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Prep Time : 20 minutes Cook Time : 25 minutes Bake sweet and tender gluten free cinnamon rolls in under an hour with this easy recipe. Don't settle for store-bought when you can make these yourself! Jump to Recipe Sweet, tender gluten free cinnamon rolls made with an all purpose gluten free flour and instant yeast. Make weekend mornings special! A family tradition of warm cinnamon rollsRolls a lot like these warm, fluffy gluten free cinnamon rolls were a family staple of mine growing up. They were homemade, but we didn’t make them ourselves. I had an aunt from Sweden who made the best cinnamon rolls. They used to call them “Bia’s buns,” and everyone thought that was hysterical. I had no clue why, but I laughed like I was in on it (I got the “Bia part, because that was her name). I just wanted the rolls. Why these are the best gluten free cinnamon rolls you’ll ever tryThese tender, fluffy, gluten free cinnamon rolls are just sweet enough for you to enjoy the yummy icing. And what are cinnamon rolls without icing! The raw cinnamon bun dough can be made in advance, too, as can the rolls themselves, since they reheat quickly and easily. You can bake them halfway, freeze, then finish baking—or bake them fully, and freeze them unglazed. If you’d like to reheat any baked goods and return some moisture to them, especially yeast bread, try sprinkling with a bit of water before reheating them. They’ll be good as new! Parbaking gluten free cinnamon rollsBia’s buns were packed with cinnamon and cardamom. She used to make them in these round disposable tins. She’d parbake them about halfway at about 300°F until puffed and very very pale golden. Then, we’d stick them in the deep freezer when they were nice and cool. They’d be so perfect for a whole gluten free breakfast spread… Then, we’d defrost them at room temperature and then finish baking until they were piping hot. Bia’s buns most definitely had plenty of gluten in them. This recipe is adapted from a very early recipe on this site for gluten free pretzel rolls, and they remind me of those buns from long ago… It’s easy to make gluten free cinnamon rolls with yeast from scratchAre you reluctant to bake with yeast? Maybe you’re afraid you won’t get it to rise or that it just won’t taste good to you. I get it. If you just can’t take the plunge, I have a recipe for yeast free gluten free cinnamon rolls that you’ll love. Start there. If you’re ready to make the leap to yeasted dough, though, there are some secrets to success that I’ll share with you. I think that will help. I also have a full page of Yeasted Bread FAQs, but most of those questions are about the type of recipes in Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread. They use my recipe for “gluten free bread flour” which combines an all purpose gluten free flour blend (usually Better Batter or my mock Better Batter) with whey protein isolate and Expandex modified tapioca starch. This recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls is in the old school style, the one that relies upon a batter-style dough. This cinnamon roll dough is an enriched dough, with an egg and butter. An enriched dough is much easier to handle than a so-called lean dough, which is mostly just flour, water, and yeast. Secrets to making perfect gluten free yeasted doughPractice patience while your yeasted dough risesIf you only take away one piece of advice about baking with yeast, it should be the importance of patience. Of course, you don’t want your rolls to overproof (or over-rise), as they’ll break apart even before they bake in the oven. But yeast takes time to grow. Baking with yeast is also very environment-dependent. If the environment is cooler, the yeast will continue to grow, albeit much slower. Try to maintain the proper temperature and for the right amount of timeExtremely high temperatures and extremely low temperatures can kill the yeast. But if the air temperature in your kitchen is either that high or that low, you probably aren’t spending time baking cinnamon rolls! Once the dough is about 50% larger than when it started rising, it’s considered fully risen. Unlike my recipes that call for gluten free bread flour, this batter-style gluten free yeast dough won’t usually double in size during the rising phase. Before it reaches a true doubling, it will start to get pock-marked and overly soft. The bulk rise, which is the only necessary rise for this dough, should take about 1 hour. I typically turn on my oven to 300°F and set the covered and shaped dough on top. But if it takes longer than an hour, let it go longer. Overproofing happens when the dough has proofed too much, not when it’s been left to rise for “too long.” There is no “too long” for proofing unless the dough has over-proofed. But if you don’t let the dough rise for long enough before baking, it will be dense after baking. Another note about rising temperatureThis dough is easiest to work with when it’s cold. If you can, place the raw dough in a tightly sealed container (plastic is fine) and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before working with it. When the dough is cold, you’ll be much less likely to incorporate a lot of extra flour into it during shaping. And