When I was younger, one of my favourite things to do when we went to the mall was get a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon. After a long day of being dragged around shopping from boring store to boring store, nothing was more comforting than the pillow-like dough, the yummy and gooey cinnamon filling, and the decadently buttery cream cheese frosting... mmm...
Likely the reason I was a chubby child... ^^"
Likely the reason I was a chubby child... ^^"
These warm and cosy moments, splitting a cinnamon roll with my mum (and dad too, if he was unfortunate enough to be dragged along to the mall with us), make me very nostalgic when I think of cinnamon rolls. When I moved to Boston, there were no Cinnabon cafes nearby, so for a solid number of years I went without having any (aside from the time or two I had homemade ones at a friend's house).
Here in Florida there are many Cinnabon locations, however I'm quite a bit more conscious of what I eat, so they're a rare indulgence ^^"
However! I still think there are few combinations in breakfast treats more perfect than cinnamon and soft dough... thus, this cinnamon roll alternative! Although I don't like the term 'guilt-free' when it comes to food because food shouldn't make you guilty, these rolls are the sort of thing that I think you can enjoy more often than the typical cinnamon roll!
Soft dough, delicious buttery filling... which contains no added sugar!
If you've had a traditional cinnamon roll before, you're probably familiar with the filling: lots of butter, lots of sugar, lots of cinnamon.
The 'secret' ingredient in these cinnamon rolls is...
✧ Dates! ✧
Quite recently I've become hooked on dates: mostly just for snacking, but also in baked goods!
The dates make the base of the filling in this recipe. Their natural sweetness is subtle, and they impact an amazing caramel-like texture... I could honestly eat up the filling of these with a spoon. I wouldn't advise doing that though, since there is a considerable amount of butter in the filling :>
The dough of these is delightfully soft and buttery, and although there is spelt flour, it doesn't really impart any sort of unwanted taste~ A sprinkling of cinnamon sugar finishes them off-- delicious!
These are a bit different from their sugary sweet, buttery cousins, as they're more suited to being a breakfast item than an indulgent dessert. However, I think that gives one the excuse to make them more often!
Now that all that chatting is out of the way: Let's begin!
These are a bit different from their sugary sweet, buttery cousins, as they're more suited to being a breakfast item than an indulgent dessert. However, I think that gives one the excuse to make them more often!
Now that all that chatting is out of the way: Let's begin!
✧ Ingredients ✧
Makes 8 buns | 310 calories/bun
✧ 8 oz pitted dates
✧ 1/8 tsp. salt
✧ 4 tbsp. butter, room temperature
✧ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
✧ 1/3 cup milk
✧ 2 tbsp. honey
✧ 1/2 packet active dried yeast (about 1 1/8 tsp)
✧ 1/4 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
✧ 1 egg yolk
✧ 1 whole egg
✧ 1/2 cup spelt flour (if you don't have spelt, you can use whole wheat instead-- I've found they're quite similar. If you don't have that on hand either, I don't think there would be any issue in using regular flour in its place!)
✧ 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (and a bit more for sprinkling the surface when you roll out the dough)
✧ 1/2 tsp. salt
✧ 4 tbsp. butter, room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
✧ 2 tbsp. sugar
✧ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
✧ 1 egg white
To make the date filling, place the dates, salt, and 3/4 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the dates until they begin to fall apart, mashing them with a spoon until there are no longer any large chunks (this takes about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and once the filling has cooled, stir in the room temperature butter and cinnamon. You can make this in advance, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before spreading it on the dough!
For the dough, start by preheating the oven to 375° F.
Pour about half of the milk (this doesn't have to be too accurate) into a small bowl, along with 1/2 tbsp of honey. Heat until it's lukewarm-- you want it to be about body temperature; if it's too hot, the heat will kill the yeast and your buns won't rise!
Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it stand for about 5 minutes, until the yeast has activated (the liquid should look slightly foamy). To the remaining milk, add the lemon juice or vinegar-- this will make a buttermilk substitute! The original recipe called for buttermilk here, however I rarely have buttermilk on hand, so adding a bit of acidity to regular milk is a good substitute!
Pour the milky yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the egg yolk, whole egg, the buttermilk substitute we made in the previous step, spelt flour, all purpose flour, salt, and the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp honey. Give everything a quick mix with a spoon so that everything is incorporated together (this makes the dough come together more easily). Using a dough hook attachment, mix everything together on medium speed, until the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic; this will take about 8 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer you can do this manually! Just knead everything together until you have a smooth piece of dough that has a bit of stretch to it.
With the mixer running, add in the butter 1 piece at a time, waiting about 2 minutes between additions. If you add the butter in slowly, it will incorporate more easily. Once all the butter has been added in, increase the speed to medium-high, and mix until the butter has fully incorporated into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and soft. I've made this recipe many times and every time, this step seems to take ages. I generally have to let it mix for about 20 minutes until everything is incorporated... but keep an eye on it, yours might take less time! If you're doing this by hand... I don't envy you ^^"
Once the dough is made, place it into a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size; this generally takes about 1-2 hours depending on how warm it is.
Once the dough has risen, prepare the work surface by dusting it with flour. Please make sure your work surface is clean!!
Plop the dough onto your work surface, sprinkle it with a bit of flour (it's a bit sticky!) and roll it into about a 15" x 5" rectangle.
