It had been almost 3 years since I made cinnamon rolls for the last time. I love making them, but always feel like it takes so much time. Although it is not that much work, waiting for the liquids to be at the right temperature, waiting for the dough to rise twice and waiting for the rolls to bake makes the endeavour last many hours.
I decided to make some rolls during the holidays since I was home and had the time to do all the waiting, and made them raisin cinnamon for a friend who told me they loved them. Making them didn’t seem as time consuming as the other times I made cinnamon rolls and I realized it was because I usually start making them late in the evening! So I always ended up finishing them at midnight, or even one in the morning. This time, I started in the afternoon and they were ready for dessert; definitely better!
So my advice is: don’t start making cinnamon rolls in the evening. But definitely make them; they’re so good… you just need freshly baked cinnamon rolls in your life.
- 4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup 100-110°F water.
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2/3 cup golden cane sugar
- 2/3 cup earth balance buttery spread
- 2 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt
- 1 flax egg: grind 1 tbsp flax seeds, mix with 3 tbsp water and set aside until gelatinous
- Yeast mixture
- 6 cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided
- 1/4 cup earth balance buttery spread, at room temperature + more for the pans
- 3/4 cup golden cane sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 3/4 cup raisins (I use thompson raisins)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Mix flax egg and set aside.
- Mix together yeast ingredients and set aside for 10 minutes until doubled in size and bubbly.
- Meanwhile, combine the wet dough ingredients (almond milk, earth balance, sugar, salt and flax egg) in a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat and stir until combined. Remove from heat and let cool until it is 100-110°F.
- Place 4 cups of flour in a bowl. When the saucepan mixture is cooled enough, add in the proofed yeast. Add the mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of flour. Mix with the spoon for 10 seconds, then knead with hands for an other 10 seconds. Place the dough on a floured surface.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, starting slow, until it doesn’t stick to the touch. Add flour only if it starts to stick to the counter.
- Shape into a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Cover with a wet towel and place in the oven with the light on. Let rise for 90 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make sure to take earth balance out of the fridge so it is at room temperature.
- After 90 minutes of rising, poke the dough to make sure it is ready. If you poke the dough and it does not spring back, it is ready. Use your hands to spread the dough into a 16 inch by 20 inch rectangle. Go slow so you don’t rip the dough.
- Spread the 1/4 cup of room temperature earth balance on the dough with a pastry brush. Sprinkle all the cinnamon sugar on top, then sprinkle the raisins as evenly as possible.
- Grab the end of the dough starting at the shortest end and roll the dough, trying to keep the sides as straight as you can. Let it rest on the seam when it’s rolled up completely.
- Using a pastry brush, coat two 9 by 13 inch baking dishes with room temperature earth balance.
- Grab some floss and cut the rolls (about 1-inch per roll) placing the floss underneath the dough and bringing it up and crossing it to cut the rolls. Place the rolls in the baking dishes (8 rolls per dish). Cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap and place in the oven with the light on. Let rise 45 minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove towel or plastic wrap and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by whisking all ingredients together. When the rolls are done, drizzle the glaze on them while they’re still warm.
- I highly recommend a thermometer when baking with yeast.
- For nut-free and/or soy-free versions, choose plant-based milk accordingly. For soy-free option, choose soy-free earth balance.
[…] Adapted from Vegan Raisin Cinnamon Rolls […]