Gooey Delicious Whole Wheat Orange Rolls, updated

UPDATE: I've played with this recipe more since originally posting and have found that the more orange, the better. So below you'll find some additions and increases in the orange ingredients that make these rolls even yummier.

If I were a poet, I would write an ode to my sister Cayenne and dough enhancer. Together, you two have rocked my world.

If you will recall, a while back Cayenne posted a recipe for Gooey Delicious Cinnamon Rolls.
I'm a dietitian, so I've had a great food nerd dream of making them with whole wheat flour. Well I finally picked up some dough enhancer* and my dream has come to fruition. Sort of. I was out of brown sugar, so I made orange rolls instead. SO YUMMY! My husband actually thought I'd bought them somewhere. I want to play around a little more and see if maybe I can use honey instead of granulated sugar, but for now these are delicious just the way they are. They're not low cal or in any way better to eat more of than normal orange or cinnamon rolls, but it's great to know that I can get a couple of servings of whole grains while indulging myself.

Here is the modified recipe, changes are in italics:

Whole Wheat Orange Rolls
1 1/4 oz package active dry yeast (since I'm not sure exactly what that is I throw in about 2 TBS)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine (I like butter better) melted (Smart Balance)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp dough enhancer 
1-2 tbsp orange zest (more never hurts)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Throw in everything else but the flour and mix it well. Then slowly add the flour and start getting your elbows good and dirty kneading it (this is the best part, get out all those frustrations grrr)

Put the dough into a bowl, cover and let it rise for about an hour or until it is doubled in size. Once it is you can take it out, plop it on a floured surface and roll it out to about a quarter of an inch thick. Melt or soften some butter and spread it all over. Combine 3/4 cup sugar with 2 tbsp or more fresh orange zest then sprinkle on top of butter.

Roll it up and using some handy dandy floss cut it into about 1-2 inch chunks. place them on a pan and let them raise another 1/2 hour or so. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Just until thy are beautifully golden brown. mmmm, making myself hungry!




Now for the BEST part. The icing.

1/4 cup butter or margarine (Smart Balance)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or thereabouts
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese (fat free...we bought some by accident and while I usually find it inedible and gross, it was great in the frosting and I will definitely use it again)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Cream together softened butter and cream cheese. Beat in powdered sugar then add orange juice. Should make a nice thick glaze but not a stiff frosting. Once the little beauties are cooled, ice to taste.

*Dough enhancer is a specialty baking product that helps whole wheat flour behave more like white all-purpose flour. It's more than just wheat gluten. It has stabilizers that keep baked goods aloft rather than becoming dense and hard. You can buy dough enhancer or make your own. 

Rosemary

And yes, those are pictures of Cayenne's Cinnamon Rolls. I am terrible at remembering to take pictures.

Gooey and Delicious Cinnamon Rolls

I never considered myself one who was big on hoarding recipes. I fancied myself quite generous actually, but suddenly I find I am reluctant to divulge my secrets...mostly just because they aren't really secrets at all and I will now be exposed as a person who can simply follow a recipe. But, that is the price we pay for having fantastic recipes around, and this is one of them. It comes from the "A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes" by Todd Wilbur, it is his recreation of the Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll. Here is what you do:

For the Rolls:

1 1/4 oz package active dry yeast (since I'm not sure exactly what that is I throw in about 2 TBS)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine (I like butter better) melted
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Throw in everything else but the flour and mix it well. Then slowly add the flour and start getting your elbows good and dirty kneading it (this is the best part, get out all those frustrations grrr)

Put the dough into a bowl, cover and let it rise for about an hour or until it is doubled in size. Once it is you can take it out, plop it on a floured surface and roll it out to about a quarter of an inch thick. Melt or soften some butter and spread it all over then sprinkle on some brown sugar (the recipe says about a cup), and some cinnamon (about 2 1/2 TBS). I like to throw in a hint of nutmeg too.




Roll it up and using some handy dandy floss cut it into about 1-2 inch chunks. place them on a pan and let them raise another 1/2 hour or so. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Just until thy are beautifully golden brown. mmmm, making myself hungry!




Now for the BEST part. The icing.

8 TBSP margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Throw them all together and mix it good. When the cinnamon rolls come out let them cool slightly and then slather this rich goodness all over the top. You won't regret it. I promise.



Cayenne