The holiday season hectic-ness has set in around here. On top of the standard holiday stress of present-buying and event-attending, we’re pressing ever onward toward a critical deadline at work. Then I decided to spend two days at an intensive leadership workshop, and Sean and I thought it would be fun to throw a holiday chili party. And as usual when I get busy, this blog has been a little neglected. I did, though, find time to make these awesome vegan cinnamon rolls, and they were so good I knew I had to find time to share them with you.
Why vegan cinnamon rolls? The sheer amount of heavy cream that shows up on this site should be enough to let you know that I’m far from being vegan. But you might remember a little contest I entered awhile ago, at Pacific Natural Foods? Well, I didn’t win the whole fancy shebang, but I was an Everyday Winner, and my prize was a big ol’ box of Pacific Natural Foods products. And included in this box was a variety of non-dairy milk alternatives: Almond Milk, Hemp Milk, and Hazelnut Milk. I don’t drink milk, or eat cereal, or do many things that would require the use of a milk alternative, so I spent some time wondering what to do with all of this, and one morning, I decided it was time for vegan cinnamon rolls.
A lot of the recipes I looked at required the use of egg replacers and Earth Balance margarine, both things I’m kind of wary of. But then I took another look at my regular cinnamon roll recipe, from Pioneer Woman, and realized it could be easily vegan-ized without products that scare me. A few simple substitutions render these completely edible for vegans. Who knew a Pioneer Woman recipe could ever be edible for vegans?
The thing about this Pioneer Woman recipe is that the yield seems…a little off. The recipe says it serves eight, but I ended up with an insane amount of dough. Maybe her yield actually means it makes eight pans of rolls? I’ve made adjustments here so that you won’t end up with an extra batch of dough sitting in your freezer.
You should also know that just because these rolls are vegan does not mean they are healthy. They are still loaded with sugar and are a decadent, decadent treat. Do not, I repeat, do not assume that because they are vegan it’s totally fine to eat the whole pan. It’s totally not. But a cinnamon roll for breakfast on Christmas morning? Well, I wouldn’t want vegans to have to go without. I’m doing a service here. Just not necessarily a service to your waistline.
The thing you might want to keep in mind about these is that they do take awhile. If you want to have them ready for Christmas morning, make them the night before, or even a few days before, and keep them in the refrigerator. They’ll just require a little extra time in the oven.
Also, these are chocolate rolls because I used chocolate hemp milk for the dough. You can use whichever kind of non-dairy alternative you prefer, but if you want them to be chocolate-y, pick a chocolate variety. The chocolate flavor is very subtle; if you’d like these rolls double chocolate-y, you might consider adding some chopped up chocolate bits to the filling. I’m just saying, it’s an idea. A delicious, delicious idea.
Vegan Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman
For the rolls:
- 2 cups chocolate-flavored hemp milk (or your favorite dairy alternative)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 ounce of active dry yeast (1 package)
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or you could try whole-wheat pastry flour), separated, plus extra for keeping things less sticky
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- about 1/2 cup coconut oil
- another 3/4 – 1 cup sugar
- generous sprinkling of cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tablespoon chocolate-flavored hemp milk (or your favorite dairy alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Stir together the hemp milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a large soup pot. Warm the mixture over medium heat until it’s just about to boil, then remove from the heat and let the mixture cool for about an hour. Once it’s lukewarm (warm enough to touch, but not hot), stir in the yeast. Let it sit for about five minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble. Then stir in four cups of the flour. Stir the mixture well, then cover and let it rise for about an hour.
Once the mixture has doubled, stir in the remaining half-cup of the flour, along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir everything together well. At this point, the dough should be soft and stretchy. Sprinkle the counter very generously with flour to prevent stick-age, then begin rolling the dough out into a rectangle. You want to roll it until it’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Gently stretch and shape it as needed.
Melt the coconut oil, either in a small saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave. Use a basting brush to spread it out over your dough rectangle. Sprinkle the sugar over the oil, then sprinkle the cinnamon over that.
Now, the fun part: Beginning at the end farthest away from you, take the long side of the rectangle and begin to roll it toward you. Roll it tightly, and don’t worry too much if oil and sugar seep out over your counter. This is a messy process; just accept. Once it’s rolled to the end, pull the opposite side up and around the roll, and pinch the seam to seal it.
Use any extra coconut oil from this dish you used to melt it to grease a pie pan or baking sheet. Cut the long roll into individual rolls. My mom taught me a great trick for cutting these: use a piece of thread, and slide it under the roll about an inch from the end. Then bring the two ends together and pull them tight around the roll, which will slice it neatly. It’s kind of hard to describe, so here’s a video (this is not me).
Arrange the rolls cut-side down in your greased baking sheet, and let them rest and rise for another 20 to 30 minutes. If you want to bake these now, preheat the oven to 375; otherwise, you can cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them. When you’re ready to bake them, just slide them into the pre-heated oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Check them with a toothpick or skewer: when no dough comes off they are ready. If they are browning too fast, cover them with aluminum foil and keep baking.
To make the glaze, simply stir together the confectioner’s sugar and the hemp milk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick, but pourable. Add more sugar or more liquid as needed to get the consistency you want. You can add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, if you’re using a non-flavored liquid.
Let the rolls cool for a few minutes before you drizzle the glaze over them. Then serve the messy, gooey, sticky awesomeness to your friends and loved ones. If you don’t tell them these treats are vegan, they will probably never guess.
