Back when I published my inaugural blog post, I posted a photo of cinnamon rolls I’d adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe. However, posting a photo without a recipe didn’t sit well with a few eager bakers who promptly called me out on my faux pas. I am glad they did.
I’ve been making these cinnamon rolls for a year and half now. They haven’t let me down yet, despite my oft last-minute substitutions and tweaks. There are a few major pluses going for these; they don’t have any eggs or yeast, they can be rolled out sans tears, and they are surprisingly quick to put together. Cinnamon roll satisfaction in about 40 minutes. Not bad, hm?
This is my first step-by-step-ish post, and unfortunately the lighting in my kitchen is exceedingly poor; hopefully you’ll get the general idea of the process though.
Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated ‘Quick Cinnamon Buns’ by Cinnamon Quill
Filling:
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar or raw sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more…)
pinch salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Dough:
2 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon flour mix (see below)
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon pectin (optimal, but optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
1/8 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optimal, but optional)
1 1/4 cup milk or water
4 + 2 (=6) tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar/flour mix for rolling
Icing:
3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
3+ tablespoons milk/cream
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Special equipment: freezer paper, silpat, or parchment for rolling
Preheat oven to 425F. Oil an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan, then sprinkle with granulated sugar to prevent sticking.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour mix, and other dry ingredients. Next, stir in the extract (if using), and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter (1/4 cup), along with the milk/water. Mix with a wooden spoon, until dough looks shaggy; ‘knead’ the dough a bit with your hands until it comes together in a ball. Let stand for a few minutes, while you make the filing.
Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl. It will look like wet sand. Taste and adjust cinnamon level, if desired. Set aside.
Back to the dough: turn the dough onto a large piece of parchment/freezer paper, sprinkled with flour/sugar mix for rolling. You don’t need a lot of extra flour/sugar, but a thorough dusting will ensure that the dough won’t stick. If the dough seems super sticky, you may want to ‘cloak’ it with some flour/sugar mix before attempting to roll it out. This is going to depend; attempt to get the dough to the point where it is moist, but not tacky.
Roll the dough into a rectangle that is approximately 9 x 12 inches. Sprinkle some of the flour/sugar mix on top for easy spreading; I use a rolling pin, gently. When the dough is in a rectangle, brush the surface with half of the remaining butter, then distribute the filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all edges. Press the filling into the surface of the dough, so it will be secure.
To get the dough into a log shape, I start at one side of the paper, then curl the dough together, using the paper to guide the rolling.
This is tricky, but far from impossible. If the dough is sticking to the paper, try a bench scraper. As you curl the dough together, you’ll want to use your hands to press it into a circular shape. It shouldn’t be super delicate, but you’ll need to do all these steps gingerly. Pinch the seam together to seal it along the final turn. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8-10 pieces, depending on the size you’d like. I usually cut off the two end pieces, just to get a straight edge.
Place each piece into the prepared pan, then brush with the remaining melted butter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and filling is bubbling.
The rolls will look a bit odd when you take them from the oven because the filling will be boiling. Let stand for about 5 minutes, just to settle down. The original instructions suggest flipping the entire lot from the pan, but I’ve found it much easier to remove each roll individually, using a knife to cut each piece free, and spatula to lift it onto a cooling rack. Once upon a time, I did remove them in one piece, but again, there is some variance each time. You be the judge.
To make the icing/glaze, combine the ingredients in a bowl until smooth, and the consistency you’d like, adding additional milk/cream to thin, if desired. Then pour or pipe the glaze over the rolls. Done!
That wasn’t so bad!
Notes:
*Flour Mix
(Derived from Bette Hagman’s Featherlight Flour Mix)
1 cup brown rice flour (I suggest against using white)
1 cup corn starch
1 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons potato flour (not starch)
Combine in a bowl; store in a cool, dry place.
—-I have made the dough with milk or water, depending on what I have on hand. Since there is buttermilk powder in the dough, the water suffices, but when I have it, I go ahead and use whole milk or half and half, thinking it must contribute richness. No hard feelings though.
—-I haven’t experimented with making these ahead and refrigerating them prior to baking, but I expect it would work well.
—-I tend to make half the glaze because I don’t like a lot of extra sweetness.
—-Because these have been received so well, I haven’t been too adventurous in terms of changing around the flavors or procedure, but I’m eager to try Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon roll frosting, which has coffee in it. Really!?
—-And what about baking cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin? There is something compelling about anything that comes out of a muffin tin, at least that is how I see the world.
—-Finally, am I the only one who loves raisins in cinnamon rolls? Raisins and pecans? Currants? Now that is starting to sound good. Or, check this apricot, almond and chocolate coffee cake swirl.
