Cinnamon Rolls... vegan and delectable! Recipe
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
This is teacher appreciation week at Noodle's pre-school so I have been trying to do special things for the teachers on each day; we all are... topped off with a fantastic prize for each of them at the end of the week. I heard that cinnamon rolls are a favorite of one of the teachers so I set out on a mission.
This particular batch turned out to be fantastic! So fantastic they almost didn't make it to the teachers! TI did refrain and they made it untouched to school.
I just wish you all could smell my house right now... oh so delicious!
Need:
For the 'roll' dough:
- 4 Tablespoons egg replacer
- 6 Tablespoons plus 1 cup soy milk (for the 1 cup, warm it a little if it's fresh out of the fridge)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup earth balance
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 cups white whole wheat flour
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- For the filling:
- 1/2 cup earth balance, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons cinnamon
- Optional:
- 1-2 cups raisins, depending on how many you like (I happen to love raisins in my cinnamon rolls!)
- 1 cup walnuts or other favorite nut
- For the frosting:
- 1 container tofutti vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup earth balance, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Do:
In a small bowl, whip together egg replacer and 6 tablespoons soy milk. I use a fork and just whip it... like the song :). Set aside for a minute.
In your Kitchenaid, combine the 1 cup warmed soy milk, warm water, vanilla, earth balance and egg replacer mix you just made. Mix until combined... just about a minute or so.
To your wet mix, add the salt and sugar and mix to combine again.
To your wet/sugar mix add flour in 1 cup increments while Kitchenaid is on a low mix setting. Once almost combined, add yeast and continue to mix.
When dough is formed, turn out onto your countertop and knead until you have a smooth elastic ball. Put back in the bowl, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes.
While your dough is resting, in a medium bowl prepare your filling by combining the earth balance, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well to get rid of any lumps.
After you have let it sit, turn it back out on your surface and roll it out into a large rectangle that is a little less than 1/4 inch thick. You can roll it thicker if you like a 'bready' roll.
Once your dough is ready, spread the filling evenly all over the dough. Once it's all even, add the raisins or nuts if you so desire.
Start at one of the long ends of your dough and roll it up. Note: you don't have to roll it super tight.
When it's all rolled up, cut the roll in to about 1 1/2 inch slices. Place on a well buttered or sprayed 9 x 12 inch pan. Note: don't squish them in the pan too much, they will need space to rise.
Cover the pan and let rise in a warm place for a little less than an hour.
Preheat oven to 350; once ready, bake for 20-30 minutes.
Note: You can refrigerate or freeze these! If you refrigerate, take out and let come to room temperature before baking. If you freeze them, let them completely defrost before baking. If you really want a good 'rise' let them sit, covered, on the counter overnight then bake in the morning. There are no eggs so ha! you can do that!
While baking make your frosting by combining the vegan cream cheese, earth balance and vanilla. Mix well with a fork. When combined, add the powdered sugar in 1/3 cup increments, mixing in between. When everything is combined, its ready to use. You can also refrigerate it before use but I think it's easier to spread when it is room temperature.
When cinnamon rolls are done in the oven, remove, let cool just a couple minutes and frost. Note: I put them on a presentation tray before I frosted because I was taking them somewhere. You can also frost them in the pan and just go to town.
Serve:
With a huge glass of cold soy milk, with a delicious scramble for breakfast, with ice cream for dessert... the possibilities are endless!
Enjoy!