I first decided to try making cinnamon rolls by myself as a senior in high school. I pulled my favorite cookbook off the shelf, flipped through the pages until I found its lightened-up recipe, and set to work pulling measuring cups and mixing bowls from the cupboards.
I carefully followed the instructions, glancing over at the cookbook every few minutes to double check the recipe, and ended up with a square pan with nine fat cinnamon rolls ready for the oven. I set a timer, popped them in to bake, and waited impatiently as the seconds ticked by.
After letting them cool for a few minutes, my family and I each served ourselves a hot pastry from the pan. As everyone took their first sweet gooey bite, smiles lit up our faces… But even with their perfect taste and texture, I still felt like something wasn’t quite right about the cinnamon rolls.
Eventually I realized the missing piece… To make the recipe easier on beginner bakers, the cookbook omitted yeast and simply called for baking powder and baking soda, yet my favorite part of making any bread-related product is kneading the dough, feeling its sticky kiss slowly diminish as my floured palms carefully work in more flour, and patiently waiting as the yeast works it magic and pushes the dough skyward as it rises before baking.
Even in today’s age of stand mixers and dough hooks, I still knead everything by hand. There’s something so soothing and special about the process!
So when I started craving cinnamon rolls last week, that’s exactly what I did… Although I added a fun little twist to the filling to create this recipe for Healthy Apple Pie Spice Cinnamon Rolls! They’re perfectly puffy and tender, just like any bakery’s, but with no refined flour or sugar and only 112 calories, they come with none of the guilt!
I know baking with yeast may be intimidating, but I promise it’s not that hard! I first started baking with yeast as an 8-year-old when Dad invited me to help him make his special homemade whole wheat rolls during the holidays. If I could handle yeast at that age, I know you can too!
Over the years, I’ve come to realize a few key tips for making healthy cinnamon rolls, and I’m passing them along to you! As long as you follow these tricks, you’ll have perfect cinnamon rolls on your kitchen counter in no time.
To start, you’ll need whole wheat flour and yeast. Although many brands will work, I’ve discovered two that work perfectly every time: Gold Medal whole wheat flour and Red Star Yeast. Gold Medal’s flour seems allows bread dough to rise to be at least twice its original size, whereas some other brands barely rise at all. (I also love Bob’s Red Mill flour, but it isn’t as easy to find in grocery stores as Gold Medal!)
Just like the flour, Red Star Yeast performs faster and better than other brands I’ve tried. It works together with my favorite flour to help these cinnamon rolls rise to double their size, whereas some other brands barely rise—if at all! Both Red Star’s regular and quick-rise yeasts will work, and since it’s slightly harder to find in grocery stores than the flour, I typically buy it online here.
To make sure that yeast magic works and the rolls rise to be twice their size, it’s important to use warm milk. Not too hot and not too cold, just like Goldilocks’ favorite porridge! Too cold = the yeast takes forever to activate and rise. Too hot = the yeast dies and doesn’t work at all! If you dip your finger into the warm milk, it should feel like hot bath water or the temperature of a hot tub.
Once you’ve kneaded the dough, rolled it out, sprinkled on the filling, and rolled it up into a log, it’s time for another one of my tips… This one is on how to cut perfectly round cinnamon rolls: use dental floss! Even sharp knives will smoosh the log into more oval-shaped rolls, but dental floss leaves them looking like perfect circles. You can see how I do that in this video!
Then let them rise into fluffy pillows, pop them in the oven, set your timer, and…
Perfection! ?? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cinnamon rolls and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Apple Pie Spice Cinnamon Rolls | | Print |
- for the dough
- ¾ cup (180mL) warm nonfat milk (100-110°F)
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (24g) coconut sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g or one ¼-oz package) active dry yeast
- 2 – 2 ½ cups (240-300g) whole wheat flour
- for the filling
- 6 tbsp (72g) coconut sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp homemade apple pie spice (see Notes below!)
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- Lightly coat a 9”-round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and wait 10-15 minutes or until the mixture turns frothy. Mix in 1 ½ cups of flour. If the dough is still wet, continue stirring in flour 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough springs back most of the way when you gently press your index finger into it. Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
- To prepare the filling, stir together the coconut sugar and apple pie spice in a small bowl.
