Softest Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

The Softest Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls adapted from The Loopy Whisk recipe.

These are the softest, squishiest, gooiest gluten free cinnamon rolls you’ll ever make – in fact, they’re so ridiculously good that even non-gluten-free folks will love them. The dough handles beautifully: you can knead it and roll it out without any problems whatsoever. And there’s also an overnight, make-ahead option, so you can prepare them the night before and have them for breakfast the next day!  You can double the recipe to make 12 cinnamon rolls that fit perfectly into a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Prep Time 45minutes mins plus 30-60 minutes of chill time, Cook/Bake Time 35minutes minutes, Proof Time 1hour hr 15minutes minutes, Total Time 3hours hours 35minutes mins

INGREDIENTS:

Gluten free enriched dough:

▢15 g (3 tbsp) whole/rough psyllium husk (If using psyllium husk powder, use only 13g.)

▢180 g (¾ cup) warm water

▢160 g (1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp) tapioca starch (You can use an equal weight of arrowroot starch, cornstarch or potato starch instead.)

▢135 g (1 cup) millet flour, plus extra for flouring the surface (You can use an equal weight of finely milled/ground brown rice flour instead, but your rolls might be slightly less fluffy.)

▢25 g (3 tbsp) sorghum flour (You can use an equal weight of light buckwheat flour, white teff flour or oat flour instead. Use the latter only if you're not sensitive to oats.)

▢50 g (¼ cup) caster/superfine or granulated sugar

▢6 g (2 tsp) instant yeast (If using active dry yeast, use 8g.)

▢6 g (1½ tsp) baking powder

▢5 g (2 tsp) xanthan gum

▢5 g (1 tsp) salt

▢100 g (⅓ cup + 1½ tbsp) whole milk, warm

▢1 large egg, room temperature

▢35 g (2½ tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Cinnamon Filling:

▢85 g (¾ stick) very soft unsalted butter (The ideal butter texture is somewhere in between softened and melted butter – it should be quite soft and easily spreadable, but not completely liquid.)

▢100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar

▢1 tbsp ground cinnamon

For baking the cinnamon rolls:

▢½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for buttering the skillet or baking pan

▢100 g (⅓ cup + 2 tbsp) heavy/double cream, warm

Icing:

▢3 tablespoons (43 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature

▢6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, softened to room temperature

▢1 ¼ cups (143 g) powdered sugar

▢¼ to ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or I like mix 1/4 teaspoon maple extract and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla).

▢pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Gluten free enriched dough:

Make the psyllium gel: In a small bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and warm water. After about 30-45 seconds, a gel will form.  Set aside.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, whisk together the tapioca starch, millet flour, sorghum flour, sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.  

Tip: If using active dry yeast instead, you need to activate it first. Mix together the active dry yeast, 1-2 tbsp of the sugar and the warm milk. Set aside for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing. Then, add it to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel, egg and melted butter.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the psyllium gel, warm milk, egg and melted butter.

Knead the dough until smooth using the dough hook and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated, then knead for a further 5 minutes (if using a stand mixer) or 8-10 minutes (if kneading it by hand). Use a rubber spatula to occasionally scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent any dry patches of unmixed flour. This extra kneading time will make the dough EXTRA smooth, which is the key to beautiful gluten free cinnamon rolls.

The final dough will be slightly sticky to the touch – that’s okay, you’ll be working on a lightly floured surface so it shouldn’t be a problem. Resist the temptation to add more flour to the dough, as that can make the final rolls too dense and dry.  Ideally you will chill the dough for 1 hour in the fridge to make it easier to handle.  This will give the flours in the dough time to properly hydrate and also firm up the butter in the dough – both of these factors will make the dough firmer, less sticky, and therefore easier to handle.

Cinnamon filling:

In a bowl, mix together the very soft butter, light brown sugar and ground cinnamon until you get a soft, spreadable paste.  (If it's too thick to spread easily, you can soften it slightly in the microwave (in 2-3 second bursts, mix in between). If it's too runny, you can chill it briefly in the fridge until it thickens to the right consistency. Set aside until needed.

Assembling the cinnamon rolls:

Lightly butter a 10-inch round baking pan, and set aside until needed.  (If doubling the recipe use a 9x13 inch pan). Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Roll it out into a roughly 11×15-inch (28x38cm) rectangle.Spread the cinnamon filling out into an even layer across the rolled-out dough, all the way to the edges.

Cut the rectangle lengthways into seven 1½-inch (4cm) wide strips, so that they’re 15 inches (38cm) long.  (If doubling the recipe you will make 12-14 rolls). I like to use a pizza cutter for this, but a sharp knife will also work well. Roll up each individual strip into a roll – this will give you the perfect swirl. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the buttered skillet or baking pan, they should only just touch each other.  Then proof the cinnamon rolls: Proof the cinnamon rolls in a warm place for about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until about doubled in volume. Lightly cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film to prevent them from drying out during proofing.  You can proof them in a warm oven, or even add a cup of hot water inside the oven.

While the rolls are proofing, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).  Once the cinnamon rolls have doubled in volume, pour warm heavy/double cream evenly all over them.  The addition of cream makes these gluten free cinnamon rolls extra rich and soft. It’s important that you use warm cream (not cold from the fridge). Cover the skillet or baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350ºF (180ºC) covered with the aluminum foil for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and continue baking until the cinnamon rolls get golden on top – about 15 minutes more. Allow the baked cinnamon rolls to cool for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the cream cheese icing.

Icing

To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl, whip until creamy. Add the milk or cream and vanilla (and maple extract). Mix again. Add about half of the powdered sugar mix.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and whip until light and creamy.  Spread the warm rolls with icing.

OVERNIGHT, MAKE AHEAD OPTIONS:

Option 1: You can prepare the dough and then keep it in the fridge overnight (in a closed container or in a covered bowl). You can then roll, shape, proof and bake the cinnamon rolls the next day.

Option 2: You can make the dough and shape the cinnamon rolls, and then keep the tightly covered skillet or baking pan in the fridge overnight. The next day, bring the rolls to room temperature. If they haven’t doubled in size by the time they’ve reached room temperature, proof them for a while longer –this took almost 3 hours for me.  Once double in size, pour over the heavy/double cream and bake according to the recipe.