Healthier Cinnamon Buns: the whole wheat version

Well the official countdown to the honeymoon is on (who am I kidding it has been “on” for the last couple months) and with only 2 more days to go before we leave I figured I’d try to fit in one last little post before this site sits empty for the next...three weeks! Scary thought! Let’s not go there because I shudder at the thought that nothing...not even one tiny review or recipe will be posted. So instead let us focus on something that we all enjoy, cinnamon buns!

I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody that doesn’t like cinnamon buns (and if you do, please don’t tell me so because I enjoy living in denial). So I woke up one day a while back and wondered to myself if it’s at all possible to make healthier cinnamon buns because let’s be honest, there will never be healthy cinnamon buns. They can only be healthier than the cinnabons served at your local shopping mall and I believe that in itself is quite a feat!


Since I am not one to back away from a so called challenge, off I went looking for ways to make healthier cinnamon buns without losing the ooey gooey chewiness of the aforementioned cinnabons. After a couple hours between countertop and oven, the kitchen smelling of delicious cinnamon and sugar the lovely little puffs of dough were brought in to this world (and quickly disappeared in to my stomach).

I hope you enjoy this recipe that I found and hopefully it'll hold everyone over for the next 3 weeks!


Healthier Cinnamon Bun Receipe

Ingredients:

Dough
3 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm fat free milk
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 egg white
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Filling
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp fat free milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract


Preparation:

For the dough: Mix the warm milk and warm water together in a small bowl, pour in yeast and let dissolve. Set aside until it becomes foamy.

Add butter, honey, salt, lemon juice, egg and egg whites and stir well. Slowly mix in the whole wheat flour and 2 cups of the all purpose flour until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out on to a floured surface and kneed until smooth, slowly add in the rest of the 1/2 cup of all purpose flour.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap, let it rise until it doubles in size (should be roughly an hour).

After dough rises, punch it down on a floured surface and roll it out to an 16 x 12 inch rectangle.

For the filling: Combine the brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and sprinkle over rolled out rectangular dough.

Roll up the rectangle, on the long edge, in to a log. Pinch down the seam and cut the dough into 16 rolls.

Place the rolls cut sides up in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan Cover with saran wrap and let rise until it doubles in size again (roughly 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 375º.

Uncover the rolls and bake for roughly 20 mins or until lightly browned. Cool in pan.

For the frosting: Whip the butter until fluffy, add in the cream cheese and set mixer on medium speed. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and continue to whip. Follow with the milk and vanilla extract and mix until all ingredients are combined.

Lightly coat each cinnamon bun with the cream cheese frosting, serve immediately or cover and put in fridge. Remember to reheat the cinnamon buns before serving, enjoy!