that will help with our next tip (moisture)… Make sure you follow the recipe precisely, so your gluten free dough has the right moisture balanceAnother key to successful baking with yeast is moisture content. If the dough isn’t moist enough, the yeast simply won’t grow. Yeast thrives in a wet environment. That’s why we always cover the shaped dough with oiled plastic wrap as it rises. If it dries out during the rise, it will simply stop rising. Since these batter-style doughs are pretty moist by nature, even if you live in a dry climate you should be fine with the exact amount of liquid specified in the recipe below. If you’re at all worried that your climate is very dry, try adding an extra tablespoonful of water to the dough initially. And be sure not to work very much additional flour into the dough during shaping. I’m concerned that my kitchen is a bit dry, especially in the middle of the winter, I’ll spray the shaped rolls with a bit of water before covering them and allowing them to rise. It certainly doesn’t hurt their rise. Measure all your ingredients by weightAnother one of the reasons that baking with yeast can seem so intimidating is the precision that is necessary for (really all) successful baking. But since moisture is so important in yeast bread baking, precision in measurement becomes even more important than usual. Water is the one liquid for which the volume measurement is equivalent to the weighted measurement. So 1 fluid ounce of water (a volume measurement) is equal to 1 ounce (a weight measurement) of water. I measure water on a digital kitchen scale, by weight. Volume measurements are inherently unreliable. They aren’t standardized, so 1 “cup” from one manufacturer can be significantly larger or smaller than another. Plus, user error is inevitable. For all of us! It’s not a judgment, just a statement of fact. So measure by weight if at all possible. Trust the recipe, and trust yourself. I promise you can do this, and the yeasted flavor and tenderness of these amazing, tender and fluffy gluten free cinnamon rolls makes it all worthwhile. How to make gluten free cinnamon rolls: more tips for perfecting this recipeUse fresh baking soda and instant yeastFor the best rise, make sure your baking soda is fresh, and that your instant yeast is well within its freshness date. if you have to use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, dissolve it in the some of the liquid in the recipe first, and use 25% more, by weight. Don’t worry about the soft gluten free doughYour gluten free yeasted dough won’t have the same “stretch” as conventional yeast bread dough, so you’ll need to use a lighter touch and not pull or tug at it. Just follow the instructions and you’ll do great! Roll your cinnamon roll dough 1/2-inch thickBe sure not to roll your cinnamon roll dough too thin, or the dough will break as you roll the filling inside. Too thick, and you won’t be able to fit in enough filling—or get much of a pretty swirl! Use a sharp knife for slicing for the cinnamon roll doughTo slice the roll into buns cleanly, use a very sharp knife (and saw gently, rather than cutting in one motion, or you’ll compress the dough). You can also use unwaxed, plain dental floss to the cleanest, easiest slices. Don’t fret over the presentation — messy is okay!Give yourself grace when you judge your cinnamon rolls! Especially if this is your first try at baking shaped gluten free yeast bread dough, they may not look beautiful, but they’ll still taste great. Watch the cooking timeOverbaking will take away the tenderness, so watch the color of your rolls as they brown in the oven. How to store gluten free cinnamon rollsStoring baked gf cinnamon rollsOnce your rolls are baked, before you add the glaze, you can cool them completely and freeze them in a single layer. Just wrap them first very tightly in freezer-safe wrap, and they warm up perfectly. Reheating gluten free sweet rollsIf your rolls aren’t just out of the oven, we can still make them taste like they are! Try letting them defrost at room temperature until they’re no longer frozen in the center, then sprinkle them with some water and refresh them in a 275°F oven or toaster oven. Making gluten free cinnamon rolls in advanceParbaking and then freezingMy Aunt Bia’s buns were packed with cinnamon and cardamom. She used to make them in these round disposable tins. She’d parbake them about halfway at about 300°F until puffed and very, very pale golden. Then, we’d stick them in the deep freezer when they were nice and cool. They’d be so perfect for a whole gluten free breakfast spread… Then, we’d defrost them at room temperature and then finish baking until they were piping hot. Bia’s buns most definitely had plenty of gluten in them, but parbaking is parbaking! Substitutions for ingredients in these gluten free cinnamon rollsGluten free dairy-free cinnamon rollsYou can try replacing the buttermilk blend can be replaced with powdered coconut milk. The butter in both the rolls and the filling can be replaced with a vegan butter that softens nicely at room temperature, like Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand. If you can have dairy but don’t have buttermilk powder, you can use powdered milk in its place. Do not use liquid