I really enjoy it when my friends send me recipes. My friend Kate came across this recipe for gluten-free (and vegan) cinnamon rolls. I really enjoyed the bagels that I made from a recipe from Fork and Beans, so I was happy to try it for Bread Week 17. I am very happy that I did. The cinnamon rolls were excellent!
This gluten-free recipe originally came from Fork and Beans.
Once I got past proofing the yeast, I had no problem making this recipe. The dough came together quickly and was easy to handle. It was a little more difficult to roll up than normal cinnamon rolls, since the dough was stiffer. The dough didn’t rise; I wonder if that’s because I proofed my yeast and it rose so much before I assembled the dough. I added a little vanilla to enrich the dough.
The cinnamon rolls smelled great as they baked. They were surprisingly good. The rolls were moist and tender. The texture wasn’t light and fluffy and bready like usual cinnamon rolls are, since gluten creates that structure. Since the rolls didn’t rise much, they were a little more dense than I expected, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Rather, the rolls were sandy, more like a soft shortbread texture. I found the cinnamon rolls to be very sweet; I would omit the granulated sugar from the filling next time. I was glad that I halved the frosting, as that was the perfect amount for my taste. The overall flavor of the cinnamon rolls was great.
If you want the chewy, pull-apart texture of a cinnamon roll, this might not be the perfect recipe for you. But if you want an otherwise delicious and satisfying cinnamon roll that’s vegan and gluten-free, then you should definitely try this recipe.
Want not-gluten-free cinnamon rolls? You can try these cinnamon rolls adapted from the Bread Baker’s Apprentice (affiliate link); these cinnamon rolls adapted from Smitten Kitchen; these super-tender, quick and easy cinnamon rolls; or these overnight cinnamon rolls adapted from Alton Brown.
Like this recipe or have questions? Rate it or leave a comment below!
In the past:
One Year Ago: Raspberry-Coconut Macaroons, Homemade Corned Beef, New York Deli Rye Bread
Two Years Ago: Blueberry Scones with Lemon and Almond
Three Years Ago: Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake
Four Years Ago: Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Chocolate Puddle Cookies
Tender, delicious cinnamon rolls that are both vegan and gluten-free!
- ¾ cup soy or other milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons ground pysllium husks
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter (melted (I ran short; this was half vegan butter, half oil))
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3 cups gluten-free flour; or the next 4 ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice flour (if not using a gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 cup sorghum flour (if not using a gluten-free flour blend)
- ½ cup arrowroot powder (if not using a gluten-free flour blend); I ran short, and substituted a little potato starch and cornstarch for the remainder
- ½ cup potato starch (if not using a gluten-free flour blend)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- a dash of vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (I would skip this next time, though)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (melted)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon water or soy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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The original recipe begins by heating the milk and water to 100F and adding the yeast, then waiting 10 minutes to proof it. I'm not sure why this didn't work well for me. Since my yeast was cold since I store it in the fridge, what I did was: Heat water to 110F. Dissolve yeast into water, and add a pinch of sugar. Wait 10 minutes to let yeast proof. Heat the milk as well, then set aside. Combine chia seeds, psyllium husks, butter, and vinegar; set aside to let the seeds absorb the moisture and thicken.
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In a large bowl, combine flours and starches, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add water and yeast, milk, thickened seed mixture, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Once mixture mostly comes together, use your hands to knead the dough. Once the dough is cohesive, roll it out on a piece of parchment. (Don't skip the parchment! It will help you to roll up the rolls later.)
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Combine the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of dough. Use the parchment to help roll up the dough short-wise. Cut into 8 rolls. Place cut-side down in a pan; I used an 8x11 inch pan, but you could probably squeeze it into an 8x8-inch pan; I think a 9-inch square would be ideal.
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Place in a warm place (like a briefly preheated oven) to rise for about an hour. Recipe says that the rolls should rise; mine didn't rise much, if at all. Bake at 375F for about 18 minutes, until edges are firm.
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Mix together icing, adjusting the sugar or water as necessary. You want thick icing, since it will melt when you put it on warm rolls. Eat warm, but honestly, they're good at room temperature, too.
adapted from Fork and Beans
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