Honey Apple Cinnamon Rolls
These refined sugar-free apple cinnamon rolls are made with a fluffy honey-sweetened yeast dough and a buttery, warm-spiced apple filling. Baked together in a dish, they turn into soft pull-apart buns with gooey cinnamon apple layers and golden edges.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 tablespoon (10g) instant yeast
- 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter
- 7 oz (200ml) fresh milk (warm)
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoon (100g) honey (or sugar)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 3.5 tablespoon (50g) butter
- 1 cup (180g) Sukrin Gold Brown natural sweetener (or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large apples (chopped finely)
Instructions
Making the Dough:
- Add the instant yeast to a mug or a little bowl with warm (not hot!) milk. Stir using a spoon and leave in a warm place for 10-15 mins until the yeast becomes bubbly.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs with honey, then add melted butter and a pinch of salt, and continue mixing until combined.
- Add the yeast to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Start adding sieved flour to the egg mixture. Add it in 2-3 batches to ensure it incorporates well. Combine all the ingredients using your hands until uniform and shape a ball. The dough won't be rollable just yet, but it doesn't have to be too sticky, either.
- Cover the dough ball with a towel and set aside to rise in a warm place. Proof for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface. Roll it into an approximately ¼-inch-thick rectangular shape.
Filling and Shaping the Roll:
- Spread the soft butter all over the dough, leaving 1 inch along the longest rectangular edges. This will allow you to close the roll once it's ready and ensure it doesn't open up while baking.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sweetener with cinnamon, then spread the "cinnamon sugar" on top of the dough greased with butter. Leave the same 1 inch along the edges untouched.
- Distribute finely chopped apples on top of the cinnamon filling.
- Roll dough starting from one of the longer edges. Keep it tight, but don't press it. Once you've reached the other long edge, pinch it to close.
- Cut the long roll into even pieces, approximately 1-inch thick. You'll end up with approx. 18-20 pieces.
- Transfer the roll pieces to a greased baking dish (alternatively, transfer to a baking tray, lined with parchment paper), cover with a towel, and leave it for a second rise (about an hour). Remember to leave some space between the rolls to allow for rising (I leave about an inch or so).
Baking:
- About 15-20 minutes before the estimated end of proofing, switch on the oven and preheat it, setting the oven temperature to 390 °F (200 °C).
- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool.(Optional) Drizzle with some maple syrup.
Notes
- Consider adding some raisins to the filling for extra texture and flavor.
- For more traditional cinnamon rolls, bake on a baking tray rather than in a baking dish, and increase the spacing between rolls so they don't stick together.
- These cinnamon roll pies are perfectly suited to meal prep and freezer-friendly. Place them in an airtight container and store them for 2-3 days. For longer-term storage, freeze for up to 6 weeks.