buttermilk in this recipe. Apple cider vinegarThe cider vinegar and the baking soda combine during baking to give the rolls a bit more lift along with the yeast. Think of them like insurance. In place of apple cider vinegar, you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Choosing a gluten free flour blendYou really must use one of my recommended gluten free flour blends for this recipe. All of my gluten free recipes are designed to be made with one of my recommended blends, but yeast bread in particular is even more sensitive to flour substitutions. I highly recommend using Better Batter (or my mock Better Batter) gluten free flour blend in yeast bread applications like this. I have successfully made this recipe with both Cup4Cup and my Better Than Cup4Cup blends, though, and the rolls just don’t brown quite as much but the recipe still works. Make sure you’re using buttermilk powder, which is a powder/flour, and not liquid buttermilk, or your dough will be too sticky to handle. Gluten free cinnamon roll variationsAdd nuts to make gluten free sticky bunsFor a fun spin on the gf cinnamon bun concept, try adding some chopped, relatively soft nuts like walnuts or pecans to the filling. Use a thicker cream cheese frostingThis recipe calls for a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze, but you can also make a thick, decadent cream cheese frosting. Just use the frosting recipe from our gluten free carrot cake, and never apologize for loving cream cheese! FAQsAre cinnamon rolls gluten free?No! Cinnamon rolls that aren’t made specifically to be gluten free aren’t safe on a gluten free diet. You need to use this recipe, or another one like it, made with reliably gluten free ingredients. Can I make gluten free cinnamon roll mix in advance?You can assemble the dry ingredients for these gf cinnamon rolls, including the instant yeast, whisk them together, and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the cinnamon roll dough. No need to warm up the mix before proceeding with the recipe. Can I freeze gf cinnamon rolls?Yes! You can freeze either parbaked or fully baked and cooled gf cinnamon rolls. Can I double this recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls?If you have a very large stand mixer, you can double this recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls. Otherwise, make 2 batches, one after the other, to ensure even combining of ingredients. Why isn’t my gluten free cinnamon roll dough rising?Patience is the #1 virtue in yeast bread baking! Overproofing is a matter of not rising enough, not rising for too long, so don’t fear overproofing. Just cover your raw dough properly to avoid its drying out, measure your water by weight so you don’t undermeasure it, and wait! Why did my gluten free cinnamon buns come out dense?If you didn’t make any changes to the recipe as written, used one of my recommended gluten free flour blends, and measured by weight, you likely either added too much additional flour during shaping, or didn’t let your rolls rise long enough before baking. Why is my gf cinnamon roll dough so sticky?Here are some questions to ask yourself as you troubleshoot:
Why are my gluten free cinnamon rolls so dry?Dry cinnamon rolls were maybe overbaked, or were dense because of one of the reasons shared above. Practice makes perfect! And also, measuring a proper gf flour blend by weight. :) How to make gluten free cinnamon rolls, step by step
Bake sweet and tender gluten free cinnamon rolls in under an hour with this easy recipe. Don't settle for store-bought when you can make these yourself! Course: Breakfast Cuisine: American Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 12 rolls
For the rolls
For the filling
For the optional glaze
Make the dough.
Roll out the dough.
Add the filling and shape the dough.
Let the rolls rise.
Bake the rolls.
Make the (optional) glaze.
Gluten Free Cinnamon RollsBake sweet and tender gluten free cinnamon rolls in under an hour with this easy recipe. Don't settle for store-bought when you can make these yourself! Course: Breakfast Cuisine: American Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 12 rolls Author: Nicole Hunn
For the rolls
For the filling
For the optional glaze
Make the dough.
Roll out the dough.
Add the filling and shape the dough.
Let the rolls rise.
Bake the rolls.
Make the (optional) glaze.
Does Pillsbury have gluten free cinnamon rolls?Pillsbury does not currently make any gluten-free products, but there are gluten-free substitutes for Pillsbury's popular baked convenience foods that you may find just as good (and nearly as easy) as the originals.
Does cinnamon have gluten Cinnamon is gluten free. Cinnamon should be safe for patients with celiac and other gluten-related disorders. Fig's dietitians reviewed this note on cinnamon.
How many calories are in a glutenGluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (1 roll) contains 10g total carbs, 8g net carbs, 10g fat, 3g protein, and 130 calories.
Does Costco have cinnamon rolls?Now, much to the delight of anyone who loves baked goods or just a good bulk buy, Costco's made the wise decision to bring back a big-time favorite: their bakery's "Pull-A-Part" cinnamon rolls.
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