I have a hard time walking into the shopping mall and resisting the tantalizing aroma of Cinnabon. I consider breaking down and scarfing down a warm cinnamon roll but I know that a price will have to be paid for such impulsiveness, so I swallow hard and move on.
But now, I have found a recipe that is gluten free and I eat a second and even a third bun with nary a problem. In fact the whole pan of cinnamon rolls is there for me. Yum! This is really a decadent recipe. Potato starch and corn starch are the flour products used in the recipe so I can’t really justify this one as a “healthy” treat, But it is the starches that make the product so light and pillowy. Another plus point for this recipe is that no rising time is required for the yeast dough so that you don’t have to stop in the middle and come back to it.
GLUTEN FREE CINNAMON ROLLS
(Makes 8 or 9 servings)
2 tablespoons shortening or coconut oil
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup almond or soy milk (room temperature)
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons sugar (to sprinkle on board covered with plastic wrap)
FILLING
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
GLAZE
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thin the glaze (soy or almond)
DIRECTIONS FOR CINNAMON ROLLS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a round or oval glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve.
Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well with a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Make sure all lumps are dissolved. Dough will be quite soft and sticky so the plastic wrap in the next step is essential.
Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so that it covers a 14 x 14 square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top and put another sheet of wrap on top. Pat the dough down a bit and then use a rolling pin to roll into a square of about 13 x 13 inches.
Remove top piece of wrap. Combine filling ingredients and spread evenly across dough’s surface. Leave about a 1 inch sugar free border on one side. (This sugar free area will be the edge to seal the roll.)
Start rolling the dough by lifting the plastic wrap on the sugared edge and begin to roll. Finish the roll and seal put patting it together. Now cut your log into into 8 or 9 pieces. Each one will be about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place in the greased glass pan. Bake 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk to make glaze. If you desire a thicker glaze, use a little less milk. Drizzle over warm rolls.
mamalamacooking 