Prep Time: 20 min + overnight
Cook Time: 20 – 35 min
Although this can be made all at once, instead of fermenting, this recipe is best if the dough is allowed to ferment, as described in the instructions, for 8 hours or overnight.
This recipe makes one loaf of bread and 7 – 9 cinnamon rolls (depending on how thick you cut them). After the overnight fermenting, allow three hours from adding the next-morning ingredients to taking them out of the oven.
Yield: 1 loaf and 8 rolls
Ingredients:
The first day:
4 tablespoons flaxseed
4 tablespoons chia seed
6 cups flour (I used 4 cups einkorn and 2 cups spelt flour)
2 tablespoons egg replacer
1/4 cup kefir, or other fermented liquid
1 3/4 cups milk
10 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
The second day:
1 tablespoon (heaping) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sucanat or honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
For the cinnamon rolls:
for the filling:
3 tablespoons butter, very soft (if you prefer to omit the cream cheese, use 5 tbs butter)
3 ounces cream cheese, very soft
1/2 cup sweetener, such as palm coconut sugar or sucanat
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
for the caramel-type sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup palm coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk or cream
more cinnamon
Directions:
The first day:
In a coffee grinder, or other similar device, grind the flax and chia seeds until well ground, 10 – 20 seconds.
Add all the first-day ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix well enough that all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let it sit 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.
The second day:
Proof the active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sucanat.
Add the salt to the dough, mix in.
Stir in proofed yeast. It is easier (and less messy) to let the mixer do the initial mixing, with a dough hook, even though you may have to babysit it with a spatula for a while.
After the dough comes together, turn out onto a countertop (with all the oils in the dough, it didn’t stick, so I didn’t need to dust with flour).
Knead until smooth and dough doesn’t crack or come apart (10 – 15 minutes).
Return dough to the mixing bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm oven until double (30 – 60 min, depending on your yeast).
Turn dough out and punch down.
Roll dough into a fat log and divide 3/5 by 2/5. The slightly larger “half” will be your loaf of bread.
Shape the larger “half” into a loaf and place into a loaf pan (I use an 8 ½ x 4 ½” pan). Let this start rising as you prepare the cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon rolls:
Heat the oven to 350°. Put the 1/4 cup of butter into a large cast iron skillet, a large (Pyrex-type) pie plate, or an 8×8″ baking pan. Melt the butter in the oven.
Take the smaller “half” of the dough and roll out to a rectangle, about 1/4″ thick. Eyeball approximate length/width to slice into 7 or 8 rolls.
Mash the softened butter and cream cheese together; spread over the dough rectangle.
Take the melted butter out of the oven, turn off the oven. If you leave the door ajar, you can let your bread and rolls rise in there after it cools a bit.
Mix together the 1/2 cup sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; sprinkle over the butter/cream cheese.
Back to the melted butter in the baking pan: Mix the 1/4 cup palm coconut sugar, vanilla, and milk together, and pour into the melted butter. Swirl around and mix it together. Sprinkle as much cinnamon over the top as you like.
Back to the dough: Roll the dough into a log, carefully keeping the sugar and spices inside.
Slice into 7 – 9 rolls, depending on how thick you like them.
Place the rolls into the prepared pan.
Let the rolls rise alongside the bread. They should both be ready to bake in another 20 minutes or so. (Check on them, as dough rises in varying times, depending on your yeast.)
Turn oven to 375°.
Bake the rolls and the bread together.
Rolls should be done in 20 – 30 minutes, depending on how doughy you like them. Tops should be browned nicely.
Remove the rolls from the pan immediately. Cut around each roll, lift from the pan, and invert each roll onto a plate. If any sauce is left in the pan, spoon it over the rolls.
Bread will be done after 30 – 35 minutes total baking time. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
Let the loaf cool for 5- 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool another 15 – 20 minutes, then package.
