Hey everyone, I hope you’ve all been doing well and staying safe. I’ve been on such a roll lately with the yoghurt based recipes and after last week’s baked doughnuts turned out so unexpectedly fluffy, I’m really excited to share my latest experiment with you today: the easiest, softest and fluffiest gluten free cinnamon buns!
There’s no yeastΒ in this recipe, so no waiting around for the dough to rise, andΒ no eggΒ which is great news for all of us who can’t find any or are having to ration.
And you only needΒ 4 CORE INGREDIENTS!Β
Plus, you can actually handle the dough with your hands! Gluten free baking often involves choosing between a)Β a good texture, but a ridiculously messy and temperamental wet dough or b) a manageable dough with a dry cracked cardboard result. But not in this case! Yoghurt magically brings the best of both worlds together yet again.
Anyway…
We’re closing in on week 6 of quarantine here in the UK and I’m not gonna lie, I’ve enjoyed some aspects of it… such as having seemingly endless free time to bake. And as a socially awkward introvert in real life, the lack of social obligations is a nice bonus too. I miss the freedom to go wherever I want (and without the threat of a potentially deadly virus affecting us all!), but I have to say… I don’t really miss being around people that much. Anyone else?
And for those reading this in the future, I guess the world is back to normal now. But even if you can comfortably buy yeast and eggs, I swear they’re not needed. This super simple yoghurt based recipe beats any other I’ve tried before.
BTW, they’re not actually that bad for you at all.
They’re only 215 calories (which is a lot less than most cinnamon buns), there’s very little added sugar and they’re a great source of calcium (each one provides 195mg, nearly a third of daily requirements).
P.S.: I also made a savoury version / pizza rolls! [recipe here]
UPDATE (08.11.20) – NEW RECIPE
If you’re after some proper classic yeast risen cinnamon rolls, you can also check out my latest RECIPE HERE. These require more time and effort to make, but they’re 100% worth it and almost like the real thing. π
- 80g gluten free bread flour blend (I used Freee Foods/Doves Farm)
- + extra flour to knead and roll (about 8 tsp / 20-30g)
- 2 generous heaped tsp baking powder
- 40g butter (melted)
- 110g plain yoghurt (ideally the thick Greek-style kind)
- Pinch of salt (only if using unsalted butter)
- Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 or 2 Tbsp granulated sugar (most of the time I don't add any)
- 50g butter (softened)
- 1 + ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 40g brown sugar (more or less, to taste - I used dark muscovado)
- a) Icing sugar
- b) Basic icing: icing sugar with a touch of milk and vanilla
- c) Basic cream cheese icing: plain cream cheese mixed with granulated sugar and vanilla
BAKING TIME: 20-25 mins
*If you don't have gluten free bread flour, you can substitute for an all purpose blend, but bear in mind that you may need to add a bit more flour to compensate.
Directions
PREP THE DOUGH & CINNAMON BUTTER:
- Mix 80g of flour with the baking powder, yoghurt and butter (melted) until smooth and lump free.
- Then add more flour 1 teaspoon at a time, kneading the dough with your hands, until you have a smooth dough ball like in the third picture above. It should still be relatively sticky, but just about manageable with your hands. This amount will vary for everyone depending on the flour blend you use or the type of yoghurt.
- For the cinnamon butter, soften the butter in the microwave and mix with cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
Β
PREP THE CINNAMON BUNS:
- Lay a sheet of baking paper down on your work surface and sprinkle a light dusting of flour on top (to prevent sticking).
- Add your dough along with a sprinkle of flour on top and flatten with your hands in a rectangular shapeΒ until about 1 cm thick.
- To make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the baking paper, run a spatula underneath all around the edges, pushing extra flour underneath if necessary to unstick it.
- Spread the cinnamon butter on top.
- Carefully roll the dough, using the baking paper to help you out.
- Slice into 4 to 6 equal portions. Note: I only made a half batch in the pictures hence why my roll seems small.
- Grease a muffin tray or ramekins/baking dish with butter and then dust a bit of flour over the bottom and sides (I like to use a sieve for this but it’s not necessary).
- Then add your cinnamon buns and just press with your fingers to squish them a little and make them wider.
Β
COOK YOUR CINNAMON BUNS:
- Pre-heat your oven to 190C (375F).
- Cook your gluten free cinnamon buns for about 20-25 minutes, until nicely puffed up and slightly golden.
- Let them cool down for a bit, pop them out of their mould and serve either plain or with an icing of your choice.
Β
HOW DO I STORE THEM / FREEZE THEM?
As it goes with this type of recipes (especially when gluten free), they are way better eaten fresh straight out of the oven. They tend to dry out and go stale pretty quickly. So if you want to make a big batch, don’t cook them all in one go. In my opinion it’s best to freeze them raw/uncooked, then you can defrost and bake as you go.
If you do have cooked leftovers though, store in a an airtight container and microwave them for a bit to soften them up again.
Hope you enjoy these and let me know what you think in the comments below or on insta. π
Kimi x
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Back on the list. AQ.
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Thanks canβt wait to try.. do you have conversions as Iβm in the US. Thanks