It's Use it Up Week!

Day 115.

This is the last week of the month of April. That means it's my "clean out the kitchen" week. It's the week when I get really creative with my recipes, because I'm running out of things. I wanted to broaden my breakfast options (it was pretty much just oatmeal for the first half of this week until I decided to bake today). I'm out of eggs, which eliminates pancakes and waffles and muffins (I'm aware of many egg substitutes in those instances, but I don't have any available). I have just a spoonful of granulated sugar.  I'm low on my precious White Lily flour, which leaves out mile-high buttermilk biscuits. I'm out of cooking oils. I have butter. I have milk. I have oats. I have whole wheat flour. I have apples.

Apples?

Until I saw the apples, I was planning a way to make a whole wheat version of this cinnamon roll, except that I have no eggs.

So I decided to play with the recipe a bit. And then a bit more. And a bit more. And before I knew it, I had an entirely new recipe, much larger so as to last a few days, and it's healthier and more filling than my usual rolls.

This recipe makes a ton of cinnamon rolls. If you're a fan of cooking for your freezer, this is the recipe for you. I made this recipe extra large so that we had rolls to last the week, for breakfast and/or snacks as my family desires.


Oat & Wheat Apple Cinnamon Rolls

What You Need:

for proofing your yeast:

• 1 cup warm (120 degrees) milk
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

for the dough's liquid ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp sea salt

for the dry mixture:

• approximately 7 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you may use more or less, depending on lots of things including your area's humidity -- it's a very humid day here in western Georgia)
• 1 cup white flour (I prefer White Lily but you can only find that in the South)
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats, processed to resemble flour

for the filling:

• 2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple pieces
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (though I had none so I used lime juice instead)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp softened butter

for the icing:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

How it's Done:

1. Okay. Proofing your yeast is not a requirement. However, I like certainties in my baking, plus I think it's really cool to watch the yeast bubble and grow. You can skip this step if you prefer. But, if you're like me, and want to make sure your yeast is alive & kicking, gently stir together, in a large mixing bowl, your warm milk, bit of sugar, and yeast, and let it sit there undisturbed for about ten minutes or so while you get more preparations completed. It should get bubbly and double in size by the ten minute mark. If it doesn't, scrap your mixture and start fresh with new yeast.
2. While you're waiting for the yeast to proof, gently warm the 2 1/2 cups of milk with 1/2 cup of butter until the butter melts and the milk is approximately 120 degrees. Stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp sea salt until dissolved. Add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine your flours: 1 cup white flour, 2 cups oat "flour," and 6 cups whole wheat flour. Set the other 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour aside for later. I needed it for my dough, but you may not need it for yours.
4. Add the liquid and dry ingredients to your proofed yeast mixture, alternating between liquid and dry. When all the ingredients have been added, your dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl, and only be mildly sticky. If not, add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it's right.
5. Knead for ten minutes. My KitchenAid stand mixer started smelling like it was working too hard on this mound of dough, so I did it by hand. I recommend you do it by hand, too. It's good exercise!
6. Turn dough into a well-greased large mixing bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Set it in a warm place and let it rise 90 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, prepare your filling. Combine peeled, cored, and diced apples with lemon juice (or lime, in my case). Toss to coat all pieces. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, tossing once more. Stir in maple syrup. Set aside. I left mine, covered, in the fridge while wating for my dough to rise.
8. After 90 minutes, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch it down and divide it in half. Set one half aside.

9. Roll out half of the dough into a large rectangle between 1/4 and a 1/4" thick. Spread with half of the butter, then half of the filling to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up, starting on a long side, and pinch the seams shut tightly. Cut into 3/4" thick slices and place on a greased baking dish. Continue until all the dough, both halves, have been rolled and sliced.
10. Let rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

11. Bake for about 30 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, prepare icing by mixing all ingredients together. Spread the icing on the cooked, hot cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately.