Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

With the wind chill today at -35 degrees Fahrenheit, the boys and I have the day off of school. Because I have so many other things I should be doing, I decided to finally bake up some gluten free cinnamon rolls for my gluten-limited boy. So far he's eaten three, so I think it's safe to say that these are a success. Even baked five minutes longer than the original Better Batter recipe and cooled completely, these are still too gooey for me. BetterBatter.org calls these a "Cinnabon Clone," which is probably why they're extra gooey. I've always thought Cinnabons were under-baked, but apparently lots of people like them that way. Good thing I'm not much of a cinnamon roll eater any more.
These are a great gluten free option for those who really need to be gluten free, but as with pretty much most cinnamon rolls, the only healthy thing about these is how they feed the soul. I'm just glad I was able to do that today for my kid.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (for doubled recipe, see below)
     --Adapted from BetterBatter.org

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups* Better Batter Gluten Free Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Filling:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 1/3 tablespoons butter, very soft

Topping:

• 1 1/2 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions
In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and 1/3 cup butter and microwave on high for about 50-60 seconds. Stir until butter is completely melted and then check with your (clean) finger to see if it's just warm. If it feels hot, allow to cool to just warm.
Into a medium sized bowl, measure out the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Stir to mix those dry ingredients.
When milk/butter is warm, pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the egg, and pour on the dry ingredients. Mix to moisten the dry ingredients and then scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on high for 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 35-45 minutes (technically until doubled, but mine didn't appear to double).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the first three filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Butter a 10 inch by 7 inch baking dish and set aside.
Lay out a 20 inch piece of plastic wrap and dust with an even, thin layer of flour. Scrape dough onto dusted plastic wrap and sprinkle with more flour. Gently shape dough into about a 12 inch by 18 inch rectangle by pressing, shaping, and rolling with a rolling pin.
Spread the 2 1/3 tablespoons of very soft butter over the surface of the rectangle of dough, and then sprinkle evenly with the filling mixture. Gently roll the rectangle into a log, starting at one of the long edges. You may want to use a pastry brush to gently brush away excess flour as you roll.
Mark the dough log into eighths and then cut into eight pieces using a 2-3 foot length of dental floss (you can use a knife, but I always like using the floss method because it keeps the rolls' round shape better).
Place rolls into the pan, 4 x 2. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until deep golden brown on top. While rolls bake, prepare the topping by mixing all of the ingredients with a hand mixer in a medium sized bowl.
When rolls are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes before adding the topping. Place about a 1 tablespoon dollop of topping onto each roll and then use the back of a spoon or a knife to spread it evenly over each roll. Allow rolls to cool a little more before serving.
Makes 8 reasonably sized cinnamon rolls
*For a dryer, less gooey roll, add another 1/2 cup of Better Batter flour for a total of 2 3/4 cups flour.

This day I doubled the recipe and made 12 rolls.
Max ate four over two days and I froze the rest
individually and wrapped them in wax paper.

My kids love these cinnamon rolls so much, the smaller batch I started making just doesn't do it. I mean, there are enough rolls for them to eat for a couple of days, but I wanted to freeze several for the following weekend or two because I'm not up for making cinnamon rolls (and Gluten Free French Sandiwch Rolls) more than one weekend a month. The second time I did this, I was not thinking, or I hadn't gotten enough sleep, so I accidentally put in 5 1/2 cups flour instead of the called for 4 1/2 for a doubled recipe. I'd been doubling the recipe in my head as I went along. I actually prefer the rolls with more flour because they're not so gooey. I'm posting the doubled recipe here so next time when I make these I don't have to actually do any math in my head. Maybe it will come in handy for you too.
Note: The recipe as written below does NOT have the extra cup of flour, so the rolls will still be gooey. There is a *to indicate you need to add an extra cup of flour to the recipe as written in order to get the less gooey rolls.

Doubled Batch of Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
     --Adapted from BetterBatter.org

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 1/2 cups* Better Batter Gluten Free Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast**

Filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspooon salt
• 5 tablespoons butter, very soft

Topping:

• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions
In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and 1/3 cup butter and microwave on high for about 50-60 seconds. Stir until butter is completely melted and then check with your (clean) finger to see if it's just warm. If it feels hot, allow to cool to just warm.
Into a medium sized bowl, measure out the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Stir to mix those dry ingredients.
When milk/butter is warm, pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the egg, and pour on the dry ingredients. Mix to moisten the dry ingredients and then scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on high for 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 35-45 minutes (technically until doubled, but mine didn't appear to double).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the first three filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Butter a 10 inch by 7 inch baking dish and set aside.
Lay out a 20 inch piece of plastic wrap and dust with an even, thin layer of flour. Scrape dough onto dusted plastic wrap and sprinkle with more flour. Gently shape dough into about a 12 inch by 18 inch rectangle by pressing, shaping, and rolling with a rolling pin.
Spread the 2 1/3 tablespoons of very soft butter over the surface of the rectangle of dough, and then sprinkle evenly with the filling mixture. Gently roll the rectangle into a log, starting at one of the long edges. You may want to use a pastry brush to gently brush away excess flour as you roll.
Mark the dough log into eighths and then cut into eight pieces using a 2-3 foot length of dental floss (you can use a knife, but I always like using the floss method because it keeps the rolls' round shape better).
Place rolls into the pan, 4 x 2. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until deep golden brown on top. While rolls bake, prepare the topping by mixing all of the ingredients with a hand mixer in a medium sized bowl.
When rolls are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes before adding the topping. Place about a 1 tablespoon dollop of topping onto each roll and then use the back of a spoon or a knife to spread it evenly over each roll. Allow rolls to cool a little more before serving.
Makes 12 cinnamon rolls

*For a dryer, less gooey roll, add another cup of Better Batter flour, for a total of 5 1/2 cups of flour.
**One packet of dry yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoons. If that's all you have, I'm sure it will work fine, but you may need to add another 10-15 minutes to the rise times.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll with the extra flour--less gooey