Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (vegan)

Christmas morning seemed like the perfect time to experiment a bit with making cinnamon rolls. I've made them before, but I wanted to create a vegan version. These turned out exquisitely well - some of the best whole wheat cinnamon rolls I've ever had! Some of the filling bubbled out making almost a caramel like substance on the bottom of these. I was skeptical at first, but I really think that is what made these so delectable.

 I didn't have any powdered sugar, so I enjoyed these without any icing. Jeff, however, said they were good, but that icing would make them even better!!

Cinnamon Rolls (vegan)

Yield: 12 rolls

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package dry, active yeast
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup shortening
• raisins (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles. Remove from heat. Mix in shortening; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. In very small bowl, mix baking powder with applesauce. Add water, applesauce mixture and milk mixture to flour mixture; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup of each flour, stirring well after each. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and shortening.
4. Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in lightly greased baking dish (I used two round cake pans). Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm.