Quick and Easy Glazed Cinnamon Rolls (Soy, Egg, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Milk and Wheat-Free)

I don't know about you, but Saturdays are our work-around-the-house days, but they are also our sleep-in-and-have-a-big/special-breakfast/brunch-whenever-possible days, too.  We didn't have a super big breakfast, but we did have a special one of (mostly) homemade, glazed cinnamon rolls.  They were so good, I had to share the recipe with you!

These cinnamon rolls are super easy to make thanks to the use of pizza crust for the rolls and melt-in-your-mouth wonderful, glazed with vanilla icing and filled with cinnamon-y goodness.  They are great for the days you want to do something special for a crowd (this recipe makes 12 large rolls), but are short on time (these take about 45 minutes start to finish compared to 90 minutes+ for most cinnamon roll recipes).  Did I mention they are super easy and next to impossible to mess up?  Gotta love that! :)  They are also soy-free if you use all soy-free ingredients,  fish free, egg-free and nut-free, and can be milk and wheat-free (see variations).  Yah, baby!  This recipe is definitely a winner!

Quick and Easy Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Roll Portion

4 boxes Jiffy Pizza Crust Mix

2 Cup hot (NOT boiling) tap water

flour for kneading

(Make sure it's soy-free!)

Salted, Full-Fat Butter; softened

White sugar

Brown Sugar

Ground Cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350^oF.

2. Grease a 13x9 glass pan with butter and set aside.

3. Add water to contents of Jiffy packages in a large bowl; stir until moistened.  (If mixture is too dry, add a little more water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until all contents is MOISTENED only.  It's supposed to be a bit sticky and lumpy.)

4. Cover bowl and let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place (about 85^o).  (I just put the bowl on the top of my stove top towards the back while the oven is preheating for this step.  There's generally enough heat coming from the oven for the dough to rise this way.)

5.  Knead the dough several times on a floured board/counter top.  (Note: Be generous with the flour - you will need more than a light dusting (think more along the lines of a Cup of flour total)!  The dough is really sticky, and flour keeps it from sticking to the counter top and your fingers/hands too much.  I recommend scraping the dough onto the floured counter top with a spatula and then sprinkling some flour on top of the dough before kneading and working with it, adding more flour to your hands/counter top as needed.  It will stick to you some, but using the flour will help!)

6. Stretch out dough to about a 12 inch by 24 inch rectangle.

7.  Spread softened butter onto the top of the dough rectangle generously (amount of butter is up to you, but I normally use a whole stick, but you can definitely use less than that).

8.  Sprinkle top of dough with white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon to taste.  (Note: I use enough of each ingredient to cover the top evenly.  You can mix them together first, then sprinkle over the top if you want, too.  You can start with about 1/4 Cup white sugar and 1/4 Cup brown sugar and a Tablespoon cinnamon (less if you don't want too much cinnamon) and see if that is to your liking.  If that seems too much, you can use even less of all or some.  If that seems too little, add more of all or some.  It it completely up to you! :) )

9.  Roll the dough rectangle up horizontally so that you are left with a 24-inch long rope.

10.  Cut the rope into approximately 12 pieces.

11.  Arrange pieces so that you can see the swirls of dough and filling in the greased 13x9 pan.

12.  Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until dough is light golden brown (should look like baked pizza crust).  (Note: If you are not sure if your rolls are done or not, you can check the middle roll for done-ness by using a fork and removing a small portion.  If it is cooked through and not doughy, your rolls are done.)

13.  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 (no more than 1/8 teaspoon)
 

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.

14. When the rolls are done, immediately remove them from the oven and frost them with the glaze.

You can enjoy these rolls right away or after they've cooled, whichever you prefer.

Makes 12 large cinnamon rolls.

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when using variations!):

• Milk-Free:  Use a dairy-free milk and dairy-free butter (such as Earth Balance and SoDelicious brands) and a dairy-free pizza crust mix or make your own dairy-free crust and cook as directed  (You need enough crust to make four 12-inch pizzas.).  Also, be sure to grease the pan with oil or a dairy-free butter.   
• Wheat-Free: Use gluten-free crust mixes or make your own (enough for four 12-inch pizzas) and use a gluten-free flour to knead it in and bake as directed.
  
• Citrus or Fruit-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: Use Orange Juice, lemon juice, lime juice, fruit juice, etc. in place of the milk in the glaze portion.  You can omit the vanilla or not; your choice.  If you want extra citrus or fruit flavor, you can also use warm citrus or fruit juice in place of the water in the roll portion.  You can also use a mix of the juices, too.
• Cream Cheese-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: If you prefer a cream cheese frosting and can have it, you may substitute it for the glaze listed.
• Chocolate-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: If you really like chocolate and you can have it, you could glaze these rolls with chocolate frosting.
• Caramel-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls: If you really like caramel and you can have it, you could glaze these rolls with caramel frosting.
• Other Fillings: You can use a fruit spread in place of the cinnamon and sugars.  You can even add nuts, seeds or raisins/dried fruit if you like them and can have them, though I would not use more than a Cup of add-ins.
• Smaller Rolls: If you don't like large cinnamon rolls, you can cut the dough into smaller pieces, between 18 and 24 pieces.  If you do this, your cooking time will be on the lower end, maybe even under 20 minutes, so watch them closely!

These rolls are awesome with coffee, too! :)

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What if your favorite Saturday or weekend treat for breakfast?

Do you prefer your cinnamon rolls glazed or plain?

Do you prefer one large cinnamon roll or a few smaller ones?

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