“This is the best thing you have made yet.” – Dad

Holy Moly. I was not messing around this morning when I set out to make a delicious cinnamon roll. Before I let my family try them, I asked:

“When is the last time you had an AMAZING gluten & dairy free cinnamon roll?” Taking a bite they unanimously replied, “Never.” And thus continued to stuff their faces.

I’m telling you, these are finger licking good. I was on Pinterest and came across the Gluten Free on a Shoestring blog. Briefly skimming through her cinnamon roll recipe, I had some personal doubts from previous baking experiences. I took basic measurements, because I don’t know a whole lot about gluten free baking, and went about making these my own improvised way with different flours and xanthan gum changes. Hers were also not lactose/dairy free.

I am going to describe EXACTLY what I did so that hopefully, if you try to make them, you will have the same success:

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 2 cups of Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 1/2 cups of Tapioca Flour (Bob’s Red Mill found at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon of  xanthan gum (Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar (I used cane sugar)
• 6 Tablespoons of Earth Balance Buttery Spread (lactose free)
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 cup of Lactose-Free milk (I used Lactaid at room temperature)

For the filling

• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons of Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted and cooled

For the glaze

• 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar (I used organic)
• 1 Tablespoon of Lactaid Milk (lactose free), plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the wells of a standard twelve cup muffin tin and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, place both gluten free flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and cane sugar and whisk well.
3. Add the 6 TBS butter, eggs, milk, and mix until the dough comes together. The dough should be smooth and relatively easy to handle. If the dough seems sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and knead with well floured hands until the dough is smooth.
4. Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Sprinkle the dough lightly with extra tapioca flour, and roll (or hand beat like I did) into a 12 inch by 15 inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner). Trim any especially rough edges.
5. Make the filling. In a medium sized bowl, place all the filling ingredients and mix to combine well. With a small offset spatula or large spoon, spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch clean around the perimeter. Starting at a short side, roll the dough away from you into a tightly formed roll. If it starts to crack/tear, add more tapioca flour to smoothen out the cracks to hold it together. Slice the roll in cross-section into twelve equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick. Place each roll in a well of the prepared muffin tin.
6. Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for 25 minutes or until the rolls begin to turn golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of them. Remove  from the oven and allow to cool until the rolls are firm enough to handle (about 5 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Be sure to remove the rolls from the muffin tins before they are completely cool, or they will stick to the sides.
7. While the muffins are cooling, make the icing. Mix the confectioners’ sugar with the milk and mix until a thick paste forms. If you thin the glaze too much, add more sugar, adding a teaspoon at a time. Drizzle over the completely cooled rolls before serving.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee and relax! As always, thank you for reading.

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