Gluten Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
One recipe with 2 different cooking methods, leaves you the option to make them just how you like them!
In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.
Cynthia Rylant
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My mother always makes mini cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving morning, also enjoyed with our turkey dinner. When I was younger, on Thanksgiving morning, we would complete the local Turkey Trot and then come home and have cinnamon rolls. As the years went on, more friends and family would join us and it was such a lovely way to spend Thanksgiving morning with loved ones! My mom also made cinnamon rolls for our annual Christmas Eve party and we would have the leftovers with Christmas dinner. Those were the two times a year we had homemade cinnamon rolls and the memories run deep. Truly a seasonal treat! Now I make my girls cinnamon rolls 3 times a year, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. . .and sometimes one of them will request them for their birthday breakfast.
Gluten free cinnamon rolls can be disappointing, to say the least. As with a lot of gluten free baked goods, they can be dry, dense and biscuit-like, while also lacking in flavor. You will find this recipe has depth of flavor, from the sourdough as well as the warm cinnamon spice and a softness to the baked dough you crave. This gluten free sourdough recipe can be baked in 2 different ways. The first method is baking the rolls separately, spaced out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. When baked, the cinnamon, sugar and butter create a crunchy layer on the bottom of the roll, which is my absolute favorite! The second way to bake this recipe is in a dish/pan with the rolls close together and heavy cream poured over the top before baking. This way creates an incredibly rich and soft roll, ooey-gooey in the best possible way.
This recipe uses an enriched dough, which means the ingredients definitely contain dairy, eggs and sugar. It is a soft dough that is easy to work with, which I’m sure many of you know, is not always the case with gluten free baking! If needed, the dairy is easily swapped out for dairy free versions. Coconut and maple sugar work great in place of brown cane sugar. I’m not certain if egg replacers would work, as I have not tested this recipe with egg replacers. I have also included 2 possible baking schedules, so you can enjoy your cinnamon rolls warm and fresh.
My hope is these cinnamon rolls become part of your yearly rhythm and traditions. A recipe you can share with loved ones, gluten free or not!
