Sometimes, it is all about the food.
And the smiles that warm cinnamon rolls can put on the face of a child. (Ok and the fact that the child in question started calling me the goddess of pastry doesn’y hurt either.)
Every morning, I walk through Union Station and I am haunted by the magical scent of warm cinnamon and butter rolled up in a yeasty dough. It is enough to drive a girl bonkers. Particularly when it is the scent of Cinnabon.
Seriously.
I have been craving cinnamon rolls for a year. So I finally did something about it.
I captured that magical scent and flavor combination in my very own kitchen.
These are easy to make, but they do take a little but of waiting. But they are totally worth it.
- Dough
- 160 ml milk (dairy or non-dairy), warmed
- 35 grams sugar (2T)
- 280 grams (2 cups) all-purpose gluten free flour*
- 7 grams (1 t) active dry yeast
- 40 grams (2.5 T) butter or EarthBalance
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if you don’t have the paste)
- Pinch salt
- Filling
- 210 grams (1 cup) Brown Sugar
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) Butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (25 mL) Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Maple Flakes or maple sugar (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Topping
- 1/2 cup or so cream cheese frosting or
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 T milk and
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Measure out your ingredients and prepare a mise en place.
- In a small bowl combine warm milk, a teaspoon of your sugar, a tablespoon of your flour and your yeast. Let sit for about 15 minutes – the mixture should have produced a decent amount of foam.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the remaining flour, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt.
- Add in the yeast mixer and mix to combine. Once combined, turn the mixer speed to low-medium (mine was on 3) and let the dough “knead” for about 10 minutes.
- Watch the dough, if it is impossibly sticky add a little more flour a teaspoon at a time. (It was a bit humid in my apartment and I ended up adding 2 teaspoons of flour).
- After 10 minutes, place the dough in a greased bowl in a warm spot (my microwave is the warmest spot in my kitchen). Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. If you have a spare bowl for your mixer, pop it and the whisk attachment (or any bowl and the beaters for your hand mixer) into the freezer. You need it good and cold to whip the cream.
- Let the dough raise for 45 mins-1 hour. It should have just about doubled in size.
- Near the end of the rising time, mix together all the ingredients for the filling in a small mixing bowl.
- Roll out the dough to 1/4” thickness and in a rectangle about 6×10″.
- Spread the filling on the dough in a thin layer.
- Roll the dough up along the long edge (you want a 10″ long tube).
- Place it on a cookie sheet, cover with a towel and set in a warm spot while your oven preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When the oven is warm, slice the roll into 6 even pieces.
- Arrange the rolls in a greased 8 or 9″ baking dish (shape is not important).
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown and bubbling.
- When the rolls are still warm, but before they are completely cool, slather them with leftover cream cheese frosting if you have it around. If not, mix together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and drizzle over the cinnamon rolls
*If you are not using a pre-blended flour, you can either use Shauna’s All-Purpose Blend and add 2 teaspoons xantham gum. Whisk well before using.
Or you can make your own with 90 grams (3/4 cup) tapioca starch, 100 grams (1/2 cup) sweet white rice flour, 60 grams (1/2 cup) sorghum flour. Add 2 teaspoons xantham gum and whisk together well to ensure that the gum is spread throughout the flour.