Yes, you can be gluten free and have your cinnamon rolls too! Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls are sweet, fluffy, and made from pantry staples. Sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
It’s the post you’ve all been waiting for – Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls!!!
If you have to eat gluten free then you know how badly it sucks (pardon by french) to miss out on special treats like warm, sweet cinnamon rolls – especially around the holidays. I love cinnamon rolls so much that I once payed a small fortune to overnight a pan of them from a gluten free bakery in San Francisco and they were horrrrible! Like bricks! These babies are not like bricks! They’re flaky and perfect and oh my gosh, I’m just obsessed.
I can’t decide what I love most – the classic, sweet and cinnamon-y taste of these rolls, or the fact that I can eat them any time I want now. It’s a win all around! PLUS, for my dairy-free friends, this recipe can easily be made dairy-free by using vegan butter instead of regular butter, and unsweetened almond milk instead of cow’s milk. You should have seen the look on Lincoln’s face the first time he tried a batch of fresh cinnamon rolls. My goodness.
Before I get into a few helpful notes and tips for making the rolls, I want to tell you that this recipe is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. If you have to eat gluten free then I’m sure you’re familiar with this wonderful brand which offers dozens of baking products that are not only gluten free but processed in a separate facility from their gluten-containing products to ensure there is zero chance for cross-contamination.
I love that Bob’s products are not only affordable and minimally processed, but easy to find. My local HyVee carries a TON of their products, including the Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour, baking powder, and active dry yeast I used in these rolls. YES, these cinnamon rolls contain yeast. Before you start sweating though, just know that if you can pour something into something else then you can bake with yeast. There is literally nothing more to it then sprinkling yeast into warm milk. No kneading, no nothing. Plus that yeasty scent, flavor, and rise is a MUST for homemade cinnamon rolls.
Now, baking regular cinnamon rolls from scratch can be intimidating – baking gluten free cinnamon rolls can be even moreso. That said, after making 12+ batches of these cinnamon rolls over the past two months, here are my best notes and tips. Be sure to read the post text for more helpful tips:
Alrighty – ready to do this?!
Start by microwaving 1/4 cup butter or vegan butter in a large glass bowl until melted. Add 1 cup milk (any kind – I’ve tested this recipe with skim, 2%, and whole milk, and unsweetened almond milk) and 1 Tablespoon sugar then microwave for 45-50 seconds. Stir the mixture then take a temperature with an instant-read thermometer – we’re looking for 110 degrees.
Sprinkle in 2-1/4 teaspoons Bob’s Red Mill Active Dry Yeast (the equivalent to 1 packet active dry yeast) then stir gently and let the mixture sit until foamy, 8 minutes.
TIP: Be sure to STIR the milk mixture before taking a temperature to get an accurate reading.
TIP: if your mixture does not foam, likely your yeast was old and/or your milk mixture was too hot or not hot enough.
Next add 1 whisked egg plus 1/3 cup sugar then stir to combine.
Meanwhile, stir together the dry ingredients – that’s 2-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour, 2 teaspoons Bob’s Red Mill baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring until the flour is just combined (small lumps remaining are fine) before adding the next batch. The dough will be soft like cookie dough but shouldn’t be incredibly sticky.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl then place it somewhere warm to let the dough double in size, about 1 hour. I use my oven’s “bread proof” setting, though in the past I’ve placed the bowl on top of a heating pad set to low. A warm sunny spot should work too!
Once the dough has doubled in size, scrape it onto a sheet of parchment paper that’s been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Lightly oil your hands then spread the dough into a rectangle approximately 1/4″ thick – the rectangle should be roughly 10×14″.
TIP: the dough will be the consistency of soft play dough, versus sturdy and stretchy like traditional cinnamon/bread dough, so don’t be alarmed!
TIP: do NOT spread the dough any thinner then 1/4″ thick or it will fall apart when you slice the cinnamon rolls.
Next, use your fingers to spread 1/3 cup very soft butter or vegan butter over the dough, leaving 1″ clear on the bottom. Be sure the butter is very soft otherwise you’ll tear through the dough.
Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons cinnamon then sprinkle it evenly on top of the butter, again leaving 1″ of the dough clear at the bottom. This will feel like an excessive amount of cinnamon-sugar, but every drop is necessary!
Time to roll. Starting at the top, pull the parchment paper down towards you to make the first roll. Continue to roll the dough using the parchment paper instead of your hands until you have one roll left.
At that point, use the bottom of the parchment paper to pull up the bottom of the dough so the log sits in the center(ish) of the parchment paper versus the bottom. Gently pinch the seams together to close.
Next, using a sharp knife, slice the log in half using one confident slice versus a sawing motion. Slice each half in half, then each quarter into thirds to make 12 slices total. Wipe off the knife as necessary with a paper towel. If the dough seems super wet it might be helpful to dip your knife in the flour blend in between slices.
Transfer the rolls into a nonstick sprayed 9″ pie pan – I use the knife as kind of a scraper/support for each slice. Again, this dough is much softer then traditional cinnamon roll dough so be gentle. If the slices get misshapen – that’s ok. They’ll puff up during the second rise, plus they’ll be covered in icing anyway!
Place the pie pan in the same warm spot to let the cinnamon rolls puff up and rise a second time – mine usually take 30-40 minutes.
Bake the rolls for 16-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the tops are golden brown, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for at least 15 minutes before slathering in icing, otherwise they’ll absorb it all.
The icing is just 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter or vegan butter whisked vigorously with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1-1/2 Tablespoons hot water, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. I tried this recipe with a cream cheese frosting and this simple butter + powdered sugar version is amaaaaaaazing!
These rolls are best enjoyed warm (duh) though they actually reheat FABULOUSLY. Just microwave for 20 seconds or so. Also YES, you can make them a day ahead of time! Directions are in the notes section of the recipe card below. I hope these gluten free cinnamon rolls bring you as much joy as they do for us! ENJOY!
Yes, you can be gluten-free and have your cinnamon rolls too! Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls are sweet, fluffy, and made from pantry staples.
makes 12 cinnamon rolls
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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