PR's Cinnamon Rolls: Batch 1

September 22, 2009 by The swedish meatball

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Roll with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

The initial test was very promising.  The roll, especially in the inner coils, was sweet, soft, and tender.  As with all 100% whole grain recipes, however, this one will require further experimentation to bring out the full potential of the dough and the cream cheese glaze.  Here are my remarks and suggestions:

  1. Peter Reinhart says to bake the rolls one inch apart on a baking sheet.  Personally, I think I prefer baking them in a casserole dish and letting them rise up against each other.  The outer edges of the rolls dried out a bit using PR's method.
  2. Make the cream cheese frosting well in advance, then chill in the fridge.  Also, when initially mixing the ingredients, you may want to whip the cream cheese first to smooth out the texture, then stir in the honey.  When they are combined, add the vanilla extract and only as much milk as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
  3. Use more flour.  The dough was too sticky.
  4. Consider using a mixture of hard white whole wheat flour (bread dough) and soft white whole wheat flour (pastry flour) to achieve a smoother texture.
  5. Richard Bertinet's kneading method was fantastic!  Continue to employ for future sweet dough endeavors.
That's all for now!