Lauren's Latest » Fast & Easy Cinnamon Rolls {gluten free} + Giveaway!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Fast & Easy Cinnamon Rolls {gluten free} + Giveaway!

Random thoughts about me and my life part II:

1. Remember my first random thoughts list? Well, turns out those cold sores weren’t cold sores at all. No, sir. They were zits. Right by my mouth. AWESOME. Please can someone tell me: WHY must a girl get zits? Insert expletives here.

2. Volcanos on my face really don’t make for a happy mother, wife or all around pleasant person. Just sayin’.

3. Me and my make-up bag are bff’s, incase you were wondering.

4. I think my little guy isn’t so little anymore. His movements are becoming much bigger like he’s getting progressively uncomfortable and screaming “get your #$%^ kidneys out of my way” or “Your stomach is NOT my pillow….stop eating MOM!”

5. My upper right quadrant takes most of the beating which is basically my liver. Who needs a liver anyways?

6. I’ve become a fan of Downton Abby. I started watching the episodes on Netflix and am a little ticked that they only have season 1 on there. Where can I watch season 2? Anyone know?

7. Also, I totally thought it was Downtown Abby for the longest time. I’m embarrassed for myself and all the people I talked to about “Downtown Abby”.

8. Hardwood floors throughout our entire house was a huge selling feature that we loved about our new place. Well…..3 weeks in, I HATE THEM! I have to sweep and clean them CONSTANTLY. What was I thinking?

9. Just this past week, I started finding ANTS around our kitchen table and at the base of our fridge. I totally freaked out and have been paranoid about keeping a clean floor ever since, but it seems no matter what I do, there are always a million crumbs everywhere!!

10. Well, funny story–turns out, my 3 year old LOVES the ants {which she calls critters} and was purposely makes crumbs and placing them strategically around the kitchen so she can say hello to them every morning. –>umm….who’s child are you??

11. I caught her doing this twice yesterday. TWICE!!

12. And thus solves the dirty hardwood floor mystery.

13. I need a nap.

14. I made these cinnamon rolls on Saturday {after cleaning the floor} and they were good. Very good, in fact.

15. I didn’t bother with the different ‘gums’ you can add into gluten free dough to create a similar texture to gluten…because I didn’t feel like it. I just made some biscuit dough with a little yeast {for flavor} and rolled them up like cinnamon rolls. Ready in less than an hour, baby!

16. You cannot tell they are gluten free. Obviously the texture is more like a biscuit, but besides THAT, they taste mighty fine. I really like the gluten free flour blend I used.

17. If you want the real deal and aren’t on the gluten free train, I would highly recommend my Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls. They are life changing. For everyone else, give these a whirl! Here’s how you make them:

Start by stirring some quick rise yeast into about a cup of warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Set this aside to proof.

In a large bowl, measure out all your dry ingredients and stir to combine.

By the way, I used this gluten free flour blend….available online, at whole foods or any other grocery store that has a health section. The Pamela’s Products brand seems to be pretty popular in Portland…meaning I can find it at just about any store. If you have a different brand where you’re at, use what you can find. I’ve heard good things about several gluten-free brands.

Ok, so now you need to cube up some butter and cut that into your dry ingredients.

Like so! You still want smaller butter chunks in your dough…..kind of like we’re making pastry, but not.

Once the butter chunks are all dispersed, pour in the warm milk and yeast mixture and stir until dough comes together. Transfer this dough to a floured work surface.

Then comes the cinnamon roll part. Roll dough into a rectangle, cover with butter, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll, cut, put into pan. Then, cover and place on the warm oven that’s preheating to get that yeast growing. We’re not going to let these rise for a full hour or two, but you do want to give them a bit of a head start. Once the oven is hot, pop these in and get them baking.

While the rolls are doing their thing, whip up some cream cheese frosting. I used the frosting recipe from my cinnabons because I heart cream cheese frosting, but use whichever recipe you’d like.

Once the rolls are all baked and piping hot, spread the frosting overtop and watch everything ooze. I love a warm cinnamon roll!

Yummy sweet and cinnaminy layers of goodness that are all slathered with frosting. These were super yummy and didn’t taste like they were gluten free AT ALL! I was amazed. The texture was different because I made these more like a biscuit than a traditional roll {like I mentioned above}, but overall, you gf eaters should enjoy these. PLUS you can’t beat the ‘ready under an hour’ deal! #soawesomeIwanttodie #jkaboutdying Here’s the printable:

Save

Fast & Easy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Similar to a soft biscuit texture, but as tasty as a cinnamon roll!

Yield: 8 rolls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

for the dough-
1 cup warm milk
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rise yeast
2 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour blend {or regular all purpose flour}
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

for the filling-
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2/3 cup packed brown sugar

for the frosting-
1 oz. cream cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

For the dough--stir yeast into warm milk with a pinch of sugar and set aside to proof. In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients until butter pieces are very small {the size of small peas}. Pour in warm milk mixture and stir until dough comes together. Pour dough out onto floured work surface. Roll dough out to be a 16 x 20 inch rectangle {approximately}. Spread melted butter overtop dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up gently but tightly. Cut off uneven ends. Cut roll into 2, then 4, then 8. Each roll should be about 1/2-2 inches long. Place into greased baking sheet and cover with clean kitchen towel. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place pan of rolls on top of warm oven to rise slightly. Once oven in preheated, remove towel and bake 15-20 minutes until rolls have grown and the tops have browned.

For the frosting- place all ingredients into a large bowl and whip until smooth.

Spread frosting over warm rolls and serve.

Now for the *GIVEAWAY*:

Pamela’s Products wants you to try out their gluten free mixes. I got a few in the mail and have been trying them out on my family. So far, this all purpose flour blend is my favorite. So simple to substitute into regular recipes and doesn’t taste different or have the gritty texture like a lot of gluten free products have. Perfect for cakes, biscuits, muffins or things that you want to be light, tender and airy.

Included in this prize pack is the following:

-Pamela’s Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookie Mix

-Pamela’s Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix

-Pamela’s Gluten Free Artisan All Purpose Flour Blend

-and Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix

To Enter: simply leave a comment below stating which Gluten Free product of Pamela’s you’d like to try. That’s it!

RULES: Contest will open Sunday, January 20th and will close Friday, January 25th at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Winner will be drawn at random and contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chose randomly. Contest only open to US Residents.

Good luck!

*Disclaimer–I received the same prize pack to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own, as usual