But tell me, how do you like cinnamon rolls? With raisins or currants? Anyone?
This just in!
Reader Laurie reported cinnamon roll success! And, she was kind enough to include the phenomenal photo pictured below. She said she may try lowering the oven temperature next time, as she found the outer crust was browning before the centers were completely done. A great tip to keep in mind, as every oven is different. She doesn’t have a blog (yet), but definitely check out her FlickR, where you will be amazed and astounded. Just trust me on that.
Oh, they look positively mouth-wateringly wonderful.
MY GOODNESS. I. want. those.
I’ve never had cinnamon rolls with currants or raisins, but I’d be willing to try if your willing to bake?
I love raisins in mine, or dried cherries or cranberries. Once I made them with dried cherries and mini chocolate chips.
I have a Swedish cookbook that uses powdered sugar, strong hot coffee and almond extract as a glaze for rolls and it really is excellent. And I have put cinnamon rolls in individual muffin tins and besides being entirely cute they’re easier to handle as well.
I’ll submit another comment once I’ve made these with my dietary restrictions (no corn, dairy or soy) but I may try them with some nut milk. So many lovely possibilities. Thank you for sharing them.
Dried cherries + chocolate chips sound like a perfect match. And almond extract + coffee glaze? Brilliant!
I hope the recipe adapts well to your substitutions. I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to veganize these as well. If I do, I will surely post.
Wow! These look awesome and I am excited to see that yours are yeast-free! Thanks for sharing your recipe it looks SO good!
As usual, these look amazing!!! Sigh, I’ve been trying to not by xantham gum but you may make me do it…or, I’ll just make up a different flour mix and make these? They look sooo good and I’ve been craving a healthy version of cinnamon rolls for a long time and you’re just the one to do it! Yay! …and pecans in cinnamon rolls is amazing. I like raisins too but if you’re going to add raisins, I feel like you also have to add sliced almonds and unsweetened flaked coconut too. Then it becomes more than a cinnamon roll, but both ways are excellent of course!
I bet you could get away with using all pectin or gelatin in place of the xanthan, just let the dough sit for a few minutes to let it ‘gel’ a bit, if you will. I bet you could give these the oat flour treatment too! At least partially.
I’ve never used pectin or gelatin in a recipe like this, but it could be fun to see what happens…if it works that is!
Thank you so much for sharing this, I think I’m going to have to make cinnamon rolls this weekend.
YAY!! I have been eagerly waiting for this recipe and will definitely try them this weekend!
Thank you! They look amazing!
I love the idea of making these in muffin tins! I bet they would just pop over the edge and get all nice and gooey…..mmmmh. When I am making my rolls I also make chocolate and hazelnut ones: melted dark chocolate, toasted ground hazelnuts and a tiny bit of cinnamon.
I recently stumbled across your blog and am so impressed by all the gorgeous creations you’ve posted! I can’t wait to try these cinnamon rolls. One question about flavor – does the absence of yeast take away anything from the “traditional” taste/ chewy texture?
Thank you for all the kind words! I am glad you stopped by
Well, while taste is pretty subjective, I definitely don’t feel that the yeast is missed in this case. I was always a fan of ‘bready’ cinnamon rolls that were mostly big masses of bread dough with a bit of cinnamon tucked in. Therefore, I was pretty skeptical that these would taste too ‘biscuity’ and not doughy enough. I was pleasantly surprised that they have a very competitive texture and crumb. If you make them, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I hope this helps!
Thanks for your response! I made these last night and they came out *beautifully* – using a silpat worked like a charm, with no sticking whatsoever. You’re right, the texture of the rolls is very similar to what I remember, plush and moist but not too crumbly or “pastry”-like. I’m so excited to repeat the recipe for my mom and sister, who are also gluten-intolerant.
Incidentally, I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe for the maple & coffee icing, which is a very tasty variation.
So glad to hear a successful report! But I am a bit envious that you’ve tried the maple and coffee icing; I must get to that soon. It seems like the dough would be well-suited to many other desserts too; if you try anything else with it I’d love to know!
Jennifer:
Well, I finally got my butt out of bed and made these. Except, well, I didn’t have any brown rice flour but I had quinoa and white rice and sweet rice flour so I used a mixture of that, took out 2 1/2 tbsp of flour mix and subbed with potato flour. I can’t use buttermilk powder so skipped it but I’m sure I could have used rice protein powder had I thought of it. I also replaced the butter with coconut oil because of the whole dairy thing.