*** A small note ***
This recipe is very easily doubled, but if you choose to do so, cut the dough in half before rolling each piece out! So you have two 15" x 5" rectangles and not just one massive one ^^"
Evenly spread on the date filling~
And cut into eight triangles- like so!
I just do this by cutting the dough in quarters lengthways, and then cutting each of those rectangles in half on the diagonal ^^
To roll up the dough, fold over the pointy bit, and start rolling! Not too tightly-- you don't want to squeeze out the filling! Once it's rolled up, place it seam-side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Once all your buns are rolled up and on the baking sheet, it's time for the second rise! Cover the tray with plastic wrap or a towel and let them rise for about 30-40 minutes.
Mine aren't terribly even... but that's okay!
While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon sugar by mixing together the 2 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.
Once the dough has risen, brush the top of each bun with a bit of egg white using a pastry brush, and sprinkle on some of the cinnamon sugar.
Bake the buns until they are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let them cool a bit before eating, and enjoy!
These go perfectly with a nice cup of tea in the morning, or as an after-work/school snack!
I think it would also be tasty to put some chopped walnuts or pecans into the filling, to give it a bit more crunch! Maybe I will try that out next time I make them~
If you get the chance to make these buns, I hope you will love them as much as I do! They're really such a yummy treat, and one you can have far more often than a traditional cinnamon roll!
♡ Thank you for reading! ♡
✧ 4 tbsp. butter, room temperature
✧ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
✧ 1/3 cup milk
✧ 2 tbsp. honey
✧ 1/2 packet active dried yeast (about 1 1/8 tsp)
✧ 1/4 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
✧ 1 egg yolk
✧ 1 whole egg
✧ 1/2 cup spelt flour (if you don't have spelt, you can use whole wheat instead-- I've found they're quite similar. If you don't have that on hand either, I don't think there would be any issue in using regular flour in its place!)
✧ 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (and a bit more for sprinkling the surface when you roll out the dough)
✧ 1/2 tsp. salt
✧ 4 tbsp. butter, room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
✧ 2 tbsp. sugar
✧ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
✧ 1 egg white
To make the date filling, place the dates, salt, and 3/4 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the dates until they begin to fall apart, mashing them with a spoon until there are no longer any large chunks (this takes about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and once the filling has cooled, stir in the room temperature butter and cinnamon. You can make this in advance, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before spreading it on the dough!
For the dough, start by preheating the oven to 375° F.
Pour about half of the milk (this doesn't have to be too accurate) into a small bowl, along with 1/2 tbsp of honey. Heat until it's lukewarm-- you want it to be about body temperature; if it's too hot, the heat will kill the yeast and your buns won't rise!
Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it stand for about 5 minutes, until the yeast has activated (the liquid should look slightly foamy). To the remaining milk, add the lemon juice or vinegar-- this will make a buttermilk substitute! The original recipe called for buttermilk here, however I rarely have buttermilk on hand, so adding a bit of acidity to regular milk is a good substitute!
Pour the milky yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the egg yolk, whole egg, the buttermilk substitute we made in the previous step, spelt flour, all purpose flour, salt, and the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp honey. Give everything a quick mix with a spoon so that everything is incorporated together (this makes the dough come together more easily). Using a dough hook attachment, mix everything together on medium speed, until the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic; this will take about 8 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer you can do this manually! Just knead everything together until you have a smooth piece of dough that has a bit of stretch to it.
With the mixer running, add in the butter 1 piece at a time, waiting about 2 minutes between additions. If you add the butter in slowly, it will incorporate more easily. Once all the butter has been added in, increase the speed to medium-high, and mix until the butter has fully incorporated into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and soft. I've made this recipe many times and every time, this step seems to take ages. I generally have to let it mix for about 20 minutes until everything is incorporated... but keep an eye on it, yours might take less time! If you're doing this by hand... I don't envy you ^^"
Once the dough is made, place it into a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size; this generally takes about 1-2 hours depending on how warm it is.
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| Before |
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| After! |
Plop the dough onto your work surface, sprinkle it with a bit of flour (it's a bit sticky!) and roll it into about a 15" x 5" rectangle.
*** A small note ***
This recipe is very easily doubled, but if you choose to do so, cut the dough in half before rolling each piece out! So you have two 15" x 5" rectangles and not just one massive one ^^"
Evenly spread on the date filling~
And cut into eight triangles- like so!
I just do this by cutting the dough in quarters lengthways, and then cutting each of those rectangles in half on the diagonal ^^
To roll up the dough, fold over the pointy bit, and start rolling! Not too tightly-- you don't want to squeeze out the filling! Once it's rolled up, place it seam-side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Once all your buns are rolled up and on the baking sheet, it's time for the second rise! Cover the tray with plastic wrap or a towel and let them rise for about 30-40 minutes.
Mine aren't terribly even... but that's okay!
While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon sugar by mixing together the 2 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.
Once the dough has risen, brush the top of each bun with a bit of egg white using a pastry brush, and sprinkle on some of the cinnamon sugar.
Bake the buns until they are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let them cool a bit before eating, and enjoy!
These go perfectly with a nice cup of tea in the morning, or as an after-work/school snack!
I think it would also be tasty to put some chopped walnuts or pecans into the filling, to give it a bit more crunch! Maybe I will try that out next time I make them~
If you get the chance to make these buns, I hope you will love them as much as I do! They're really such a yummy treat, and one you can have far more often than a traditional cinnamon roll!
♡ Thank you for reading! ♡
