Whole Wheat Wednesday

I took the advice of a good friend about 4 months ago to just stop buying flour. We are buying all this wheat for food storage, but we are advised, wisely, to eat what we store and store what we eat. So, I have been using nothing but fresh ground flours in my house since then. Some of my recipes have ended up being erased completely from the 'drawing board', while others are taken down word-for-word into my permanent recipe journal for repeated uses. Others simmer in my brain waiting for little changes here and there. But, for all those who are anxious to use a little bit of grain in your baking, I thought I would dedicate a day to Whole Wheat (or Whole Grain) baking ideas/recipes. And, through suggestion by a sweet Alabama friend here who loves titles that are fun with words, this post shall come on Wednesdays!

Whole Wheat Wednesday's Recipe this week is...... Blueberry Cinnamon Buns!! (adapted from Dark & Dangerous Cinnamon Buns by King Arthur)

Dough~

3/4 C plus 2 TBS Lukewarm Water

1/4 C Orange Juice

5 TBS Honey

1 Large Egg (separated, reserve the white for later & use the yolk for this dough)

4 TBS Butter, cut into 6 pieces (just cut into thin wafer pieces that will be easier to mix in with the other ingredients)

3 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour (Fresh ground or store bought, but if you use store bought make sure it is pure wheat flour... King Arthur is excellent for this, usually found at Kroger/Smith's/Fry's)

1/2 cup Rolled Oats

Heaping 1/2 cup Potato Flakes (these make a world of difference win Whole wheat recipes) or 3 TBS Potato Flour

1/4 C Nonfat Dry Milk

1 1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Instant Yeast (Found in bulk at Sam's, or in small jars or packages in the baking isle)

Filling~

1 C Brown Sugar (light or dark)

1 Large Egg White (reserved from dough mixture)

2 TBS Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

1/2 C Frozen or fresh Blueberries (add right before you spread in dough, no sooner)

Icing~

2 C Confectioner's Sugar (Powdered Sugar)

2 tsp Vanilla

2 TBS butter, melted

Pinch of Salt

2-3 TBS Milk or Cream, or enough to make a spreadable consistency (in high humidity it may take much less, if any at all)

Dough~

Combine all the ingredients for Dough, as listed above. Mix and knead by hand, in bread machine or in mixer with dough hook, until you have a medium-soft (slightly firm), smooth dough. Cover and allow to rise until puffy (1-2 hours). I like to preheat my oven to 250 while I make any yeast dough and then put the covered bowl in the oven and turn off the oven while it rises. This helps move along the wheat rising process, especially in cold weather. Make the filling while this rises.

Filling~

Combine all the Filling ingredients and stir until smooth. For Blueberry Cinnamon buns, add a heaping 1/2 Cup of frozen or fresh blueberries just before you spread onto the dough (so have the filling made, minus the berries. Roll out dough, THEN add the berries and spread on the dough.)

Making the buns~

Gently punch down the dough in center and empty onto greased surface (I just spray a little PAM on my counter). Roll out and pat into a 12x16 inch rectangle (approximately). (Add the Blueberries to filling now, if making the Blueberry Cinnamon Buns.) Spread filling on dough, leaving one inch around the edges. If the filling is to sticky to spread, pat it out with your fingers.

Starting along the longer edge, begin rolling into a log, turning it so that the seam of the dough is flat on the surface. This can get messy, so just be patient. Using a knife or dental floss (my preferred method), gently cut into 16 pieces. (For larger rolls, you may cut into slightly thicker pieces, and fewer. Don't roll too tightly either. Leave room for all the dough to rise, not just the outside!)

As you cut each roll, place into a prepared 9x13 cake pan, spacing evenly; they won't touch each other. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (I also lay a towel on top to keep the warmth in) and allow to rise for 1-1 1/4 hours. They won't double in size, but just become slightly larger. You can use the same rising method I mentioned earlier as well.

If you use the oven rising method remove the buns for the 15-20 minutes to preheat the oven and just gently set them on the burner on the stove that is above the oven vent (aha--- tricks around every corner to use up all the energy you expel in your oven to cooking and rising these buns!). Preheat to 350 degrees. Bake 25-28 minutes until deep golden brown. It is suggested to remove them after 3 minutes to a tray or colling rack, but I like to keep them in the pan to keep them warm so the frosting seeps in completely!

Make the icing and drizzle over the buns generously. This is the recipe for icing the book used, but I like to use Cream Cheese Frosting for my Cinnamon Rolls!! Make a basic recipe of Cream Cheese Frosting (Frosting, not icing), add a pinch or two of cinnamon, and fold in some blueberries. Plop a heaping spoonful of frosting on each warm bun right after they come out of the oven. The warmth will spread the frosting everywhere.

YUMMY!!!!