Hearty Fresh-Milled Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe uses the exact same base as our Everyday Fresh Milled Wheat Bread Recipe, showing you how versatile a single bag of Stegman Family Farms grain can be.

Ingredients:

For the dough ...

• 1 and 1/2 cups water, heated to 130 degrees
• 1/3 cup olive oil
  
• 1/3 cup unfiltered, raw honey
• 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt (table salt is fine, too)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon lecithin
• 3 cups Stegman Family Farms Hard Red Wheat Berries (We use half hard red winter wheat berries and half hard white wheat berries.)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten
  
  For the cinnamon filling ...
  
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
  
  For vanilla glaze ...
  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

Instructions:

1. Make the dough & autolyze: Mix 2 1/2 cups of finely milled flour, yeast and water until combined. Cover and let rest for at least 15 minutes but 1 hour will give the best texture!
2. Using the dough hook on your mixer, add/mix in olive oil, honey, salt, egg, lecithin and vital wheat gluten to dough. When all ingredients have just combined, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time (whatever you have left).
3. Knead. Continue using the dough hook for 5-6 minutes to knead dough into a smooth, elastic ball.
   
4. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until the dough ball has doubled in size. (about an hour)
   
5. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Grease baking pans. Set aside.
6. Remove dough from mixer bowl, punch down dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll dough out to roughly an 18"x15" rectangle with the longest side closest to you. 
7. Brush dough rectangle with melted butter but leave about 1/2" from the top unbuttered for an easier seal. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly across buttered dough.
8. Roll dough tightly away from you toward the unbuttered edge. This will make a long rope. Use a sharp knife to slice the rope into 18 even sections.
   
9. Place sections (swirl side up/down) in prepared baking pan/s and let rise 30 minutes or until section sides are touching. Preheat oven to 375F.
10. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with glaze.

Notes:

For the glaze: Heat water and butter together in a small saucepan. Whisk in powdered sugar then vanilla. Brush atop baked rolls. Let cool a bit before diving in. 

Will cinnamon rolls made with Hard Red wheat be too tough?

Not if you treat the dough right! Hard red is a strong grain with high protein, which creates more structure than soft white. To keep them tender, lean into your milk, eggs and butter work to shorten those strong gluten strands, giving you a roll that is substantial and satisfying rather than dry. While soft white is delicate and diner-style, hard red creates an artisan-style cinnamon roll with a much more complex, sophisticated flavor profile.

How do I handle the hydration situation of Hard Red flour in a sweet dough?

Hard Red bran is a sponge for moisture. When mixing your dough, it might look too sticky at first. Resist the urge to add more flour! Give the dough a 20–30 minute rest (autolyse) after the initial mix. This gives the bran time to fully hydrate, turning a sticky mess into a smooth, workable dough without the need for extra flour that would make the rolls heavy.

Can I use my standard kneading time for Hard Red rolls?

Keep a close eye on it. Because of the high protein, you can actually over-develop the gluten, leading to a bready roll. You want to knead just until the dough is smooth and elastic. Using a heavy-duty mixer allows you to develop that strength steadily and coolly, ensuring the butter in your dough doesn't melt before the rolls hit the oven.