It’s See Brooke Cook’s 5 year anniversary, and for that I made cinnamon rolls! One of the hardest things for me about going gluten free was giving up my “cheat foods”. For the most part I have always been a fairly healthy eater as an adult so much of what I was eating already fit into my new meal plans or required only minor substitutions. But when it comes down to having an indulgent treat, once you take out gluten you have REALLY minimized the options.
There is a kind of grieving you go through when you have to give up gluten, a little jealousy anytime you see someone eat one of your favorite foods and you can’t partake, that has been the most difficult part of this journey for me. Now, prior to kicking gluten to the curb I already loved King Arthur Flour, so when I went looking for gf baking tips you can bet that is where I turned. I love their gf baking mixes, they really couldn’t be any simpler, but the baker in me still wants the homemade option. Enter these:
Now, long overdue on my “to make” list were Ree Drummond’s cinnamon rolls, but alas I never made it around to them. So when I decided to tackle a gluten free version I knew I wanted to make some kind of hybrid to incorporate my original inspiration. So I stuck with the dough and filling from King Arthur but used Ree’s maple frosting instead of the traditional cream cheese version. They were amazing!
A few tips on these:
1. They are time consuming, they don’t require a lot of labor but you kind of have to be around to tend to them since they rise twice (like most yeast breads), so while you are at it, just go ahead and double the recipe! Thats what I did, when it came to rolling it out I just divided the dough roughly in half and proceeded from there. I am experimenting with different freezing methods so as we see what works best I will report back!
2. Gluten free dough and gluten full dough are two different beasts, this will be more puffy and less elastic then it’s gluten filled counter part, just know that is normal.
3. The filling seems to a bit more than needed and maybe a touch too sweet so I will probably scale things back a bit next time, but until then I will leave the ingredients as they are until I can experiment, just know that if you don’t like things overly sweet you may skimp on the sugar some.
4. I had some leftover frosting, but the batch is already quite small so just know I didn’t use it all, use as much as you like.
Cinnamon Rolls {Gluten Free} (Print Me)
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 Tablespoons soft butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup warm milk, plus extra for brushing on the dough
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor*
Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
6 Tablespoons soft butter
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/8 cup milk
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon brewed coffee
Dash salt
Directions:
In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer combine all the dry ingredients; add the soft butter, blending on low until you have coarse crumbs. Add the oil, milk, egg, and flavorings, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then eat on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes; scrape the bowl again. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until visibly puffy.
While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, and soft butter until it’s spreadable.
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly greased piece of parchment paper and press it gently into an 8″ x 16″ rectangle (I marked the under side of the parchment paper to get a better idea of the size I needed). The dough will be sticky, but as it is exposed to air it will become easier to work with. Brush milk over the surface of the dough to help the rolls and filling from separating as they bake. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2″ to 1″ border of filling-free dough around the edges.
With the long edge of the parchment closest to you, roll the dough forward, allowing the paper to do the work for you (the dough should release from the paper as you roll it). Cut the dough into 8 roughly 2″ slices using a sharp knife.
Grease a muffin pan and place rolls into wells of the pan (using a muffin pan with help them rise higher and cook thoroughly). Allow the rolls to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re golden brown.
While baking, make the maple icing by whisking all ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency, it should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.
Remove rolls from oven, ice immediately and enjoy!
*I found this on amazon and added it to an order that I already needed so I got free shipping, apparently it is available in some store but I could not find it. I referenced their website and it is gluten free.
Source: King Arthur Flour and Pioneer Woman
