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rise & Proof3 hours
Total Time4 hours 20 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fresh milled flour cinnamon rolls, healthy cinnabun copycat, whole wheat cinnamon rolls
Servings: 14 rolls
Calories: 460kcal
Author: Holly Lee
Cost: $10

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 16x20". 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 9x13" 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.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes a "baker's dozen"--13 full rolls, plus the two ends. Feel free to slice into 12 rolls instead of 13 and discard the ends if you do not want to bake in two pans. If you make your rolls bigger that I do, please note you will likely need to extend your baking time.
If you don't have buttermilk, you can pour 1/4 cup milk into a cup, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
If you wish to freeze the unbaked rolls to bake at another time, after slicing the rolls but before the second proof, place them inside an airtight freezer safe ziplock bag or other container. The day before you want to bake them, you can remove them from the freezer and put in the fridge to thaw and do their second rise. If needed, set them on the counter a few hours before baking to thaw and rise even more.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 387IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg