100% Whole Wheat {Huckleberry} Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry I missed yesterday's Salad Saturdays.  It's been a busy week! 

The National Festival of Breads was held in Manhattan last week. My mom found out about it and thought it looked right up my alley. She thought my dad would enjoy it, too, so we both went. Although we caught the later end of the festival, it was incredible. Earlier that day, the final contestants had baked their breads live and had given away recipes.  Because we came so much later, all but one of the finalists recipe cards were left and believe me, it was a good one: Red velvet cinnamon rolls. With a secret ingredient. (Not far off from this one!)  There were demos throughout the day and there were some great tips shared in them.

Such as when making a braid, to cut the corners out like a box so there isn't all dough at the ends. Also, an egg wash before adding jam or the filling to help it stick. There was a session on grains and whole wheat and though we usually get whole wheat stuff, it was a near overview of why it is better and then all these other good grain options. Like did you know quinoa flour is incredibly nutty?  So much that testers at AIB thought it was a peanut butter cookie when it was only quinoa flour.  Lots of really helpful stuff and we were there for about an hour. Not only did we get head knowledge, they gave us few bags of flour!  No joke, they even seeked you out to ask "Have you received your free bag of flour yet?"  And there were lots of recipe booklets of previous contestants recipes that look so amazing. Like, Charred Lime Dinner Rolls or Granola Morning Muffins.

But back to the free flour. We grind our wheat flour here at home and buy all purpose. Baking with white whole wheat had been on my bucket list for awhile.  And, Dad and I bought this jar of huckleberry jam on our trip.  It was high time I used it.  A couple days ago, at about four, I decided I wanted to make something.  We were leaving at five for swimming lessons, so it had to be fast.

Of course I picked yeast bread. 

But, I actually had enough time, because this cinnamon roll recipe is incredibly easy to assemble and any time is spent letting it rise.  The dough came together like that and I let it rise while we were swimming.  Seriously, soft (dare I say gooey?) sweet rolls and they are full of whole wheat.  No, these are not airy and light, but soft and fluffy.  They are way more filling than regular cinnamon rolls, but still taste just as good as normal ones.  I think they are even better.  Maybe its because my siblings have been eating more whole wheat the past couple years, but they love these.  The batch I made ended up making almost four dozen cinnamon rolls and we have been eating them for breakfast and dessert and snacks in between.  You'd think we would get tired of them.  Not these.  They are SO good.  And it doesn't help that I am a carbaholic.

Another wonderful thing about this recipe  is that all you have to do is after tossing your ingredients together, you can clean up any mess you might've made while the dough is rising. You dough can rise, your oven can preheat, your kitchen can be cleaned, and you can relax. 

Win for everyone.

Whole Wheat {Huckleberry} Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Roll recipe from Shelly's Breads
Yield: 18 rolls

Cinnamon Rolls:
1 3/4 cups hot water
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup dry powdered milk
1 1/2-3 cups milled soft wheat flour
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon dough enhancer
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yeast (Red Star Dry Active)
2-3 cups white whole wheat flour

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Huckleberry jam (or jam of choice)

In a Bosch bowl, add all the ingredients, with the yeast on top, except the last amount of flour. Pulse, until flour is completely moistened. Turn off and let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Turn machine back on speed 1 while adding the additional flour, until dough cleans the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.

Grease counters and hands. Remove dough from Bosch bowl and roll into a rectangle. Brush with egg wash (you may not use all of it.) Spread with jam. Roll jelly roll style and cut into 18 equal pices. Place rolls in a 9x13 pan and let rise until doubles, about an hour.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Frost when cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat ingredients together until fluffy.