Thursday, April 16, 2009

Rainy Weekend Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are decadent but you need loads of time to make them. Like any yeast based recipe they need to rise for a few hours before they can be baked so make sure you have set aside 3-4 hours before you're planning on serving them. I made these last week and served half the following day and put half in the freezer. The there is only 1 left of the "freezer stash" and the ones I served were gone in a matter of minutes!


Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Dough
1 package of yeast
1/2 teaspoon of white sugar
1/8 cup (25 ml) warm water (slightly warmer than body temperature)
1 cup(250 ml) low fat or fat free milk
1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups (300g)whole wheat flour
1.5 cups (200g) all purpose flour

Cinnamon filling
3/4 (150 g) cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup (55 g) of butter -melted
1 teaspoon milk
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4-1/2 cup of chopped pecans
1/4-1/2 cup of raisins

Combine the yeast, water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add liquid ingredients into the yeast mixture, then add the 2 types of flour. Kneed for 5-10 minutes to ensure that everything is fully mixed and that the dough has a nice elastic feeling. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has double. Tip: Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature for about 2-3 minutes. Turn the oven off and then put the bowl in. This guarantees a warm place where the dough will rise well.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and let rise again in a warm place until doubled.

Punch the dough down a third time and roll out into at least a 12 x 16 inch (30x40) rectangle. Combine the butter, sugar, milk and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread this mixture onto the dough rectangle. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and raisins on top of the dough. Roll the dough along the short side. Cut into 12-15 pieces and place in a greased tray (I used 2 trays, one round and one rectangular) Let rise for about 10 minutes

Bake at 180 C (375F) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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