Combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon white sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved; set aside until yeast begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.

Whisk eggs and cooled melted butter together in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, ½ cup white sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; add yeast mixture and stir gently to combine. Add egg mixture; stir until a sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead in remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour, a little at a time, until no longer sticky. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour if necessary. Place dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, combine cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove filling from heat; cool to room temperature.

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan and a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease pans.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a rectangle approximately 21x14 inches. Place cranberry filling on dough leaving a ½-inch border on all sides. Roll dough up, starting at a long side. Pinch ends to seal dough; lay seam-side down on a cutting board. Cut into 15 rolls, each about 1 ¼-inch thick, using a very sharp or serrated knife. Place rolls, cut-sides up, in the prepared pans, 12 in the baking pan and 3 in the cake pan.

Loosely cover pans and let rolls rise until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven until rolls are golden brown on top, 22 to 27 minutes. Cool in the pans 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.