Okay, so I decided to give these Heavenly Cakes gluten-free cinnamon rolls a try the other day. Been wanting good GF cinnamon rolls for ages, you know? Finding a recipe that actually works is half the battle.
Getting Started – The Dough
First thing, I got all my ingredients out. The usual suspects for gluten-free baking: the specific GF flour blend the recipe called for (always stick to what they say with GF stuff, learned that the hard way), sugar, yeast, xanthan gum (ugh, necessary evil), salt, warm milk, eggs, melted butter. I made sure the milk was just warm, not hot, ’cause you don’t wanna kill that yeast. Been there, done that, ended up with hockey pucks.
I dumped the dry stuff into my big mixer bowl. Gave it a quick whisk. Then I added the wet ingredients – the warm milk mixture with the yeast bloomed in it, the eggs, the melted butter. Turned the mixer on low, let it combine. Then cranked it up a bit for a few minutes, like the recipe said. GF dough is weird, it’s more like a thick batter than regular dough. Doesn’t look right, but you gotta trust the process.
Proofing Time – The Waiting Game
Scooped the sticky mess onto a floured surface (used more GF flour, obviously). It was sticky. Really sticky. Managed to shape it vaguely into a ball, put it in a greased bowl, covered it, and stuck it somewhere warm to rise. This part always tests my patience. Had to wait about an hour, maybe a bit more, for it to puff up. It doesn’t double like regular dough, but it definitely got bigger.
Rolling and Filling
Okay, rising done. Time for the fun part. I punched down the dough gently – well, more like deflated it. Put it on a big piece of parchment paper dusted with more GF flour. Put another piece of parchment on top. This is the trick with sticky GF dough – roll it out between parchment. Saves a massive headache and mess. I rolled it into a rectangle, maybe like 1/4 inch thick? Didn’t measure perfectly, just eyeballed it.
Then the filling. Melted butter brushed all over the rectangle. Left a little border clean. Mixed up brown sugar and cinnamon – loads of cinnamon, that’s the best part. Sprinkled that evenly over the butter. Smelled pretty good already.
The Roll-Up and Cut
Now, the tricky bit: rolling it up. Used the bottom parchment paper to help lift and roll it into a log. Went slow. It cracked a little here and there, GF stuff does that, but it mostly held together. Pinched the seam shut. Then I used a sharp knife (some people use floss, maybe I’ll try that next time) to cut the log into rolls. Maybe got about 9 or 10 decent-sized ones.
Placed them cut-side up in a greased baking pan. They looked a bit rough, not gonna lie, but hopeful. Covered them again for a second rise, just like 20-30 minutes while the oven preheated.
Baking and Finishing
Into the hot oven they went. Baked them until they were golden brown. The recipe had a time, but I mostly went by look and smell. The whole kitchen smelled amazing, that buttery, cinnamon-sugar smell.
While they were cooling slightly (important! Don’t frost piping hot rolls), I mixed up the frosting. Just powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and some vanilla extract. Kept it simple. Whisked it until it was smooth and drizzle-able.
The Moment of Truth
Once the rolls were warm, not scorching, I drizzled that frosting all over them. Generously. Let it melt into the crevices a bit. And that was it. They actually looked like proper cinnamon rolls!
The taste? Pretty darn good for gluten-free! Soft, gooey centers, lots of cinnamon flavor. Maybe not exactly like the wheat ones I remember from years ago, but definitely hit the spot. Success! Worth the effort and the slightly sticky mess.
