What is einkorn flour?
Watch our video and find out.
We’re cinnamon roll snobs. If they’re not soft, fluffy and gooey, then they’re getting voted off the island. Our homemade cinnamon rolls prepared with einkorn flour fits the bill from every angle—even if you’re the type to fork out the center and leave the rest, we’re willing to bet you’ll destroy the whole thing. It’s that good. If you don’t have einkorn flour, don’t fret! You can make delicious cinnamon rolls using traditional all-purpose flour too.
Where our recipe surpasses all the others is with the einkorn flour. Its signature ‘nutty’ flavor really gives this roll some unexpected oomph. Einkorn is a little different than regular all-purpose flour because it has so much (good) gluten. Therefore, it’s important for you to take special care not to overwork the dough. Cinnamon rolls require patience and effort, but they’re not hard to make at all! And let’s be honest—this particular recipe is totally worth it. You’ll essentially feel like a genius once they come out of the oven, and everyone who tries them will think so too. In fact, they’ll be begging for more, and there’s no better feeling than that!
Einkorn is helpful for those with gluten sensitivities or intolerances and not intended for those with celiac disease.
Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- sponge
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour, 9 oz
- 3 eggs
- 6 Tbsp water, warm
- rolls
- 3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour, 13.5 oz
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 3 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 eggs
- 17 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks + 1 Tbsp)
- olive oil
- filling
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 2 Tbsp milk, or heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt, generous amount
- In a large bowl, mix sponge ingredients until smooth. The starter will resemble a thick, sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap then set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and yeast. When thoroughly combined, whisk in salt and sprinkle mixture over the sponge, completely covering the area. Cover tightly then set in a warm place. Let ferment for 2 hours. The sponge will bubble up through the flour. NOTE: We strongly recommend you weigh your einkorn flour, if possible, for better accuracy. If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork before you measure it in a cup.
- Place the dough starter in the bowl of a stand mixer and fit it with the dough hook attachment. Add eggs then mix on low speed only until the mixture is moistened and somewhat smooth. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until all the butter is incorporated. If the butter floats on top of the dough, push it into the dough using a spatula.
- When there are no more streaks of butter, scrape dough into a bowl that’s been drizzled with oil. The dough will be extremely sticky. Drizzle a bit more oil on top of the dough then spread it around using your hand. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1½ hours.
- After 1½ hours, chill the dough for 1 hour to firm the butter.
- Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface then roll out into a rectangle, dusting with flour as needed. Fold the bottom third toward the top and the top down to cover all the dough. Turn dough 90° and repeat. Dust with flour then place in a large, resealable bag. Refrigerate overnight.
- Spray 2 Bundt pans with cooking spray and set aside. Roll chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface, into a 12" x 18" rectangle with the widest side facing you.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Whisk together until combined. Spread soft butter evenly over the surface of the dough, spreading all the way to the edges. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the surface. Press lightly to adhere the cinnamon sugar to the butter.
- Roll dough along the widest side into a cylinder. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal slices, about 1½" thick each. Clean knife in between cuts. Transfer 6 rolls into each Bundt pan then cover with a kitchen towel. Allow rolls to rise for 1 hour until they are larger and puffy.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 25–30 minutes or until light golden brown on top. The centers should be firm when pressed and an instant-read thermometer should read 175 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the icing.
- Add all icing ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl then beat until fluffy. If icing is a bit thick, just add a tiny bit more milk—the icing should be pourable.
- Remove rolls from Bundt pans. Rub butter over the bottoms of the rolls if desired. Turn rolls right side up. Pour icing over the rolls while they are still warm then serve immediately.
You’ll turn your nose up at all other cinnamon roll recipes once you try ours!
