Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls + Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

STEP 1: Activate the yeast

1. Warm up the milk in the microwave in 10 second increments. When you dip your finger in, it should feel warm but not boiling hot.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave, in 5-10 seconds increments, and add to the milk.
3. Then add the sugar and mix well to dissolve it as much as possible. If for some reason the temperature of the milk/butter mixture has dropped, heat it up again in the microwave. This is important otherwise the yeast won’t bubble up.
4. Stir the yeast in and let it rest in a warm place for 10-15 minutes, until it becomes frothy.

STEP 2: Prepare the dough and let it rise for an hour

1. Add an egg, the vanilla extract and only part of the flour (100g of glutinous rice flour and 280g of self-raising flour). We’ll be adding the rest of the flour AFTER the dough has risen.
2. Cover with cling film and let the dough rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour to allow the yeast to act. To do this, especially in the winter when it gets cold, I put the oven on at the lowest temperature and let the bowl rest on the opened oven door.

STEP 3: Make the cinnamon butter

1. Meanwhile, prepare the cinnamon butter: soften the butter in the microwave and mix with the cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves and nutmeg.

STEP 4: Knead the dough

1. Add the salt, baking powder and the rest of the flours (35g of glutinous rice flour and 35g self-raising flour) to the dough and roughly stir it in.
2. Sprinkle your work surface with a bit of extra flour (I recommend working on a sheet of baking paper to prevent sticking), add the dough and sprinkle a bit more flour on top. Then knead the dough until you have a smooth dough ball. Note: it should still be somewhat sticky but easy to handle with your hands.

STEP 5: Roll the dough and slice your cinnamon rolls

1. Then sprinkle a tiny bit more flour on your work surface and on top of your dough (just to prevent sticking) and roll the dough into a rectangle (about 1 cm thick) with a rolling pin. Note: you can divide the dough into 2 portions and make two rolls to make things easier.
2. At this point you can straighten up the sides carefully using a knife.
3. Spread the cinnamon butter evenly on top with a spatula. Note: warm it up in the microwave for 5 seconds first if necessary to make it easier to spread. Warning: don’t add the butter separately with the cinnamon dry on top or you may find yourself with rolls that come undone and don’t stick together properly.
4. Carefully roll the dough as tight as possible.
5. At this point you can wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice, but this is totally optional.
6. Slice the cinnamon rolls. Note: make sure to use a sharp knife so it doesn’t squish the dough as you try to cut and wipe your knife clean on a cloth or kitchen towel in between each slice.
7. Carefully fix the shape with your hands and place each of them in a muffin or baking tray greased with butter.
8. Brush a bit of milk over the cinnamon rolls with a pastry brush.

STEP 6: Bake your gluten free cinnamon rolls

1. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180C / 356F) for about 25 minutes. Note: if your cinnamon rolls turn a nice golden brown before reaching the 25 minutes mark, cover the tray with foil for the remaining cooking time.
2. Allow it cool down.

STEP 7: Add the frosting

1. Mix the cream cheese with some icing sugar (as much or as little as you want) and a touch of vanilla extract.
2. Spread the frosting on top of your cinnamon roll.
3. Best served warm / re-heat leftovers in the microwave.