Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

It seems fitting to make all things heart-shaped for Valentines. This afternoon I used a favorite bread recipe and added some sweet goodness to make heart shaped cinnamon rolls.

The best thing about cinnamon rolls is that you can use your favorite bread dough recipe and then just add the goodies to transform simple bread dough into delicious cinnamon rolls!

Below is one of my favorite bread recipes adapted for making bread in the Bosch Universal Mixer.

Italian Whole-Wheat Bread / Adapted for making in Bosch Universal Plus Mixer(from: The Bread Bible: Beth Hensperger's 300 Favorite Recipes)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water (105 - 115 degrees F.)

2 Tb SAF instant yeast

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1 Tb salt

about 6 cups whole wheat flour

Additional Ingredient/Supplies for Cinnamon Rolls

Walnuts

Cinnamon

Sugar (Sucanut, Cane Juice Crystals or Brown Sugar)

Raisins

Dental Floss

1.  Pour warm water, honey, olive oil and yeast into the Bosch mixing bowl.

2.  Pour 3 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour over wet ingredients. (Nutrimill Home Grain Mill is an excellent grain mill if you are interested in grinding your own grain.)

3.  Cover and mix on level 1 in the Bosch mixer for 1 minute

4.  Add salt and continue mixing on level 1

5. Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time until the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl and looks like the right texture

6. Once the right amount of flour has been added, cover and turn the Bosch mixer to level 2 and mix for 6 minutes

7. When the 6 minutes is up, pour a small puddle of canola or olive oil on your work surface, remove the dough from the mixer and knead dough 3-4 times on the oiled surface. Do not add additional flour when kneading.

8.  Then spread the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. (Like pictured below)

9.  Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and walnuts onto the dough

10. Roll up the dough from opposite sides (Like pictured below)

11. Roll opposite sides till they meet in the middle. Cut a piece of dental floss (about 10-12 inches). Use the dental floss to cut the cinnamon roll tube into individual rolls. Each roll should be about 1 to 2 inches thick. (Like pictured below)

12. Place the cut pieces onto a greased cookie sheet and shape into hearts. (Like pictured below.)

13.  Allow cinnamon rolls to rise for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

14.  Bake cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes.

15.  Allow rolls to cool and frost them if desired. Enjoy!