As a chef, you always want to like what you make. And if you were trained well (which I was, thank you Natural Gourmet Institute), then you would think that you would not be surprised by the fact that you make amazingly delicious treats, right? Well, I have to say that when I created these babies, I impressed myself! Not being able to eat gluten, dairy, eggs & refined sugar makes enjoying a warm cinnamon roll out of the oven challenging. But…I was determined. I had gotten them to a point where they were
good, but they had yeast in them and I didn't want to use yeast. So I put them on the back burner until one of my classmates from NGI, Korrie, asked if I had perfected them. Always one to be motivated by a challenge, I decided to start working on them again. The stars were aligned and these beauties were born. If I could marry food, I would marry these. They really are that amazing! Even when I had to make hundreds of them for the filming of
Food(ography) I still loved them. Just like any cinnamon roll, these do take some time to make and involve a few steps. But oh man, are they worth the work! And they are great because you can either bake them all at once or you can bake a few at a time and leave the dough in the fridge. Seriously…they are amazing! Whether you have them as is, right out of the oven, or drizzled with the Cinnamon Roll glaze your mouth and belly will thank you!
Cinnamon Buns
Makes: approximately 12
Dry Ingredients
1 cup potato starch 1 cup sweet rice flour 1 cup arrowroot 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
½ cup refined coconut oil, melted 1 cup coconut sugar 1 1/3 cups room temperature coconut or rice milk (from a carton) 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoonlemon juice (fresh squeezed or pure organic in a bottle) ½ cup coconut oil (plus more for spreading on rolled out dough) 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
1 cup coconut sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon In a small bowl mix together and set aside. Preheat Oven to 350 ºF. Grease with oil an 8-inch cake pan OR a large muffin pan that is 3 inches in diameter. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar making sure to break up any chunks of sugar. After they are mixed together, add in coconut milk, baking soda, lemon juice, coconut oil and vanilla extract (when the baking soda and lemon juice mix it will fizz like the volcano experiment in elementary school). Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be very soft. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to harden for 45-60 minutes depending on your refrigerator (it may take longer). Dough is ready to use when it is firm to the touch. While the dough is chilling, mix sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. When dough is firm enough, remove from refrigerator and let it sit out at room temperature until it gets soft (enough to spread). Cover a 12 x 15 cookie pan with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap comes over the sides of the pan (a pan with the sides works best for this). This is where the work comes in. Lay the ball of dough on top of the plastic wrap. Cover dough with another piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using your hands, press out the dough to cover the bottom of the cookie sheet, pressing out from the middle. Once the dough is spread out somewhat evenly over the pan, using a pie roller or some other rolling device, roll the dough evenly into the sheet pan. Remove top piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Spread a thin coat of melted coconut oil over the dough. Evenly distribute sugar/cinnamon mixture across dough’s surface leaving about 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top of rolls. Using the bottom piece of plastic wrap, lift the long edge of the dough. Start to roll it up, rolling away from you. Make sure to roll it tight, tucking under the beginning of the roll, then continuing to roll forming a long cylinder like you would roll sushi. Wrap it up in the plastic wrap and place back in the fridge until the dough becomes firm again. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Cut 1 ½-inch-wide pieces of the roll. Grease a large muffin tin (the diameter of the should be about 3 inches) and place the cinnamon bun (swirl side up) into the muffin pan and sprinkle the top of the bun with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Or place all buns in a greased 8-inch cake pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cinnamon buns feel firm to the touch. (If you don't have a large muffin tin that is 3 inches, you can place them all in a cake pan. They will take slightly longer to bake but will be just as delicious!) Let sit in pan for 5 minutes to cool. Using a butter knife, run along side the edges and flip cinnamon buns out onto a plate. While the buns are still warm, place cinnamon roll glaze and a dollop of frosting on top. Savor each delicious bite!
Caramel Sauce
Whether you are drizzling it on a donut or filling a cupcake with it there are so many delicious ways you can use the caramel sauce. Just like the cinnamon bun glaze, the possibilities are endless. Makes: approximately 1 cup
Ingredients
½ cup coconut milk (from a carton) ½ cup agave 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 2 ¼ teaspoons arrowroot ¾ teaspoon water Place all ingredients into a small pot, stir together over medium heat. Bring to a very low boil. Very quickly mix together the arrowroot and water to form a slurry (don't mix it together until the liqiuds come to a low boil). Mix slurry into the liquids, keep on heat until mixture thickens then remove from heat. Caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.