cinnamon rolls

Yep.

I went there. Did I manage to eat 1/3 of this pan over the course of the last three days? Also yep.

Ooey, gooey, classic cinnamon rolls just in time for all your holiday gatherings. Or you know, for you and your couch on a snowy weekend with Netflix and cozy socks. If you’re enjoying them with your family over the holidays, then maybe add some boozy coffee or hot chocolate to help you get through it. As my little sister says, “Just gonna cut the edge with some of this sparkling apple juice.” She’s fourteen.

I had every intention of making these quick rise cinnamon rolls that you could whip up in an hour on Christmas morning. That intention was also quickly diverted by the fact that I did not have any instant yeast packets in my pantry. Thus, I bring you classic cinnamon rolls. Ta-dah. 

To speed things up a bit, you can let these rise in your oven with the light on. This keeps them warmer than if you have say – an old Minneapolis apartment with “drafty” areas and that plastic wrap over your windows in the winter. You know, the kind that you apply with your hairdryer.

For the record, these are not healthy. People seem to have this conception that all vegan things are healthy and taste bad. Fortunately, or unfortunately for you, these are delicious. I used a classic icing with just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Now that I’m thinking about it.. I’m wondering if tofu would maybe thicken it up a bit, more like cream cheese frosting. More to come on that in a future post.

Welp, I’m traveling for work this week. And next week – so hopefully I can squeeze in a few recipes before the holidays. Else I’ll just be baking everyday between December 23-January 1. That would probably be wonderful for this blog but not so much for my waistline. I totally believe in moderation, but that’s a little out of hand for me.

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classic cinnamon rolls

Author: Dana Zychowski, adapted from The Recipe Critic 

Active Time:                    Total Time:

30-45 minutes                  3 hours

Servings: 9-10 cinnamon rolls

Recipe Type: Breakfast 

Ingredients: 

for the rolls

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 package yeast
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegan butter substitute
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt

for the filling

• 3 TBSP vegan butter substitute
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
• 1/2 TBSP cinnamon

for the icing

• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 TBSP non dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

For the rolls, add dry ingredients to a stand mixer bowl and set aside. In a small or medium sized saucepan, mix water, milk, and vegan butter together on low heat until butter is just melted. The temperature should be very low and not be hot to the touch, like a warm bath. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill your yeast so have fun eating sad cinnamon rolls. Got it?

Once butter is melted, add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and combine using a spatula. Using a hook attachment, mix the dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough should be pulling easily away from the bowl. If the dough is sticking to the edge of the bowl, add flour slowly in 1 TBSP increments. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover, and let rise in oven for 30-45 minutes with the light on.

The dough may not have risen a lot the first time around, don’t worry. Line a 9″ diameter pan with parchment paper and set aside. Remove the dough from the oven and roll out into a 18″x12″ rectangle. Honestly, the exact height isn’t super important, just make sure it’s a rectangle that is about 15-18″ wide. Combine all the filling ingredients and spread evenly over the dough. Roll the dough tightly along the width (hot dog side) and cut 9-10 rolls, about 1 1/2-2″ wide. Set the rolls in the pan, and cover with a dish towel. Allow them to rise again for 45-60 minutes in the oven with the light on until rolls have doubled in size. If you are using your oven for something else – find a cozy, warm corner of your home instead. Bake at 375 deg F for 25-30 minutes, covering with tin foil half way through. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

For the icing, combine all ingredients and mix throughly. Pour frosting over rolls just before serving. If baking rolls before hand, cover tightly with tinfoil and reheat in the oven at 350 deg F for 5-10 minutes.