Easy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

OK, so I don't just do cheesecake.

I've been making a batch of cinnamon rolls about once a week for the last couple of months. I went vegetarian recently. I have fought it for the last year...I like meat and I probably would not have given it up if my body could handle it, although I still eat fish and seafood. Cinnamon rolls are probiotic and contain protein and B vitamins - at least if they are yeast based cinnamon rolls.  I find myself craving them and I know it's the yeast.  These are made from a basic pizza dough recipe that has been modified by substituting gluten free flours (in this case, oat and rice flour) in place of wheat flour.  My oldest son makes the dough for me and then I do the rest!

I didn't think to take a photograph of the raw dough. Usually I separate it into two 'batches' because I can only fit that much on my workspace at once. I use a pizza pan for my work surface with rice flour on the pan to keep the dough from sticking and then I use butter to keep my fingers from sticking to the dough.  You can see my ingredients there in my workspace - melted butter first (I use a makeshift double boiler of my glass measuring cup in a small pot of water at medium temperature to melt and then I brush it over my dough with a small cooking brush).  The bowl contains my sugar which is a combination of about two parts coconut sugar to one part brown sugar, mixed together.  I like to use these sugars because they are high in B-vitamins!  As is molasses.  You brush on the butter and then cut the dough into strips.  Sugar gets sprinkled on the dough evenly and then the cinnamon.  I use a pizza pan and a baking sheet to cook my rolls on after first greasing them with coconut oil, using a paper towel.

With the second half of my dough I tried something different this time.  I chopped some walnuts and then pressed them into my pressed out dough before brushing on the butter. 

A perfect roll - they don't often come out so nice and round!

Rolling them up is the trick. I cut and then outline the strips with a knife, and then I roll them, using the blade of the knife to train the dough into my spiral from the metal pan.  Once they are rolled up you usually need to press them into shape just a bit with your hands to go on the pan just right.  

Once all the dough is formed into rolls, into the oven they go!  This morning I used a slightly different oven temperature - 325 instead of 350 degrees, but for the same amount of time...just about a half an hour or 30 minutes.  They seemed to come out fluffier and a little less dry with the lower temperature.

Waiting for them to bake, I throw together an easy glaze. Melted butter, drops of vanilla, a splash of milk and powdered sugar:

Once they are done baking, transfer them on a sheet of wax paper with a spatula and frost and viola!

The nuts were a delicious addition. I was thinking of pecans but all I had were walnuts and they were wonderful. 

Happy Weekend, Everyone.