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Warm, comforting gluten free yeast free cinnamon buns take no time at all, since they don't have to be left to rise like our classic yeasted gluten free cinnamon rolls. They're still gooey and soft, and taste so sweet!
Why you'll love these yeast free cinnamon rolls
When you're sad about something and, say, eat your feelings, that works for, like, the moment that you're actually eating. That warm, cinnamon goodness all through the tender dough of the cinnamon roll might feel like love.
But what about baking for someone else? I'm telling you right now, as I've experienced this first hand more times than I can count, that that is love. It's not like every time my kids feel sad, I ply them with sugar. But when I know that cinnamon rolls are a favorite, and that saddest teenage child smells them baking in our kitchen?
LOVE. On both sides of that equation. The fact that you went out of your way to bake for someone feels like love for the baker and the eater. It just does.
And if you're worried about baking with yeast, these yeast free cinnamon rolls are the perfect place to start. Leavened only with baking powder and eggs, they're a sure thing. No finicky yeast to deal with!
Why you'll love these yeast free cinnamon rolls
The dough for these yeast free cinnamon rolls is smooth and even silky. With no more than a sprinkling here and there of flour as you work, it's truly a pleasure to roll out.
In just a few minutes, you're rolling up the dough. Then, all that's left is to slice it into 1-inch sections and nestle them into the wells of a muffin tin.
How to make clean slices for each cinnamon roll
You can slice the roll of dough into individual pieces with a sharp knife, or even a piece of unflavored, unwaxed dental floss. It's a great way to get razor-sharp edges without crushing the roll at all.
After just 25 minutes in the oven, they're done. Classic, fluffy and soft cinnamon buns, with that perfect buttery cinnamon-sugar filling bursting out of the center and making those edges almost crispy. A light drizzle of a simple glaze is all you need.
Yeast Free Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 ½ cups (490 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, plus more as needed (please click thru for info on appropriate blends)
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
For the filling
- 1 cup (218 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard twelve-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
Make the roll dough
- In a large bowl, place 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, the xanthan gum, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the granulated sugar, and whisk well.
- Add 6 tablespoons of the butter, the eggs, and the milk, and mix until the dough comes together.
- The dough should be smooth and relatively easy to handle.
- If the dough seems sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and knead it in with well-floured hands until the dough is smooth.
Shape
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured unbleached parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the dough very lightly with extra flour and roll it into a 12-inch by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner).
- Trim any especially rough edges.
Make the filling and fill the dough.
- In a medium-size bowl, place all of the filling ingredients and mix to combine well.
- With a small offset spatula or large spoon, spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch clean around the perimeter.
- Starting at a short side, roll the dough away from you into a tightly formed roll. Slice the roll in cross-section into twelve equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick.
- Place each roll in a well of the prepared muffin tin.
Bake
- Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls begin to turn golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of them.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until the rolls are firm enough to handle (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Be sure to remove the rolls from the muffin tin before they are completely cool, or they will begin to stick to the muffin tin.
Make the icing
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix well until a thick paste forms.
- Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze.
- Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze.
- If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it.
- Drizzle or spread the icing on the cooled rolls before serving.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I see you have my Saturday morning breakfast planned for me. What a great friend you are!
I do what I can, friend. :)
xoxo Nik
Cinnamon rolls of these kind were my favorite thing before going GF. My family ate them every holiday for breakfast. I love them with a delicious orange juice frosting. This is so on my holiday to-bake list. They look just right.
Sounds great, Levka. :)
xoxo Nicole
They look really good. I will have to try the recipe. Is there somewhere else besides Amazon that might have your new cookbook on e-book? I have your other book from there so it is on the kindle. Would like them both in the same place. Thanks for any help locating a e-version or if not, did they mention a how long before it would be available?
Hi, Cindy,
The ebook for Quick & Easy is not available anywhere yet, I’m afraid, Cindy! Since I insisted upon reviewing the file myself before it went live (since ebooks are quite frequently riddled with errors as the current technology is quite awkward), it delayed things a bit. It should be live any minute, now, and I will be sure to let everyone know once I see it available! I’m so sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it.
xoxo Nicole
Don’t have problems with yeast-just eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts. Wish more of your recipes didn’t include eggs. Othe substituions are more easily made with good results.
Is this something that could be prepared and refrigerated overnight or even frozen before baking? I love your new book, and your first one, too!
Is this something that could be prepared and refrigerated overnight or even frozen before baking? I love your new book, and your first one, too!
Don’t have problems with yeast-just eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts. Wish more of your recipes didn’t include eggs. Othe substituions are more easily made with good results.
They look really good. I will have to try the recipe. Is there somewhere else besides Amazon that might have your new cookbook on e-book? I have your other book from there so it is on the kindle. Would like them both in the same place. Thanks for any help locating a e-version or if not, did they mention a how long before it would be available?
Hi, Cindy,
The ebook for Quick & Easy is not available anywhere yet, I’m afraid, Cindy! Since I insisted upon reviewing the file myself before it went live (since ebooks are quite frequently riddled with errors as the current technology is quite awkward), it delayed things a bit. It should be live any minute, now, and I will be sure to let everyone know once I see it available! I’m so sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it.
xoxo Nicole
I’m afraid that I am not proficient at all in baking egg-free, Gran. Eggs are extremely useful in gluten-free baking, I’m afraid. There are definitely other recipe-writers who concentrate on avoiding many other allergens, as you have to.
Nicole
It can definitely be prepared the night before and refrigerated, Brandie. I haven’t tried freezing it raw, but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work – just defrost it gently in the refrigerator before baking. I have frozen the buns as baked, and they turn out beautifully when they are reheated!
xoxo Nicole
LOVE I just have to convert to Dairy free and I will be on my way to devouring this. ♥
Looks so yummy! This will be my Saturday morning project this weekend :)
Looks so yummy! This will be my Saturday morning project this weekend :)
LOVE I just have to convert to Dairy free and I will be on my way to devouring this. ♥
Wait ’till you see how much time you have to spare when you make these, Linda!
xoxo Nicole
I’m so excited to hear about your new bread book as I already have the “Quick & Easy” and have made a few things from it already! For the new bread book will you tackle whole grain GF breads as well as a low fat/high fiber GF bread recipe? LOVE YOUR STUFF and HUGS!!!
I will, Jennifer. I promise. Even the “whole grain” recipes will have starch in them, though, or they are just too dense, but there will absolutely be breads with plenty of whole grain. I just nailed a recipe for Pumpernickel-style GF bread the other day, and it’s very high in whole grains. :)
xoxo Nicole