When one of my favourite podcasts, Mind Body Green, shared a vegan and gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe – I knew I had to bake them. Cafe Gratitude‘s cinnamon roll cult recipe is a firm-favourite in Los Angeles. These types of bakes can be daunting, so I figured I’d video myself baking them to show you how easy it can be. They also have a new cookbook out with more delicious recipes!
A crucial part of this recipe is psyllium husk powder. It acts as a binder and lends to the texture of the dough. Also, if you don’t have your own gluten-free all-purpose flour they give you a decent recipe for one.
These only take about 20 minutes and the dough can be frozen, too.
Cafe Gratitude Cinnamon Rolls:
Ingredients
Makes 6 rolls
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- 1 cup of coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
For the Dough:
- 1½ cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Bakery Flour Blend, plus more for rolling out the dough – I used Dove’s Farm but you can make your own (below)
- 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1½ cups of coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
For the Glaze (optional, I prefer mine without a glaze):
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk, plus more if needed
For the Gluten-Free All-Purpose Bakery Flour
This recipe makes 6 cups, so you’ll have extra for more baking. It can be stored in an airtight jar for up to 1 month, or you can store it in the freezer to extend its shelf life.
- 2½ cups brown rice flour
- 2½ cups white rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes called tapioca starch)
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2¼ teaspoons guar gum
Method:
- To make the flour blend: In a large bowl, sift the brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, and guar gum together.
- To make the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt, and mix well. The mixture will be dense and crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour blend, baking powder, psyllium powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredient mixture to the sifted dry ingredients and mix to combine. After a while, the dough becomes a bit dense so you’ll want to start using your hands and begin kneading. Continue working the dough until it is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- To assemble the rolls: Lightly dust a board or clean surface with the flour blend. Transfer the dough to the prepared work surface. Using your hands, gently stretch and form the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a rolling pin( I used a wine bottle, lol) to roll out the dough until it is roughly 30cm by 10cm and approximately 1cm thick.
- Spread the cinnamon filling over the dough in a thin, even layer, pressing it lightly into the dough.
- Roll the dough up the long side into a long tube shape, rolling tightly to prevent the cinnamon filling from escaping. You should be able to roll the dough 2 full rotations.
- Cut the tube into 6 rolls. I halved it, then split the halves into three. Place each roll, swirl-side up, onto the prepared baking sheet. I then pushed my rolls down so they’re flat on top, and adjust them, if needed, to make sure they are nice and tight.
- Using a pastry brush (I just used a paper towel), brush each roll with the orange juice. This will give the rolls a nice golden tone when they’re baked, much like a traditional egg wash.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Check the cinnamon rolls at 15 minutes to see how they are doing; they should be golden but still soft to the touch when they come out of the oven. Allow the rolls to cool completely in the pan.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the coconut milk. This will create a rather thick glaze. For a thinner glaze, you can add 1 or 2 more teaspoons of coconut milk. Drizzle over the cinnamon rolls.
If you’re baking previously assembled rolls straight from the freezer, just add 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time.