- On a clean, well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a 16x10” rectangle. Brush with the melted butter, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1” border on the two longer sides again. Carefully roll up the dough into a log, starting at one long edge and rolling towards the other one. Pinch the free end onto the roll to seal. If the dough won’t stick together, gently brush the second longer edge with water before pinching to seal.
- Slice the log into 12 pieces using dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place the rolls into the prepared pan, and cover the pan with a clean towel. Set the pan in a warm, draft-free spot, and let the rolls rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 18-21 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the sides feel firm. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For the yeast, I use Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast. It performs the best out of any yeast I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! (Their regular active dry yeast works just as well too!) Read the blog post above for more information!
For the whole wheat flour, I use Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour. It performs the best out of any whole wheat flour that I’ve used, so I highly recommend it! It ensures that your cinnamon rolls fully double while rising in Step 6, whereas some other brands barely rise at all. (I also like Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour, but it isn’t as easy to find in grocery stores!) Read the blog post above for more information!
Brown sugar may be substituted in place of the coconut sugar, but the rolls will no longer be clean-eating friendly.
For the homemade apple pie spice, use as follows: 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice. Store-bought apple pie spice may be substituted, if you prefer, but not all store-bought blends contain the same spices.
I prefer a springform pan because the sides are taller, which allows the rolls to rise higher, and the sides are removable for easy serving. A regular 9”-round cake pan may be substituted instead.
I highly recommend using a silicone baking mat and a silicone rolling pin to roll out the dough in Step 5. (← Those are the inexpensive ones that I own {just the rolling pin in black}, and they’re worth every penny!) The silicone material prevents the dough from sticking to both your work surface and your rolling pin, and it makes the whole process go so much faster!
For more tips on kneading the dough and slicing the cinnamon rolls, watch my video here located underneath the recipe.
For my Healthy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls recipe (they have homemade apple pie filling inside!), click here!
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie, vegan option}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Healthy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy 45-Minute Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy Classic Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy Slow Cooker Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
♥ Healthier Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
These look amazing – I have never tried making cinnamon rolls before, but I am defiantly about to give it a go!
Also, anything apple related and I am all over it! x
Izzy |https://pinchofdelight.wordpress.com
Thank you so much Izzy! My brother is a big apple fan too. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cinnamon rolls — and maybe see a picture on Instagram, too! 😉
There is something about cinnamon roll that is so comforting. That said, it also comes with a truck load of calories! love how you’ve made a guilt-free version of this all time fav!! looks delish
Thanks so much Maria! With how much I love cinnamon rolls, a healthy version was a complete necessity. 😉
Oh Amy.. these look so scrumptious! You know I have to try these.. I’m going to make them this afternoon! I love when you keep me busy in the kitchen!
You’re just the sweetest Lynn — I’m SO glad you’re feeling better and are able to bake again!! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cinnamon rolls! 🙂
Cinnamon rolls always remind me of when I used to go to the bakery with my mum, and we would select some pain au chocolat and cinnamon rolls. I really love that paragraph about kneading dough – it is so eloquently written, and perfectly describes that process of caressing the dough which ultimately forms that gorgeous texture!☺
Aww thanks Katie!! That means a lot to me that you noticed that paragraph. 🙂 I wish I could’ve gone to the bakery with you and your mum… That sounds lovely! But I’d have the hardest time choosing between the pain au chocolat and the cinnamon rolls! ?
I could never decide either – so I would always have half of each! (Best of both worlds, that way!?
YES!! I’m pretty sure I’d do exactly the same thing Katie! 😉
Will substituting erythritol for the sugar work?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Tony! I haven’t personally tried erythritol in this particular recipe, but I have a feeling it should work well. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cinnamon rolls!
Do you think they could be done with a gluten free flour mix?? Also, I love the fact that you used real infredients. Not all these crazy substitutes people use nowadays! It make sure it soooo much more tempting to try!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Maggie! I personally haven’t had good luck with gluten-free flour mixes in this recipe. In many yeast-based recipes, the gluten is what makes the cinnamon rolls rise and hold their shape before and after baking. However, my friend Jane (she blogs at The Heritage Cook here) is an absolute magician when it comes to gluten-free yeast baking! She actually has an entire cookbook (here) devoted to it. She may be able to help you better than I can! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you’re able to try these cinnamon rolls!