Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls
plant-based, vegan, refined sugar-free

Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients:

• 2 cups Warm water or warmed plant-based milk
• 1 pack Active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Pure maple syrup or raw honey
• 4 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1 tsp Baking powder 
• 2 tsp Salt

Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2-2/3 cup Unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup Date sugar**
• 2 Tbsp Ground cinnamon

Citrus Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup Raw cashews
• 1 tsp Orange zest
• 2 Tbsp Orange juice (fresh squeezed is best)
• 1/4 cup Maple syrup or raw honey
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1-2 Tbsp Plant-based milk or water

Cinnamon Roll Instructions:

• In a large bowl stir together warm water or plant-based milk and yeast. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast begins "blooming".
• Add in the rest of the dough ingredients to the bowl and fold together until a sticky dough forms. If you have access to a dough mixer, it can be helpful to use it for this step. 
• Cover the dough with a towel and let it rise for 1 hour. 
• Prepare the filling by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Start with 1/2 cup applesauce and add in more if the mixture looks too dry. For best results the filling should be firm but still moist**.
• Prepare a well-floured surface to turn out the dough. Begin kneading the dough; it may be necessary to lightly flour the top of the turned out dough. Keep kneading until the dough loses its stickiness.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough to form a large rectangle to 1/4 inch thickness. 
• Evenly spread the filling to the edges of the dough.
• Carefully roll the dough into a log and cut into 1-2 inch slices. I find a serrated bread knife works best.
• Place the cinnamon rolls onto the lined baking sheets, leaving space in between them.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. Prepare the Citrus Glaze while the cinnamon rolls are baking.
• Once the cinnamon rolls are slightly browned, remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Citrus Glaze Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. It may be necessary to add the additional tablespoon of plant-based milk/water to ensure the ingredients blend sufficiently.
2. Drizzle over cooled Cinnamon Rolls and enjoy!

**Note: It is possible to substitute pure maple syrup or raw honey if you don't have date sugar on hand. However the filling will be very fluid and it will get super messy when you try to roll the dough into a log. In this case it is good to only add about half of the liquid filling to the rolled out dough and then forming the dough log. Once you sliced the rolls and placed them on the baking sheet, take a spoon and pour the rest of the filling over the rolls before baking. It will be just as tasty, but a little bit messier.