Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns

So I love cinnamon buns. My favorite place to get them is Tall Grass Prairie Bakery.  They have the best whole wheat cinnamon buns and they almost taste healthy and I have no idea how with all that sugar and cinnamon. In any case I love them and wanted to make them so I searched and searched to find some sort of recipe that got close.  I found this recipe which was actually inspired by the bakery and gave it a go. The first time around the buns were no good (I'm not even going to share photos) but last night I tried it again (after making a few changes to the recipe) and they turned out great. I'm going to keep trying, maybe do a couple of things different (I hear they only use spelt flour) and keep you posted. But if you want a whole wheat recipe this is a great one!


Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, (approx)
1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup butter, melted

Preparation
In bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of the granulated sugar in 1/3 cup warm water; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, vanilla and remaining sugar; stir in yeast mixture.

In large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt, then stir in yeast mixture until ragged dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface and knead, adding up to 2 tbsp more all-purpose flour if needed, until soft, smooth but not sticky dough forms, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to greased bowl and turn to grease all over. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Filling: Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and set aside.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; roll out into 20- x 12-inch (50 x 30 cm) rectangle. Brush with all but 2 tbsp of the melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered at 1 long side. Sprinkle with sugar mixture, leaving same 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered.

Starting at long side opposite border, tightly roll up dough; pinch seam to seal. Brush all over with remaining butter.

With sharp knife, cut into 12 pieces; place, cut side up, in greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.)

Bake in 375ºF (190ºC) oven until tops are golden and buns sound hollow when gently tapped, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Adapted from here.