Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
These turned out to be really good. The hardest part was finding vegan butter. Obviously, we aren’t really talking butter here but a butter-like substance. I found an “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” that was vegan. There were also one or two other options.
This recipe has two sugar options. The original recipe called for a Monkfruit product by Lakanto. This is not an entirely monkfruit sweetener, but uses a blend of sweeteners. The recipe calls for the classic sweetner – which is like granulated sugar and the golden sweetener which is like brown sugar. If you use this sweetener, please go ahead and use real sugar in the first step to activate the yeast, otherwise you will have really dense rolls.
If you prefer you can use the regular sugar as specified. The rolls will raise better and be fluffier.
Yield: 15-18 rolls
Time: 2 hours
Equipment: 9x12 pan sprayed with non-stick spray
Preheat oven at 350°
Yeast Ingredients
½ cup Warm Water (about 110°)
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Dry Yeast
Dough Ingredients
2 ½ cup All-Purpose White Flour
1/3 cup Vegan Butter
1/3 cup Classic Monkfruit Sweetener (or granulated sugar)
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp salt
Filling Ingredients
½ cuo Classic Monkfruit Sweetener (or granulated sugar)
1 ½ tbsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup Vegan Butter, Melted
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Pan Sauce Ingredients
¼ cup Vegan Butter, Melted
2 ½ tbsp. Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (or brown sugar)
Directions
Yeast: In a small bowl, mix the water, sugar and yeast. Stir and set aside for about 6 to 7 minutes so the yeast can activate (it’ll look foamy when ready).
Dough: Add 2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl.
Melt 1/3 cup butter in the microwave. Add the almond milk, sweetener and salt. Pour it into the flour along with the yeast mixture. Stir in all of the yeast mixtures until just combined.
Add more flour and continue mixing. This is a soft and slightly sticky dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking.
Shape the dough into a ball and put it in a clean bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour. (hint: you can turn your oven on for about 1 minute to warm it slightly, then turn it off. This makes a great place for proofing (raising) your dough.)
Cinnamon Filling: In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sweetener, cinnamon and pecans. Stir and set aside. Melt the vegan butter in the microwave and set aside.
Pan Sauce: Put ¼ cup vegan butter into the microwave and melt it. Add the golden sweetener or brown sugar. Stir. Pour this sauce into your 9x12 pan and spread over the bottom.
After an hour get your dough, re-flour your working surface and grab a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 20 by 14 inches. With a pastry brush, spread the remaining melted butter onto the dough, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle on all of the cinnamon-sweetener mix, leaving 1/2 inch around the edges without any filling.
Take the end of the dough (long side of the rectangle) and start rolling it as tightly as possible. Pinch the seam and place it seam-side down once it’s rolled up. Use a serrated knife to slice 1 inch–thick rolls.
Place your cut rolls into the prepared pan, an inch or two apart. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and allow them to rise another 45 minutes.
Overnight option: At this point you can put the pan into the refrigerator overnight and let them rise there. They will rise very slowly because of the cold, but they will be ready to bake the next morning.
After the second rise, remove the plastic and preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes until lightly golden in a few spots. Remove from oven and allow the rolls to cool for about 10 minutes.
If you want you can dust them with powdered sugar or make a frosting with powdered sugar and almond milk.