cinna-nom-nom rolls

how do you eat your cinnamon roll?

do you eat it like a donut, one large bite at a time?

or do you unroll it into one long strand, saving the middle delicious part for last? i know i do.

either way, veganizing cinnamon rolls is easy. astonishingly easy, actually.

this recipe is free from king arthur baking company, so click the link above if you want it.

one tangzhong, one dough, one filling, one icing, two rises, one bake, zero proofing = ooey, gooey, cinnamon rolls.

technique modifications:

the dough was kneaded using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. the dough was kneaded on medium-low speed (notch 3) for 5 minutes, given there was no recommendation in the recipe itself. this approach worked well, with the dough rising perfectly when it was time to let it rise.
a 9” x 13” rectangle cake pan was used, providing the perfect fit and ample rising space for these eight large rolls to perform their best and stretch out to their utmost capacity.

ingredient substitutions:

earth balance’s original vegan buttery sticks (in the yellow packaging) replaced the butter. no thawing was needed when making the dough.
cashew nut milk eradicated the need for whole milk with no loss of flavor or texture. what is amazing about homemade cashew nut milk is the fat content of this nut milk resembles the nature of whole full-fat cow milk.
i often tell people, “to learn patience, bake bread.” but some people not only struggle with patience, they also may struggle with getting a bread to rise during all that downtime in which they are waiting. not so, with saf gold instant yeast. this stuff works. and requires no proofing. it is specifically designed for sweet breads, and this is what we used.

bonus tips:

powdered sugar was sifted using a fine mesh steel strainer and letting the sifted powder fall like snowflakes onto an open half sheet size of parchment paper. the short edges were then brought together, and the powdered sugar was funneled into the pot used to make the icing.
for storage: after the cinnamon rolls were baked and cooled, a folded piece of parchment paper was left to cover the entire top of the rolls. a large bread bag sealing and encasing the entire pan and its yummy contents kept the rolls fresh and moist.

note:

this recipe uses the tangzhong technique where a minor portion of the flour is heated in butter and then added to the dough for a good rise, soft texture, and prolonged freshness.