GF Cinnamon Rolls

It’s been over two years since it became necessary to convert recipes in my household to being gluten free. For the most part with some trial and a lot of error, I’ve been able to make most things gluten free and still enjoyable. Most things….but not cinnamon rolls. No matter how many I made with all sorts of modifications to my original recipe and trying all sorts of different flours, the end results were essentially the same…little cinnamon flavored hockey pucks.

But things have changed and finally I am happy to report that I can now give you a recipe that is thoroughly enjoyable! These rolls are the closest I’ve come to a cinnamon roll recipe we shared with you in a post from April of 2012 that was made with regular all purpose flour. Two things seem to have contributed to this happy success…the GF flour we used this time ( Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour) and allowing the dough to have enough time to rise twice. These things made all the difference. So come Christmas morning we will once again have yummy cinnamon rolls with our Christmas breakfast…. or any other time we feel like having a tasty morning treat with a nice cup of coffee. In this case we a very happy to report that success is both literally and figuratively VERY sweet indeed!

GF Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
4 cups of Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (plus more for rolling out)
1 heaping tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten

Cinnamon Butter:
1 stick of softened butter
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix together thoroughly

Icing:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 heaping teaspoon vanilla
Heavy cream or half and half to make a spreadable consistency

Place flour, baking powder, salt and half of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine. Add the rest of the sugar to warmed milk and stir. Add in the yeast and allow to sit until it becomes foamy. Add the milk/sugar and yeast mixture to flour along with melted butter and the beaten eggs. Mix together on medium speed until well combined about 3 -4 minutes. Allow dough to sit in the mixer for about 3 hours or up to overnight. It should be nearly doubled in size. Stir down dough and turn out unto a floured surface. Dough should be soft but not too sticky. You will need to have your hands well floured to avoid the dough sticking to your fingers. Cut the dough in three pieces. Shape the first piece into a rectangle then roll out until the rectangle is about 1/4 inch thick. Spread with cinnamon butter and roll up from the long side forming a sort of “log”. Cut into slices about 1″ thick and place in a pan slightly touching each other. A tin pie plate works well. It will hold about 12 rolls. Set aside until the rolls are well risen. Repeat with remaining dough. Once the rolls are risen, (about an hour or maybe two or even three depending on how warm the room where they are rising is), place them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly then transfer to serving plate. While they continue to cool make the icing and then spread it over top of the warm rolls. Enjoy!