The Easiest Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

For Day Five of Thanksgiving Week, we’re making the easiest whole wheat cinnamon rolls, and topping them with a thick, creamy, 3-ingredient maple Greek yogurt icing!!

They’re the perfect not-too-sweet breakfast for weekend and/or holiday mornings. Plus, they’re simple enough that anyone (experienced baker or not!) can make them at home!

Thanksgiving breakfast? SORTED.

This post is sponsored by One Mighty Mill, the flour company that’s on a mission to revitalize our food system by stone-milling flour from sustainably grown organic wheat, and shipping it to you within days of being milled. The results are fresh, living, nutrient-rich flour that’s unlike anything on grocery store shelves. All opinions are my own, and I think One Mighty Mill Rocks!

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

let’s talk flour

Earlier this year I discovered One Mighty Mill and literally haven’t purchased a single other brand of flour since. Their bread flour is the one I use exclusively for my homemade sourdough bread, and back in April I featured their all-purpose flour in my monthly favorites round-up. Not because they were paying me to do so, but because I genuinely love their flour.

Like, a lot.

Potentially more than one person should care about flour.

But, hear me out. One Mighty Mill is different, and I love that about them.

Instead of the typical business model of buying the cheapest, mass-farmed wheat possible, and milling it to be as shelf-stable as possible (i.e. chemical treatment, additives, removing the easy-to-spoil-but-nutritious components of the wheat berry, etc), they’re literally turning the industry on it’s head.

Or, rather, going back to a time before Industrialization, when wheat was a nutritious staple in the human diet.

And it’s what makes these whole wheat cinnamon rolls so light, fluffy, and nutritious.

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

One Mighty Mill is doing it the hard way, but the right way.

  • building their own stone mills by hand, designed specifically to make flour the old school way.
  • creating a network of small farmer partners who grow organic wheat, then turning that wheat into fresh, nutrient-dense flour.
  • partnering with local schools to provide nutritious, locally made food to the kids in the greater Boston area.
  • opening a cafe and selling their high quality health-food-status products at an affordable price, to make nourishing food accessible to everyone in their community.
  • being straight up good people who prioritize people over profit (a trait that is rare to find these days!)

I’m a sucker for a company with a heart, and One Mighty Mill is such a gem.

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

And the flour? Oh my gosh, you guys. IT’S SO FRESH. I guess I never realized how old and potentially rancid store-bought flour was before trying their flour. But the usual strong smell that becomes a distinct ‘whole wheat’ taste in your baked goods doesn’t exist in their flour.

It’s SO light and fluffy, and literally every baked good that has come out of my kitchen this year was made with their flour. While they are sponsoring this post, I genuinely could not recommend a flour more highly. If you or someone in your family isn’t usually a fan of whole wheat baked goods, I think this flour will 100% convert them.

Pro tip: since their flour is freshly milled, it actually has a shelf life and should be treated with the same love and care you treat other open bags of food in your pantry. i.e., keep it sealed tightly (I use these giant glass jars for mine!) in a dark place and use by the 90 day use-by date on the bag!

Grab yourself a bag of their all-purpose flour and let’s make some cinnamon rolls!

You can save 15% off everything on their website via this link and the code BAKEDGREENS15. Orders over $49 ship for free, so I highly recommend grabbing a pack or two of tortillas, alllll the bagels, and their honey mustard pretzels, too!

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

the easiest cinnamon rolls

We’re mixing together a simple dough by hand using One Mighty Mill’s All-Purpose Flour, water, brown sugar, butter, and yeast. A little salt and cinnamon add extra flavor!

The dough rises for an hour, gets pressed out by hand into a large circle, and covered with more melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Roll it up into a log, cut into 8, and let rise once again before baking into the fluffiest cinnamon rolls.

And the icing? Literally just greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla. It’s got some major breakfast vibes from the yogurt, and is significantly less sweet than the typical cinnamon roll icing. I love how thick and creamy it is!

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

These cinnamon rolls are the perfect way to start a lazy weekend morning, if you’re up early and don’t mind waiting 3 hours for breakfast. To make the morning even easier, I left instructions in the recipe for how to make these in advance, and just bake them the day you want to eat them!

I think you’re going to OBSESS over these cinnamon rolls. They’re a quick, easy, surprisingly nutritious breakfast for Thanksgiving morning (or any time a cinnamon roll craving strikes!).

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)
Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final recipe of Thanksgiving Week, as well as the Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup on Sunday, November 22! 

As always, if you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram so I can see all your Thanksgiving recipes in action! 

And don’t forget to use the code BAKEDGREENS15 to stock up on One Mighty Mill flour for all of your holiday baking!!

Healthier Lower Sugar Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

The Easiest Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (with Maple Greek Yogurt Icing!!)

Chelsea Colbath
Thick, fluffy not-too-sweet cinnamon rolls made with locally milled, stone-ground whole wheat flour and a creamy 3-ingredient maple greek yogurt icing. Easy enough for inexperienced bakers!
Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

dough

  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 3 cups One Mighty Mill All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

filling

  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

icing

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2-3 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • To make the dough, stir together the warm water, brown sugar, melted butter, and yeast in a large bowl. Add flour, cinnamon, and salt, and stir again to combine. The dough will be sticky at this point.
  • Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl for 2-3 minutes, or until all flour is absorbed and dough is no longer sticky.
  • Cover dough and let rise for 1 hour, ideally in the warmest spot in your house.
  • Once dough has risen, sprinkle your countertop with a handful of flour, and transfer dough to the counter (for easier clean-up, you can do this step on a piece of parchment paper). Use your hands (or a rolling pin, if you'd prefer) to press/roll out the dough into a large circle, about 1/4 inch thick.
  • Spread the melted butter out over the dough, getting butter all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the butter.
  • Use your hands to roll the dough into a tight log, pressing down as you roll to ensure it sticks together well.
  • Cut the log into 8 pieces, and transfer them to a large baking dish, leaving an inch or less of space between each roll.
  • Cover and let rise for 1 hour, again in a warm spot in your house.
  • Once rolls have risen, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until rolls have puffed and are slightly golden.
  • While rolls bake, make the icing by placing all icing ingredients into a small bowl and stirring to combine. Taste and add more maple syrup, as needed, to achieve your preferred sweetness level.
  • Once rolls are baked, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then cover with icing and serve immediately.

Notes

To make dough in a stand mixer: place all dough ingredients into the bowl of your mixer and mix on low to combine, then increase speed to medium-high and let mix for 2 minutes, until no longer sticky, and dough holds together in a ball. 
To make in advance: this recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance. Follow the instructions through step 7 (making the cinnamon rolls and placing in a baking dish), but place directly in the fridge without letting rise a second time. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before turning on the oven and proceeding with the recipe instructions. 
To make dairy-free/vegan: use vegan butter in the dough and filling, and swap a dairy-free cream cheese for the yogurt in the icing.
For a more traditional cinnamon roll icing: mix 1 cup organic powdered sugar with your milk of choice, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until your desired consistency is achieved. A pinch of salt and a small splash of vanilla are always great here, too! 

This post is sponsored by One Mighty Mill, the flour company that’s on a mission to revitalize our food system by stone-milling flour from sustainably grown organic wheat, and shipping it to you within days of being milled. The results are fresh, living, nutrient-rich flour that’s unlike anything on grocery store shelves. All opinions are my own, and I think One Mighty Mill Rocks!

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