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angled closeup of whole wheat cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting on top
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5 from 3 votes

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Light and fluffy whole wheat cinnamon rolls with a cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: whole wheat cinnamon rolls
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Milk warmed to about 100 -110F degrees
  • 1 packet active yeast 2 ¼ tsp.
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 2 cups White Whole-Wheat Flour
  • 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour plus more as needed, divided use
  • ½ cup Butter softened and cut into tablespoons

Filling

  • 5 tablespoons Butter softened
  • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz. Cream Cheese softened
  • ¼ c. Butter softened
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Milk

Instructions

Making the Dough

  • In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine warmed milk, yeast and sugar. Stir and let the mixture rest for five minutes until it becomes bubbly.
  • Stir in eggs, salt, and whole-wheat flour.
  • Alternate adding the butter and two cups of all-purpose flour, mixing after each addition. Attach dough hook on stand mixer, and mix dough on low speed. Add remaining ½ cup of flour, two tablespoons at a time, until dough is sticky but pulls away from sides. Total mixing time will be approximately 8 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 – 2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Rolling out the Dough

  • Once the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a 12 by 18 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough.
  • Filling: In a small bowl whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle oven the dough evenly.
  • Starting with the long side of the dough, tightly roll up the dough end to end. Press the seam together to seal. Using a serrated knife or floss, cut the rolled-up dough into 12 rolls. Place cut rolls on a 9 X 13 inch baking pan, leaving a little space between each roll. Cover and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Baking

  • Bake cinnamon rolls at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
  • Remove rolls from oven and let cool slightly. If desired, top the rolls with cream cheese frosting before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add milk 1 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached. Spread prepared cream cheese frosting over slightly cooled cinnamon rolls.

Notes

The dough will be sticky but should mostly stick to itself. Resist the urge to add too much extra flour. If needed, add flour one tablespoon at a time.