Cinnamon scrolls (vegan)

Cinnamon scrolls

While there are a few steps to making this recipe, the recipe itself is very easy and super delicious. This is a subtle vegan twist on the classic recipe which tastes just as good. If the scrolls go a bit wonky while cooking please don’t worry, that’s half of the charm of them and they will still be just as delicious.

Cinnamon scrolls

 

Makes: 15 rolls | Preparation time: 15m | Rising time: 3h | Cooking time: 13m (depending on how thick you cut the scrolls) | Total time: 3h 28m
Ingredients:
For the dough
  • ½ cup water (replace with milk if you want a richer dough)
  • 1 lemon zest, grated
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose/plain flour
  • 2½ tsp instant yeast
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

For the filling

  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp coconut oil, melted

For the glaze

  • ½ cup icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp water

Method:

Dough

  1. In a cage bowl combine the water, vanilla extract, lemon zest, two spoonfuls of the flour and whisk to combine. Then add in the yeast and whisk to properly dissolve it.
  2. Now, add in another two spoonfuls of the flour, and whisk again. As soon as the ingredients look properly combined, you can add in all the sugar and the salt, and whisk once more.
  3. Keep adding the flour in batches and whisk until it’s too hard and you need to swap it out for a spatula. Add in the rest of the flour and combine the ingredients together into a rough dough.
  4. Transfer the rough dough onto a working surface, and knead it by hand for about five minutes to develop the gluten. At the end of the kneading, the dough should be smooth and soft, but not sticky to the touch. If using a stand mixer, you can follow exactly the same procedure.
  5. Transfer the ball into a slightly greased bowl, cover it with cling film and place it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, which should take about two hours.

Sugar-cinnamon mixture,

Simply mix the two ingredients together and set aside for later use.

Glaze

Place the icing sugar into a bowl, add in the water and stir until you obtain a thick fluid.

Combining it all together

  1. Once the dough has doubled in size, place it back on the working surface, dust with some flour, and rolled down into a rectangular shape, using a rolling pin, to about 20 by 35 centimetres in area and about five mm thick.
  2. Brush a thin layer of melted coconut oil or vegan butter on top of it, to make sure the cinnamon mix will stick to it. Be sure not to brush the top one-centimetre border of the rectangle, this will be needed later on to close the roll.
  3. Spread the cinnamon mixture on the oiled surface, trying to be as consistent as possible.
  4. Roll the dough into the final log, trying once again to be as consistent as possible so you get nice even rolls.
  5. To close, brush a little water on the clean piece of dough that you didn’t brush with oil before and finish rolling the log to complete the process.
  6. Cut the log into rolls of equal size. There is no right thickness of the rolls; some people like them thin (about one centimetre) and others like them thick (about three centimetres). While you are cutting the rolls, place them onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, or if you prefer, into muffin cases.
  7. Once done, cover the tray with another tray, and leave the rolls to rise for another hour, which should be enough for them to double in size once again.

Baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Uncover the tray with the rolls, and bake them for twelve minutes in the preheated oven. To allow for even browning and cooking, remember to rotate the tray halfway through the cooking time.
  3. Once the time is up, remove the tray from the oven, brush the buns with the glaze, and stick the tray back into the oven for another minute so the glaze will dry out and crack on top of the buns. Enjoy!