Before I even start with this recipe, let me say I absolutely love my WonderMill grain mill. You know how sometimes when you bake with whole wheat, it is too coarse and just doesn’t seem as good as the white flour version? Well, when you grind your own fresh flour, it is just completely different. It has a light and fluffy texture with the flavor depth of whole wheat. So, if you have not tried grinding your own wheat, you owe it to yourself to try it.
Now, about the cranberry nut rolls… these are absolutely decadent. They would make a wonderfully festive holiday breakfast. They are sweet and buttery with just the right amount of tart showing up occasionally in the form of a cranberry. And, the pecans and brown sugar complement the whole wheat flavor perfectly. They even tasted great the next day, which is not typical of sweet rolls.
To make them even better, these sweet rolls are super easy to make. Sure there is some rise time involved, but your active time is minimal. While this recipe is not in this book, the no knead method is based on the method in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. The dough itself is make ahead, so you don’t have to worry about that if you make them for breakfast. Adding the filling, rolling, and cutting will only take an additional few minutes. Then just rise and bake. Hope you enjoy!
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 packet granulated rapid rise yeast
- ¾ Tbsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup butter, divided into fourths and softened
- 3½ cups freshly milled red wheat berries
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup water
- Melt ¼ cup butter. (I used the microwave to melt it.)
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the water, yeast, salt, eggs, sugar and butter. I use a plastic bowl with a lid that I can leave unfastened.
- Stir in flour until well combined. I use a large sturdy wooden spoon to do this.
- Place the lid on the bowl. I secure it most of the way around but leave a little of it undone. As the bread rises, the yeast will create gas that will need to escape, so don't fasten the lid tightly.
- Allow to rise until double. This will take about two hours. I just leave it sitting out on the counter.
- After the dough is risen, you may make the the rolls immediately or refrigerate it for up to a couple of days. I usually make mine the day before to use the next morning.
- Melt ¼ cup butter. Pour it into a 10 inch cake pan. Tilt the pan to grease the sides with the butter allowing the extra butter to stay in the bottom of the pan.
- Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.
- With floured hands, pat and stretch the dough into a large rectangle (about (9"x12").
- Spread remaining ¼ cup butter on the dough.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar, pecans, and cranberries.
- Beginning with the short side carefully roll up.
- Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 rolls.
- Place in prepared pan.
- Allow to rise for 40 minutes,
- About 10 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Stir together confectioners' sugar and water.
- Drizzle over rolls.
- Serve while still warm.
This is the WonderMill grain mill in action.
Here is the dough after it has been pressed out.
Here is the dough after I have spread on the butter.
Here is the dough with the butter, brown sugar, pecans, and cranberries.
And, here it is all rolled up.
And, here are the rolls in the pan before they rise.
And, after the rise.
Here, they are fresh out of the oven and haven’t even been glazed yet.
And finally, glazed.
