Recipe: Wait, These Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls By a Masterchef Alum Are Gluten Free?

Gluten-free cook and author Melanie Persson – also known as @theveryhungrycoeliac – is on a mission to help anyone living a gluten-free lifestyle find joy in cooking and eating. Her new cookbook, Gluten-Free Feasts, spells out 80 sweet and savoury recipes to suit a variety of occasions. Chapters include Dim Sum, Picnic, Taco Night and Fish Shop Feast. These meals are perfect for sharing with friends and family – they taste “just like the real deal”.

Cinnamon rolls turned out to be an unlikely craving for Persson once her diet was stripped of gluten. “Funnily enough, cinnamon rolls weren’t even one of my favourite things when I could eat gluten, but when it was taken off the table, cravings for those soft, sweet rolls really kicked in and I couldn’t find a good substitute anywhere,” she writes of Australia’s bakery treat du jour.

And while Persson thinks you should give these rolls a spin asap, the versatile dough can be adapted for a variety of sweet and savoury recipes. Plus, Persson’s gluten-free flour blend (see below) is an easy pantry staple to whip up.

Melanie Persson’s cinnamon rolls

Serves 9
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour 20 minutes proving time
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

200ml warm water (37–40°C)
1 tbsp instant dried yeast
60g caster sugar, divided
280g basic flour blend (see below), plus extra for dusting
3½ tsp psyllium husk powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
40g butter, chilled and cubed
Vegetable oil, for greasing

For the filling
140g soft light brown sugar
1½ tbsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
85g unsalted butter, softened

For the cream cheese frosting
25g unsalted butter
120g cream cheese
100g icing sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C (fan-forced).

Add warm water to a medium jug or bowl. Mix in yeast and half the caster sugar. Cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place for 10 minutes until a thick layer of foam appears on the surface.

Meanwhile, combine flour, psyllium husk powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Whisk eggs into the foamy yeast mixture, then pour into dry ingredients. Mix slowly with the paddle attachment until just combined, then increase to medium speed and mix for 3–4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Add cubed butter and continue mixing on medium speed for 5–6 minutes. Scrape down the bowl 2–3 times. The dough will be sticky but smooth and should come together into a single ball with a spatula or dough scraper.

Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Transfer dough to the bowl, shape into a smooth ball, then flip it over to coat it in oil. Cover with cling film and prove in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile make the filling by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Line a 22cm x 22cm square baking tin with baking paper.

Grease your work surface and hands with oil. Tip dough out and knead gently for 30–40 seconds to deflate.

Dust your work surface and dough generously with flour. Roll out to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle with a long edge facing you.

Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a 2–3cm strip unbuttered along the top edge. Spread right to the edges on the remaining three sides. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar filling over butter and gently pat it in.

Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll dough into a tight log. Avoid stretching.

Using a serrated knife (or dental floss), cut log into 9 equal pieces, about 4–5cm wide. Arrange in prepared tin, spaced slightly apart. Cover loosely with cling film and a tea towel. Prove for 15–20 minutes, or until buns have increased in size by about 75%.

Bake rolls for 35–40 minutes until golden brown all over.

While rolls bake, whisk butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Chill until needed.

Cool rolls in tin for 25–30 minutes. Remove while still warm to avoid sugar sticking to the base. Let cool completely before spreading with frosting.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1–2 days, or freeze (unfrosted) for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave and frost once cooled.

Basic gluten-free flour blend

Makes 1kg

Ingredients

315g rice flour
250g tapioca starch
250g gluten-free cornflour
165g potato starch
2 tbsp + 1 tsp xanthan gum

Method

Sift ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Sift and mix again to ensure even distribution. Store in an airtight container.

To make self-raising flour, add 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder for every 100g of flour blend on the day of baking.

This is an edited extract of Gluten-Free Feasts by Melanie Persson, published by Hardie Grant Books. RRP $45.

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