Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls (Gluten-Free)

These little cinnamon babies are just the thing when the gluten-free girls are needin' a fix. So, tonight, with the aid of my trusty friend, we baked cinnamon rolls. I haven't had a really delicious cinnamon roll since I went gluten-free. They are tricky to make with wheat, let alone wheatless. But thanks to an adapted version from Roben Ryberg's The Gluten-Free Kitchen, the sweet smell of cinnamon has come home in the morning. Or in the evening. Or any time at all. Cinnamon rolls should be eaten whenever you feel the need. Or just want to.

Oh, yeah. So good. Everyone deserves a little treat now and again, right? You absolutely do. So, get out the bowls and pans and make yourself a batch and these, guilt-free.

Enjoy this fun recipe and play with it. There's so many variations on these light, little, fluffy pastries that you can play for days. I am going to find a way to make sticky buns out of these and as soon as I do, you'll be the first to know!

Happy eating!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Serves 8 or 9


INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup of milk, slightly warmed

1 packet instant active yeast (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons shortening, butter or natural margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup light olive oil

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup arrowroot* or cornstarch

1/2 cup millet flour or quinoa flour*

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract


TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP

1 - 2 tablespoons sugar


FILLING

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 -1/4 teaspoons cinnamon or nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped nuts, raisins or craisins- optional


GLAZE

¾ cup powdered or confectionary sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

milk to thicken


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round or square pan. Using a glass pie pan works best.

Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve and leave to proof for a few minutes. In medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well.

Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft – very soft. Don’t be alarmed. It’s supposed to be this soft. Dough should hold together in a very loose ball, but incredibly sticky to touch.

Combine filling ingredients and set aside.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers approximately a 13" x 13" rectangle. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a rectangle. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it, if necessary. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap because it gets stuck under the edges. When you’re done, you should have about a 13x13 inch filled plastic rectangle.

Flip over so sugared side is facing up. Remove top piece of wrap. Spread filling ingredients evenly across dough's surface.

Use one of the long sides of the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Once the cylinder is complete, cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1-1/2" wide. Place rolls into greased pan. You can place them next to one another or leave a 1-inch gap between rolls; the dough will puff and fill it in.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.


*Millet and quinoa flour can be purchased online and in some natural food stores. If finding it deems impossible, you can use white rice flour, brown rice flour or simply double the arrowroot. Arrowroot can also be purchased in natural stores or online.

Adapted from Roben Ryberg’s The Gluten-Free Kitchen