Christmas morning was one of my favorite times of the year! We had a family tradition where we would wake up in the morning to find a little stocking on our bedroom door filled with a couple trinkets, games or books to keep our attention for a few extra minutes. I think Santa was trying to give my Mum & Dad a little more time to sleep. Once everyone was awake, we would all go downstairs but not into the living room where the tree was lit up and the stockings were hung over the fireplace. Instead, we all headed to the kitchen where my Mum would have a spread set up, beautifully displayed on her Spode Christmas wares. Pumpkin bread with cream cheese and pecan rolls are the items I remember most along with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and some refreshing OJ. My Mum, Joanie, seemed to keep it simple as she knew we were excited to open some presents. We would all go into the living room together, and often there was lots of picture taking in progress. Being a parent myself, I think my parents did this to see the look of wonder and joy and awe as we walked in to witness the fact that Santa had come to our house. Cookies & milk had been eaten. Stockings had been stuffed and presents had been left. My parents did not play up the idea of Santa, but we definitely enjoyed the mystery of it all. When I had my son, I wanted to continue trying to create such magical mornings. We start out on Christmas Eve with a new set of pj's and a new book that we always inscribe and date. He always has a stocking hung on his bedroom door. And we still all wait to enter the living room together. For the past few years, we have baked up Joanie's overnight recipe called Skier's French Toast along with some bacon. This year, Oliver & I were excited to try making homemade Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls. I cannot take credit for the recipe - I am not a baker! I LOVE to cook, but not to bake. I often end up with an inedible concoction when I do bake, especially if it is gluten or dairy free. But this recipe was amazing!!! Thank you to Jules Shepard for sharing an amazing recipe and for her awesome GF flour. You can check out her website at www.gfjules.com and read more about her story (which I found fascinating) at https://www.glutenfreeliving.com/blog/story-behind-jules-shepards-new-gluten-free-company/.
We had fun making these, although a little nervous worrying that the recipe would not work and we did not have a back up plan for breakfast. I also want to make sure I am clear...while this recipe is gluten free, it is not healthy. Meaning that it is loaded with sugar. I am a true believer in moderation though and sometimes it is fun to have such a special treat!
Mindy's Famous Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
(Jules adapted this recipe from one of her readers. We made the 1/2 recipe as written below. And we used regular yeast (not quick rise), raw butter& raw milk from www.organicpastures.com and no raisins. We made these the night before and instead of baking them, we covered them with saran wrap and a towel to ensure they didn't dry out and put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I took them out early to let them warm up before baking and making the frosting.
Ingredients
(1/2 recipe measurements noted in parenthesis)
Rolls
1 cup+ (1/2 cup+ 3 Tbs.) warm water
3/4 – 1 cup (1/2 cup) room temp buttermilk (or non-dairy milk with 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice or white vinegar added)
1/2 cup (1/4 cup) sugar
1/4 cup (2 Tbs) melted butter (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
3 Tbs (1 packet – 2 1/4 tsp.) quick rise OR regular (GF) yeast (like Red Star® or Fleischmann's®) (Jules’ note: do not use Red Star® Platinum yeast, as it is not gluten-free)
1/2 Tbs (1 tsp) salt
2 eggs (1 egg – or replacement like 1 Tbs. flaxseed meal steeped in 3 Tbs. warm water)
5 1/2 cups (742 grams) (2 3/4 cup or 371 grams) gf Jules™ Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
Filling
2 Tbs butter, melted (1 1/2 Tbs) (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
1/2 cup (1/4 cup) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 cup) sugar
2 Tbs (1 Tbs) cinnamon
Frosting
1/4 cup (2 Tbs) butter, softened (or vegan butter like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
3 cups (1 1/2 cups) sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp (1/2 tsp) pure vanilla extract
enough milk to make spreading consistency
dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions
Mix together water, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter and yeast in a bowl. If using quick rise yeast, allow to sit for 5 minutes; if using regular yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes. The mixture should be frothy at this point, if not, discard and start over because the yeast is not active.
Add in salt, eggs and gfJules™ flour. (Jules Note: I added extra liquid, as noted in the ingredients, in order to get the dough to be more soft and pliable.) Mix for ten minutes (we use a Kitchenaid® mixer with the bread paddle attachment). Allow to sit for ten minutes. (Jules Note: I mixed only until ingredients were integrated and the dough was soft. Over-mixing gluten free dough may make it tough. I also did not allow it to sit after mixing, but rolled the dough out immediately.)
While it is resting, prepare your filling by mixing together melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon.
Roll dough out onto a greased countertop into a 12×16 inch square or less, depending. (Jules Note: I rolled the dough onto a surface floured with gfJules™ Flour). Knowing that the dough will rise, roll the dough thinner if you prefer less bun and more filling, or the other way around!
Spread filling and roll up. Cut into 12 rolls (6 -9 if making a 1/2 recipe).
Place rolls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or into an oiled baking pan. Allow to rise in a warm location for 30 minutes.
Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. (Jules Note: I baked at 325° F for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the rolls came out with only some dry crumbs.)
Remove to cool for a few minutes before whisking together frosting and drizzling on warm rolls.
Happy cinnamon gooey baking to you!
Jen
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