Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan and Gluten Free)

 

First things first — I joined Instagram, and have to say (somewhat embarrassingly) that I’m loving seeing other people’s pictures and sharing some of my own. I’d love it if you wanted to follow me on Instagram! And Facebook, too! ANYWAY, the other day, I saw a post by The Gay Vegans about their favorite cinnamon roll recipe. The cinnamon rolls looked and sounded delicious. But of course I’ve been on this gluten-free train lately and not able to just whip up a batch of gluteny goodness. So I decided to start from their recipe and develop a gluten-free version. I also subbed in coconut oil for the shortening because I’m trying not to use Earth Balance as much these days and made a few other random tweaks as needed to the recipe. In retrospect, it probably would have been good to look up a gluten free cinnamon roll recipe and see if I was missing critical steps/ingredients. But I didn’t think of that at the time. All I could think was, “Those look delicious! I want those, gluten free!” and, less articulately, “CINNAMON ROLLS!!!!!”

 

The process was a bit haphazard and I had a sinking feeling as they were rising (or not rising as much as I hoped they would) that they were going to be very, very bad. But they actually weren’t bad at all and so I’m sharing this recipe with the following caveats. They’re very soft and kind of doughy — like the whole thing is kind of like the center of a normal cinnamon roll. These are not fluffy — in fact, they are very dense — just a warning. But they’ve maintained their softness on the second day, too. I would definitely recommend making the frosting to go with them. And they really are best right out of the oven.

 

The Recipe

Makes 8-10 cinnamon rolls

 

For the Dough:

1 1/2 cups vanilla coconut milk beverage, like So Delicious (or other nondairy milk)

1 1/2 Tbls apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup warm water (110 F)

2 heaping Tbls active dry yeast

2 Tbls coconut oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 1/2 cup GF oat flour (maybe more)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

 

For the filling:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

For the Frosting:

1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegan margarine)

1/4 cup vegan cream cheese

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp nondairy milk (I used the vanilla coconut)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (vegan)

 

FOR THE CINNAMON ROLLS: In a saucepan, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar and let stand 10 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, combine warm water and yeast and let rise for 10 minutes or so. Be careful that the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients — flour, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum — in a separate bowl and set aside. Heat the milk and vinegar in the pot until just warm to the touch (again make sure it’s not too hot — it should not be hotter than 110 F). Stir in coconut oil and vegetable oil. Add to the yeast mixture and combine well.  Add in dry mixture 1 cup at a time and stir until fully combined. A nice dough should form. If it’s too wet, you can add more flour to make it less sticky. Dust some oat flour on a dry surface and knead (about 20 times or less). Place in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 15-20 minutes. While rising, mix the filling ingredients thoroughly together in a bowl. Roll dough out in a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Spread filling evenly over the dough. Now comes the tricky part. These do not roll as nicely as a gluten dough, so you have to sort of patch and smooth out the dough as you roll it, because it has a tendency to crack. Roll it lengthwise, so you have a big, long roll to cut. When you’ve got it rolled nicely, use a sharp knife to slice the cinnamon rolls (about 1 1/2 inches thick). Place these next to each other in a greased pan and cover with a clean dish towel to let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 400F and bake for 20-25 minutes (I did 25). Let cool for a few minutes and then cover with frosting and enjoy!

 

FOR THE FROSTING: Place all ingredients except the sugar in a bowl and blend together with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in the sugar a half cup at a time until you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Top cinnamon rolls generously with this frosting.

Do you have a vegan, gluten free cinnamon roll recipe you like? I’d love to try it!