Glazed Cinnamon Rolls (Soy, Fish and Nut-Free, Can Be Milk-Free)

I am a huge fan of cinnamon rolls.  They are warm and gooey, delicious and sweet and remind me of my childhood.  They are wonderful on a cold morning and never cease to make me smile, so they are worth the effort it takes to make them from scratch.  Really.  Especially this recipe.

This recipe is a modified version of one I found on Allrecipes.com by Paula S.   It's relatively simple, though it does take a little time.  They are best eaten hot and fresh, so I recommend making them for a holiday breakfast or brunch when you'll have enough people around to polish off these delicious treats.  The recipe makes 12 generous portions which could easily stretch to 24 if you cut them in half, though they could just as easily shrink to 6 portions or less if you're feeling particularly gluttonous. :)

This recipe is soy-free (if you use all soy-free ingredients), fish and nut-free, and it can be milk-free (see variations).  You could make them wheat/gluten-free and/or egg-free if you want to try out some substitutions, but since I'm not sure how that would work out with this particular recipe, I'm not going to add those options to my variations.  If you do try it, let me know how they turn out!  I'd love to know! :)

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Roll Portion:

3/4 Cup milk



1/4 Cup full-fat, salted butter

3 1/4 Cups all-purpose, soy-free flour (I use King Arthur brand)

(If you'd like to use whole wheat, you can, though I'd recommend using a white whole wheat.)

2 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (I recommend Red Star)

1/4 Cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 Cup water (warm preferred)

1 egg

  

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat.
   
   
2. Add butter to the milk; stir until melted and set aside.
   
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 Cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well.
   
   
4. Add water, egg and the milk mixture to the flour mixture; beat well.  (Note: A wooden spoon works best.)
   
   
5. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 Cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. (Note: You might have to start using your hands at this point, so make sure they are extra clean. :) )
   
   
6. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. (Note: This takes anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, but suppress the urge to over-knead!  Your rolls will turn out tough.  You're better off under-kneading than over-kneading any day, so stop when the dough is starting to look smooth, not completely smooth.)
   
   
7. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.
   
   
8. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the filling portion (listed below) until well-blended.
   
   
   Filling Portion:
   1/2 Cup brown sugar (packed)
   
   
   1/2 Cup white sugar
   
   
   1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
   
   
   1/2 Cup full-fat, salted butter (softened)


9. After 10 minutes has elapsed, roll out the dough into a 12x9 rectangle.
   
   
10. Spread the cinnamon/sugar/butter mixture onto the dough. (Note: This is best done with a knife or the back of a spoon.)
    
    
11. Roll up the dough so that you have a 12 inch "rope" and pinch the seam to seal.
    
    
12. Cut the dough rope into 12 equal sized rolls and place them cut side up into a 9 x 13 pan. (Note: You don't have to grease the pan, but you certainly can if you wish.)
    
    
13. Cover the pan with a damp towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. (Note: If you don't have a warm spot in your house to do this, put your oven on the lowest setting it can go (this is generally in the low to mid 200s) and place the covered rolls in the oven to rise.  This works beautifully for me!)
    
    
14. Preheat the over to 375^oF.
    
    
15. Bake the rolls for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden browned. (Note: Do NOT over-bake!  They'll be as hard as rocks.  You want light golden brown, not deep golden brown.  Think the color you want your pizza crust or rolls to look when they are done.)
    
    
16. While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze portion:
     
    Glaze Portion:
    1/4 Cup full-fat, salted butter (softened)
    
    
    2 Cups confectionery sugar
    
    
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    
    
    Pinch of salt
     
    2 Tablespoons milk
    
    
    Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until well-blended before adding the milk. The mixture should be thick, but if you find it too stiff, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is the right consistency.
17. When the rolls are done, remove them from the oven and glaze them immediately.
    
    
18. Serve warm.

As I said before, these are best fresh and warm.  If you do happen to have left-overs, warm them up in the microwave or oven before re-serving.

Variations:

• Milk-free:  Use a dairy-free milk and dairy-free butter (such as Earth Balance and SoDelicious brands) and cook as directed.  Be sure that the brand you choose is soy-free  or this recipe will no longer be soy-free.
• Orange-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: Use Orange Juice in place of the milk in the glaze portion.  You can omit the vanilla or not; your choice.  If you want extra orange flavor, you can also use orange juice in place of the water in the roll portion.
• Cream Cheese-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: If you prefer a cream cheese frosting, you may substitute it for the glaze listed, just note that that will negate the soy-free status of this recipe.

  

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)