Alright, let’s talk about my little kitchen adventure today. I woke up really wanting some cinnamon rolls, you know? That warm, sweet, gooey goodness. But here’s the thing: I realized I was completely out of yeast. And honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood for all that waiting around for dough to rise anyway. Plus, I’ve been trying to stick more to gluten-free stuff lately.
So, I thought, “Okay, challenge accepted. Let’s try making some gluten-free cinnamon rolls without yeast.” I figured baking powder could do the trick for some lift.
Getting Started: The Dough
First things first, I gathered my ingredients. I grabbed my go-to gluten-free all-purpose flour blend – the one with xanthan gum already in it, which helps hold things together. Then:
- Baking powder (quite a bit, needed that rise!)
- A pinch of salt
- Some sugar (not too much, the filling is sweet)
- Cold butter, cut into little pieces
- Milk
I whisked the dry stuff together in a big bowl. Then, I cut the cold butter into the flour mix. I just used my fingers, squishing it in until it looked like coarse crumbs. You could use a pastry cutter, but hands work fine. After that, I slowly added the milk, mixing just until a dough started to form. Important: With gluten-free dough, especially no-yeast ones, you don’t want to overmix it. It gets tough easily. It felt more like a soft biscuit dough than a stretchy yeast dough.
Rolling and Filling Fun
Next, I dusted my counter with some more gluten-free flour. Plopped the dough down and patted it out a bit. Then I carefully rolled it into a rectangle. It wasn’t perfect, gluten-free dough can be a bit crumbly sometimes, but good enough! I aimed for maybe a quarter-inch thick.
Then came the best part. I brushed the whole surface with melted butter. Lots of it. After that, I sprinkled on a generous mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. I didn’t really measure, just went by sight until it looked right.
Rolling it up was a bit delicate. Starting from one of the long edges, I just carefully rolled it into a log. Took my time so it wouldn’t crack too much.
Cutting and Baking Time
Once I had my log, I used a sharp knife to cut it into slices, maybe about an inch thick each. Got about 8 or 9 rolls out of it. I placed them cut-side up in a greased round baking pan. They looked pretty good, already smelling cinnamon-y.
I popped the pan into a preheated oven. I set mine around 375°F (that’s about 190°C). They didn’t need nearly as long as yeast rolls. I kept an eye on them, and after about 20-25 minutes, they were looking golden brown and puffed up a bit (thanks, baking powder!).
The Final Touch: Icing!
While the rolls were cooling down just a tad – you want them warm, not piping hot, for the icing – I quickly mixed up a simple glaze. Just powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and a little vanilla extract. Whisked it until smooth.
Then, I just drizzled that glaze all over the warm rolls. Messy is good here.
So, How Were They?
Honestly? They were really tasty! Definitely different from traditional yeast cinnamon rolls. They were a bit denser, more like a scone or biscuit texture, but still soft and moist inside. The cinnamon-sugar filling was gooey, the glaze added that perfect sweetness. They totally hit the spot for that cinnamon roll craving, and way faster.
It was a success! A great way to get a cinnamon roll fix without the yeast or the long wait, and totally gluten-free. I’ll be making these again for sure when I need a quick treat.
