Khapli Atta

Cinnamon Rolls

: The Complete Baking Guide

Khapli Atta and Its Protein Levels

Gluten is the key marker of khapli atta being so different from maida or even other milled whole wheat atta. As for gluten, the protein network responsible for the stretchiness and puffiness in breadmaking, it is made up of two proteins: gliadin and glutenin. Gliadin contributes extensibility, and glutenin contributes elasticity. Research for gluten in khapli wheat has found that:

• Gliadin concentration is 37% (range 33-39%) of total protein

• Glutenin concentration at 29% (range 27-33%) of total protein

Despite adequate gluten protein in quantity, its quality is considered poor, affecting baking. The reason for this is the gluten structure, which affects the tight, extensible bonds in processed wheat doughs. So, khapli atta forms gluten, but that gluten network is weaker, less elastic, and more prone to tearing. It cannot hold as much gas as modern wheat’s gluten, which is why khapli breads and rolls are naturally denser and shorter. 

The flour also retains the bran and germ khapli kernel, which have sharp edges even after being ground, and these edges cut through developing gluten strands during mixing. That means the more you knead khapli atta dough, the more the fragile gluten structure is damaged, which is crucial for breadmaking.

Hydrating Khapli Atta Cinnamon Dough

Hydration in baking refers to the total moisture content in the dough. As for breadmaking, whose principles apply to cinnamon rolls, which are technically rolled bread, the water-to-flour ratio is crucial. It is determined by taking the weight of all liquids (water, milk, buttermilk, etc.) divided by the weight of the flour, multiplied by 100, and expressed as a percentage. For example, if a recipe uses 300g of flour and 195g of liquid, the hydration is 65%. 

Standard enriched doughs (fat and dairy are used), the category cinnamon rolls belong to, typically have a 60-65% hydration when made with refined wheat flour, resulting in a firmer, not sticky, dough, which tends to be the case with hydration levels exceeding 75%.

Now, when it comes to whole-grain flours, like khapli atta, they tend to absorb significantly more water than refined wheat flour because the bran and germ present in the grain compete with the flour proteins for available moisture. With the whole-grain content rising from 50% to 75% in a bread recipe, the hydration tends to increase from 85% to 91% to compensate.

For khapli atta cinnamon rolls, you need to target a hydration level of 65-68% (including the combined liquid from milk, eggs, and any water in the recipe). This makes a dough that:

• Not very sticky immediately after mixing

• Is smoother after a 20-30 minute rest, before other ingredients are added

• Is workable without needing much flouring of the work surface

• Retains enough moisture to keep the baked roll soft for 2-3 days after baking

Going below 60% produces a dry, crumbly dough that tears when rolled and bakes into a dense, overly firm roll. Going above 70% produces a dough that spreads and struggles to hold the spiral shape during proofing and baking.

Why Khapli Atta Needs to Rest

There is a term called ‘autolyse’ used by bakers, a bread-making technique in which the flour and liquid components of a recipe are combined and left to rest before any salt, yeast, sugar, fat, or eggs are added. During this resting period:

• The flour fully absorbs available moisture, which is particularly relevant for whole-grain flours, where bran absorbs water slowly. 

• The enzymes in the flour begin breaking down starch and proteins, with gliadin and glutenin aligning and forming gluten networks without any further kneading.

So, even with a richer dough, you get greater extensibility, which makes it easier to handle and requires significantly less kneading to match what you need for baking cinnamon rolls. For whole wheat flours specifically, autolyse also softens the rough-edged bran particles that would otherwise cut through developing gluten during kneading.

How Enrichments Affect Khapli Atta Dough

Cinnamon rolls need an enriched dough; one that contains fat (butter), protein (eggs), and sugar in addition to flour, liquid, and yeast. Each plays a specific role:

• Butter needs to be added after gluten has developed as much as possible, not at the beginning of dough making, as is done with other flours.

• Sugar tends to draw moisture away from the developing gluten and slow yeast activity. The effect is more pronounced with khapli atta because there is less structural buffer in the gluten to compensate for the slowdown.

• Eggs contribute to both structure (protein) and fat (yolk), act as a natural emulsifier, improve the distribution of fat throughout the dough, and contribute to a finer crumb. This is helpful for khapli atta because of its weaker structure.

• Milk hydrates and adds protein (casein), and slightly strengthens the dough's structure.

The correct order of ingredient addition for khapli atta-enriched dough is: 

• Flour and liquids 

• Let it autolyse 

• Add yeast, salt, sugar, and eggs

• Let it develop gluten

• Add butter in pieces last.

Proofing Khapli Atta Cinnamon Dough

Proofing is the fermentation stage where yeast consumes sugars and produces carbon dioxide, inflating the gluten network and increasing the dough's volume. Two proofing stages apply to cinnamon rolls: 

Bulk proof

Target approximately a 60-80% increase in volume, not a full double, which typically takes 60-90 minutes at 26-28°C. Khapli atta dough will not give that crazy doubling of dough that needs to be punched down. After proofing, refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes to make the dough easier to roll and shape the cinnamon rolls.

Final proof

After cutting and placing rolls in the baking dish, let the dough proof for a second time for 45-60 minutes until the rolls look puffy and the gaps between them have nearly closed. Under-proofed khapli atta rolls will bake tight and like a dense bread loaf, while over-proofed ones will collapse.

Khapli Atta Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

In every baking recipe, flour is the main ingredient that makes a good baked good, so invest in quality khapli atta like Aashirvaad Chakki Khapli Atta, rich in iron, vitamin B1, and higher protein and fibre content. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

• Aashirvaad Chakki Khapli Atta: 2½ cups

• Warm milk: ¾ cup

• Large egg: 1

• Egg yolk: 1

• Instant yeast: ½ tsp

• Caster sugar: 2 tbsp

• Salt: 1 tsp

• Unsalted butter, softened: 3 tbsp

For the Filling

• Unsalted butter, softened: 4 tbsp

• Brown sugar: ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp

• Ground cinnamon: 1 tbsp

• Salt: ¼ tsp

• Cornstarch (optional): 1 tsp

For the Glaze

• Cream cheese (room temperature): ½ cup

• Icing sugar, sifted: ¾ cup

• Whole milk: 2 tbsp

• Vanilla extract: ½ tsp

Method

• Mix the khapli atta and warm milk in a bowl until no dry bits remain. Cover and rest for 20-30 minutes.

• Add the yeast, sugar, salt, egg and egg yolk. Knead until combined, then knead in the softened butter until the dough is smooth and soft.

• Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1-1½ hours.

• Meanwhile, mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch for the filling.

• Deflate the dough and chill for 20-30 minutes. Roll into a rectangle and spread the filling evenly over the surface.

• Roll the dough into a log and cut into 9 equal pieces. Arrange in a greased baking pan.

• Cover and let the rolls rise for 45-60 minutes, so the gaps are almost filled.

• Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 22-26 minutes.

• Whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar, milk and vanilla to make the glaze.

• Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the glaze and serve warm.

Khapli Atta Cinnamon Rolls Made Easy

It is fairly simple to bake cinnamon rolls, and when maida is swapped for the denser and richer khapli wheat, it can pose some challenges, but with a better understanding of the flour content and how it behaves with water and kneading, proofing, plus what baking temperature it needs, making khaplu atta cinnamon rolls will be a breeze.