Lab Experiment 106: Cinnamon Rolls!

Lab Experiment 106: Cinnamon Rolls!

Yields 6 rolls

INGREDIENTS:

Dough

• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 3 tablespoons of vegan buttery sticks or unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk*
• 2 1/4 cups Cup 4 Cup gf flour or any other all purpose gluten free flour, plus a little for dusting
• 1 pkg dry yeast
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt 

*I could only find lowfat buttermilk last time I made these, so I also added a tbsp of vegetable shortening, room temperature as well.
 
Filling

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 tbsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 2.5 tbsp vegan buttery sticks or butter, melted

 Icing

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of warmed almond milk with 1/2 tsp of sugar. Set aside to let foam.

In the bowl of your standard mixer, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolks, honey, butter, buttermilk, and shortening. Make sure all these ingredients are at room temperature. Add 2 cups of gluten free flour and yeast mixture to bowl and mix on low speed for approximately 5 minutes. Scrape sides, add the other 1/4 cup of gf flour. Mix another 2-3 minutes until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl. The dough will be slightly stickier than you might expect with this mix.

Generously dust a flat surface with your gf flour and scoop out dough. Roll into a ball and knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough into bowl and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let double in volume - approximately 2.5 hours.

After the dough has doubled, place in refrigerator overnight to chill.

In the morning, remove dough from fridge and roll out onto a lightly floured surface into an 18 x 12 in. rectangle with the long side nearest you. Be sure to flour your rolling pin. I recommend pounding out the dough a little with your pin before actually rolling to help the dough keep from sticking.

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp of the melted butter. Mix well. Brush the dough with the other half of the melted buttery sticks or butter leaving a 1/2 in. border along the top edge. Sprinkle filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4 in. border along the top edge. Gently press the filling into dough. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll dough into a tight cylinder to create even thickness. With sharp knife, slice cylinder into 1.5 in. rolls, yielding 6 rolls. Arrange in a buttered baking dish, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Remove from fridge and place in an oven that is turned off. Place a shallow pan filled 2/3 with boiling water on the rack below the rolls. Close oven door and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Remove rolls and shallow pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once preheated, place rolls in oven on middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling, make the icing. Mix cream cheese, milk, and powdered sugar in standard mixer for approximately 5 minutes, scraping the sides midway through, or until mixed well and creamy. Spread over rolls and serve!

Enjoy.