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Vegan Bicyclinguist

An occasional thought from a vegan bicyclist language-lover

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Posted: Saturday, January 20th, 2007 – 12:00 am

Revised: Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 – 8:52 pm

Delicious frosted cinnamon rollsI love waking up and having a warm, sweet cinnamon roll as part of the morning breakfast. What's great is that these rolls are totally 100% vegan – no eggs or dairy necessary! I think I've finally worked out a good version of the recipe. This recipe incorporates some whole wheat flour for the whole grain benefit.

You'll notice that I add wheat gluten; this ingredient helps the gluten form more quickly in the dough, and it results in a breadier texture. You can get vital wheat gluten at a health food store or online. Be careful not to add too much though, lest you desire really chewy rolls. If you use bread flour, which has a higher gluten content, you might want to reduce the amoung of gluten you include.

The filling for the recipe is simply sugar and cinnamon sprinkled over the lightly-buttered dough before it's rolled up. I've gotten in the habit of getting some high quality cinnamon sticks from my local spice store and then using the coffee grinder to grind them right before I use them. The result is definitely worth while – the flavor is outstanding, and the texture of cinnamon flecks is definitely more interesting. Plus, you can choose from the many varieties of cinnamon available.

The total prep time for these rolls is about 3 hours, including all of the raising time. If you want to have really fresh rolls in the morning, you could try freezing them before the last raising period. Just pop them out of the freezer, let them thaw and raise (probably an hour-long affair at least), and put them right into the oven. I haven't experimented with the freezing technique yet, so it's definitely worth a try.

Cinnamon roll ingredients

Filling ingredients

Cinnamon roll preparation

  1. Mix the yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and warm water in a small container. Let the mixture sit until the yeast in bubbly.
  2. While the yeast is getting started, heat the milk and 2 tablespoons of the margarine until warm (about 100°F). Remove from heat.
  3. Mix the flours, gluten, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the milk and yeast mixture to the flour mixture.
  4. With a wooden spoon, blend the mixture until it starts holding together.
  5. On a floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes or so.
    The dough forms an elastic ball.
  6. Form the dough into a ball, place in a lightly-greased bowl cover and let raise until doubled in bulk. Depending on your yeast, the time will vary from 1½ to 2½ hours.
    The dough before raising Place the dough in a greased bowl and let raise.
  7. Punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes.
  8. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12” x 16”.
    Roll the dough out into a rectangle
  9. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar together until well-blended.
  10. Lightly spread about 2 tablespoons of melted margarine over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough.
    The dough spread with margarine, cinnamon, and sugar
  11. Tightly roll up the rectangle along the long edge (the width of the roll should be about 12”). Pinch the dough together along the way. When you reach the end, moisten the edge with water, and pinch to close.
    Roll the dough up along the long edge.
  12. Cut the roll into 1”-thick sections.
    Cut the dough into 1” sections.
  13. Place the sections equally apart in a lightly-greased 9” x 13” cake pan.
    Place the rolls equally apart in a cake pan.
  14. Cover and let raise until the rolls are almost touching each other (about 45 minutes). Brush the rolls lightly with melted margarine.

    Let the rolls raise until they almost touch each other.
  15. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
    Bake until golden brown.
  16. After the rolls are baked, allow them to cool. Frost generously.

Frosting ingredients

Frosting preparation

  1. With an electric mixture, beat the powdered sugar, margarine, and vanilla together until the margarine is distributed into the sugar. The mixture should be rather crumbly.
  2. Slowly drizzle in the milk and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). The frosting shouldn't be runny, but it should be fairly spreadable.

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Nutritional information for 1 cinnamon roll
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cinnamon roll (80g)
Servings Per Batch about 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories 242 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g 0%
Sodium 150mg 6%
Potassium 78mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 18g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1%
Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 4%
Iron 8%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

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