I must not have rolled it large enough, I suppose I should have measured it, oh well. I say this because I had too much brown sugar filling. So, I took a piece of parchment paper, cut it in a round that went up and around the edges of my pan and dumped the extra brown sugar into that. Then I cut up a couple of ripe plums I had and sprinkled them over the brown sugar filling, rolled, cut and baked, oh yeah. I think they would have been perfect had I had some brown rice flour but the quinoa is just a little bitter for my taste. Still they were completely ooey and gooey and since I’d lined the pan all I had to do was flip them onto a plate. And now, friend and neighbors I can’t button my pants!
I’ve wondered about using coconut oil in place of the butter, I’d like to try that. You solved your challenges well, it seems; and lining the pan with parchment? Yeah, why haven’t I thought of that? The plums sound like a lovely addition…Thank you for the report, Laurel!
Hi. Just a note on replacing butter with oil. When you use butter some of it evaporates as water in the oven, thus making nice flaky, airy places in your biscuits and stuff. Oil doesn’t have any water to evaporate so when you use it you use something like 3 Tbsp to every 4 Tbsp of butter otherwise you get a slimy mess. Really though, except for biscuits and pie crusts I haven’t had any trouble with cookies, breads or cakes since I learned the secret.
P.S. Your graham cracker crust looks marvelous.
Laurel
Oh, these look incredible! Thank you so much for posting the recipe. Cinnamon rolls are my family’s traditional Christmas morning breakfast, and I’ve been wondering what to do for this year now that I’m GF – I guess I have to wonder no longer!
[...] and, while it kind of disrupts the scalloped shape, it leaves a nice crackly crust. –Like the cinnamon rolls, I’ve been making this recipe too long without major divergence; time to try adding [...]
Mmm… my boyfriend made me cinnamon rolls the other morning for our anniversary – I wish we had more! These look wonderful and stuffed with gooey filling.
Cheers,
*Heather*
these look insanely luscious. I can’t wait to make them!
WHAT are you trying to do to me!! YUM!!!
just beautiful and I bet they tasted even better than they look!! 
But you are in luck; I’ve been experimenting with more vegan recipes, and your site is continued inspiration
Those cinnamon rolls look so moist and tender and good!
These look delicious…I am always looking for gluten alternatives so I can bake when my gluten free friends come over…i am so glad to have found your website!
Thanks
beautiful pictures and luscious looking rolls; I want to reach out and grab one!
These look sinfully delicious! Wish I had one right now.
Hi, these do indeed look good. I wondered if you’ve made them with a commercial gluten free flour such as Ogran’s. I keep some on hand for mixing up desserts and snacks for my gluten-free friends and thought this might be a good one to try.
Thanks in advance!
Ray
I’m on a quest to find the perfect gluten free cinnamon rolls. I made some for Christmas that I really enjoyed, but they weren’t perfect. This might be the next recipe I try.
I like that they don’t have yeast in them; that will be better for my mom to eat them.
If you haven’t tried the Pioneer Woman’s icing yet, let me tell you, it’s to die for! I was a little skeptical, but wow, yum. Thanks for this recipe…can’t wait to try it.
I can’t wait to try these! Have you actually vegan-ized them yet? I was thinking of replacing the buttermilk powder with soy milk powder. I’ll let you know when I get around to it – there’s so many recipes on your blog that I must try!
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Missing the “Cinnabon” filling, so I made my own. Just subbed 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/3 c. agave for the two sugars required in the filling. It seriously satisfied my “cinnamon goo” fix.
[...] I first saw the picture of Cinnamon Quill’s cinnamon rolls, (the gorgeous picture to the right) it was a moment of instant salivation. I mean, come on! [...]
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Thanks for posting this recipe. It looks very delicious. I have been on a quest to find a GF cinnamon roll recipe. I love that this one does not have yeast. All the other recipes I have tried used a yeast bread recipe and adapted it. The ones I tried did not turn out well at all, so I definitely have to give this one a go. It think it helps to have the pictures because it definitely shows the start to finish product which is always helpful in gluten free baking.
thanks again so much,
Sandra
These are FANTASTIC. I subbed non-dairy stuff (soy milk powder instead of milk powder etc) and these still came out perfectly. The texture is unbelievably good for a GF recipe. I underbaked mine (20 min was a little too short, but I couldn’t tell until I’d waited for them to cool off enough to eat) and they were still good. The flavor was a little eggy, which was pleasant, and confusing because there are no eggs in the recipe. They browned up early (like all GF products) so I covered them with foil for the last few minutes. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe. I’ve been wanting cinnamon buns for months.
[...] you seen Jenn from The Cinnamon Quill’s recipe for cinnamon rolls? These have been on my To Make list for a while now. They look so [...]