These are the Greek cinnamon rolls in their healthy version; they are called tahinopites. It is a traditional recipe of Cyprus and the Dodecanese. These rolls are made with tahini, honey and cinnamon, and / or sesame. My own version of cinnamon and tahini rolls, contains finely cut walnuts and unheated grape syrup instead of honey. Ideally it is eaten warm, poured with a little bit of unheated grape syrup. But it is very tasty at room temperature, as well.
It is a bit time-consuming recipe, to roll the dough and eberything, but making the filling is a piece of cake. Traditionally these rolls are baked in the wood oven, but you will also find recipes that said nonstick pan. I baked them in the oven and were fluffy and flavorfull!
Organic unheated grape syrup (I have told you before that I use that one) is a magical product. The concentration of the must for its production is achieved at low temperatures, thus retaining all the nutrients and flavors of the grape, which is shown by the light color and wonderfull aroma. It is rich in calcium and iron.


- • 500 g. all-purpose flour (you may need a bit more)
- • 1 sachet of fast dry yeast 8g.
- • 1 ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, drained (about 3 oranges)
- • ½ tsp salt
- • ½ cup heaped finely chopped walnuts
- • 300 g. tahini
- • 120 g. organic unheated grape syrup
- • heaped ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- • heaped ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- • ½ teaspoon clove powder
- In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Do a puddle in the center and add the yeast and orange juice. With a wooden spoon, fold the flour from the wall of the bowl to the puddle until a dough starts to form. Knead the dough in the bowl, with your hands, until smooth, adding a little more flour if needed. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl with a clean towel and leave in a warm place for half an hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a saucepan put tahini, grape syrup and spices. Heat the mixture over low heat, until ingredients blend. Leave aside.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll the pieces, one by one, on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into an oblong strip 23-25 cm. Spead about 2 tablespoons of tahini mixture on the surface of the dough, sprinkle with chopped walnut, wrap the dough into a tight cylinder, and then form a snail.
- Place rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° C, for 45 minutes, until golden.
- Serve rolls with cinnamon and tahini either warm or at room temperature, poured with unheated grape syrup.
No Comments