Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

GF Cinnamon RollsComment: We read a review on a cookbook by Roben Ryberb, You Won’t Believe It’s GlutenFree, purchased it from Amazon.com and found the recipes to be most rewarding. Ms. Ryberb simplifies otherwise complicated recipes, offers a choice of base recipe ingredients to use and lists hundreds of selections. They all seem easy to make and her ‘you-might-do-it-this-way-instead suggestions are very helpful. Listed here on the site are 3 recipes (Cinnamon Rolls, Banana Bread and Corn Bread) from Ms. Ryberg’s book that we are calling desserts, and this same introduction will preface each but a separate introduction to each, as quoted from Ms. Ryberg’s book, may be inserted.
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
Serves: 9 very large rolls

Comment:“These are some of the fastest and tastiest cinnamon rolls you may ever have that are gluten-free! They are light and fluffy. This recipe makes nine large rolls, so you’ll need to share or put some in the freezer.  The dough is very soft, making the rolling and lifting technique difficult to master on your first attempt, but don’t let that discourage you from trying these.”
Ingredients:
4 tbls butter (1/4 cup) softened
1/3 cup sugar
5 egg whites
¾ plain Yogurt
2 cups cornstarch
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp Xanthan Gum
½ tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
For Filling:
4 tbls butter, very softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Topping:
Note: This Sugar Glaze topping recipe is from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook and is not part of Ms. Ryberg’s recipe. It does, however, add a nice, sweet touch to an otherwise excellent roll.
In a small bowl, stir 2 cups Confectioners’ sugar, ½ tsp Vanilla extract and about 3 tbl water until smooth.
Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. (Note: Our experience has been to cook the rolls in a vegetable-sprayed 12 muffin baking tin as Ms. Ryberg’s alternative)
  2. Make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Add the egg whites and beat until very frothy. Add the remaining dough ingredients. Mix well.
  3. Place two large pieces of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, overlapping the edges, on a counter. Spray with nonstick spray. Place the dough on the plastic wrap or alum. foil and press out (moistened fingertips help) as thinly as possible; 14 x 12 inches is a nice size, but a thinner, broader dough will give you more layers.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle over the dough a evenly as possible.  Use the edge of the paper to roll the dough very gently into a long cylinder. Pull away the paper as you go. This will be awkward.
  5. Cut into nine even slices. With moistened hands, gently place the slices into the prepared baking pan. This, too, will seem quite difficult at first.  For the prettiest results, smooth the tops of the rolls with moistened fingertips as well. (Note:) Up to this stage of preparing Ms. Ryberg’s recipe we’re OK but time and time again we are unable to have a ‘roll’ firm enough to cut as instructed so we don’t fight it; rather, we use a sprayed, 12 cup muffin tin and with a large spoon, spoon into each cup enough to fill it ¾ the way up. Maybe if we were to refrigerate the dough for a short period of time it would make it easier to cut from the roll and we will try that at some point.)
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes (if using a pan/if using a muffin tin, bake 20 minutes) until golden brown. Note: Check as they are baking. If they appear to be browning too much cover with a sprayed sheet of alum. foil). The rolls should test cleanly with a toothpick. Flip the pan over on to a serving plate so the filling (now quite liquid) will ooze over the top of the rolls. Allow to cool slightly before adding the Sugar Glaze topping but the rolls should be warm enough for the topping to drizzle down the sides.


homemade cinnamon rolls
Batter from mixing bowl to sprayed alum. foil
homemade cinnamon rolls
Batter spread/flattened out by dampened fingers
homemade cinnamon rolls
Batter with sprinkled cinnamon mix
homemade cinnamon rolls
Batter being rolled into tube-like shape
homemade cinnamon rolls
Batter scooped into 12-muffin pan

General Comment on Desserts:
Our gf dessert recipes and/or suggestions are those that are, for the most part, developed by homemakers, authors of cookbooks or nationally known companies that we find easy to make and have hit the spot with us. We do add or subtract here and there, an example being a crumble-crust-topping for Pillsbury’s Apple Pie recipe, but we credit the original source at each recipe and add our own experience in the preparation of the dessert.