No-Rise Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve wanted to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast for like six months now. Every time I think to get out my mixing bowls, I get discouraged when I see all the rising time in different recipes. So, I came across a tasty pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction (after all, I love our pumpkin pizza dough -- I figured it’d be a similar thing).

And then I asked myself . . . what if I just didn’t wait?

Well, I first made the recipe vegan because I didn’t have eggs or butter or milk in my pantry. I also didn’t wait for anything to rise much at all. They turned out w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l.l.y and this recipe will be a staple in our house for the holiday season to come.

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

Adapted from this recipe -- made vegan + for the impatient among us.

What you’ll need . . . 

• 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg*
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2-1/2 cups bread flour

* It’s 1-1/2 teaspoon replacer + 2 tablespoons warm water. You might also try a flax egg.

For filling . . . 

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease an 8 x 8 baking dish (I ended up using glass) and set aside.
2. Melt the 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance on your stovetop. Whisk together with the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and salt. Then take it off the heat (you don’t want it HOT, just warm), prepare your Ener-G egg, and whisk that in until smooth.
3. While this mixture is still warm, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add in the yeast. Wait a couple minutes to dissolve.
4. Then add in the flour. I started with just 2 cups and then kept adding until my mixture didn’t stick to my fingers. Don’t add TOO much flour. The dough should be somewhat loose.
5. Drizzle your dough with a bit of olive oil and cover while you prepare the filling.
6. Simply combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and Earth Balance in a small bowl. Set aside.
7. I think because I was occupied with cleaning that I let my dough rise a grand total of maybe 10 to 15 minutes. That’s all.
8. Then generously flour a work surface and roll your dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle that’s about 16 inches by 10 inches (yes -- I measured).
9. Spread the filling over the entire thing and then roll so it’s a long tube. Cut into 10 to 12 cinnamon rolls.
10. Arrange the rolls in your pan. Then bake for 15 minutes. That’s right! I didn’t let them rise at all before putting them in the oven.
11. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll likely notice they’ve puffed quite a bit. Also: I found mine took a bit longer in the oven, and I think it’s because I used a glass pan, so keep and eye on the rolls to see when they’re golden. The foil is to keep them from burning, but I did remove it in the final couple minutes.
12. Let cool before devouring. You can also top them with icing or cream cheese, etc. But I found them sweet enough as is, especially because I increased the filling a bit from the original recipe.

ENJOY!

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Mini Choco-Cinnamon Buns

I'm terrible at waiting. For anything, really. But especially when something edible is involved. I know I've told you all about my culinary impatience with no-knead breads and pizza dough. But the gotta-have-it-now attitude really does apply to pretty much all of my adventures in the kitchen. That's one reason I love micro-muffins so much!

These mini cinnamon buns are certainly no exception. They aren't the yeasted variety I usually make. I've been on a baking powder kick (5-minute naan, anyone?), and it's just so much faster!


There's something awesome about miniaturizing a baked good (but -- again -- this statement applies to all things food). It makes the whole baking and eating experience more fun. The result -- more adorable. And I've been searching for reasons to use my mini muffin tin, so this recipe gave me the perfect excuse.

What isn't so mini is my appetite these days. Running is still not a word in my vocabulary right now, sadly. So, I've been trying to keep my diet in check. These tiny buns really hit the spot. They're vegan . . . and even good sans-icing. How can that be? I infused them with chocolate, folks.

YES!


MINI CHOCO-CINNAMON BUNS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• A pinch of Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance, cold
• 1/3 cup almond milk (or more, depending)
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ounces chocolate, broken into tiny pieces (explained below)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spritz a mini muffin tin with some canola oil.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut in the Earth Balance (or butter) and mix with your fingers until crumbly.
4. Pour in the almond milk. And using the paddle attachment, mix until well combined. You may need a tablespoon or so more of the almond milk to get a nice, soft dough. But it shouldn't be sticky.
5. In another bowl, crush chocolate chips or other pieces of chocolate with a fork (or shave a bit with a knife). You want it to be crumbly. Almost powdery. I used a fun fennel chocolate, but bittersweet, semi-sweet, etc., will do the trick. Or you can omit this part.
6. Mix chocolate together with the 2 tablespoons Earth Balance, 1/2 cup brown sugar. It should be wonderfully crumbly when you're done.
7. Roll out the buns dough on a lightly floured work surface. You should create a skinny rectangle that's about 5 inches by 18 inches. Then cover it with your crumbly sugar/chocolate mixture.
8. Roll it so that you get an incredibly long and skinny tube (so not a bit fat one). Use a knife to slice the tube into 24 tiny rolls.
9. Then place each tiny roll into each open slot on your muffin tin.
10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (mine only needed 16), until cinnamon buns are golden brown. Let cool for five minutes, then remove and finish cooling on cooling rack.

NOTE: If you don't have a mini muffin tin, I think you can use a 9" by 13" pan or even a pie plate -- you'll just have to bake the rolls while they're touching, but I think it'll work just fine. Grease whatever you are using, though. They can get rather sticky. And please let me know if this method works for you!

I find it incredible how I'm able to add chocolate to most everything. Even pizza sauce! Chocolate and peanut butter are definitely my favorite ingredients, so I guess it only makes sense that I want to devour them at all hours of the day. Do you, too, find yourself sneaking in your favorite ingredients . . . into basically everything you make? We love to hear some of your wacky combinations!

Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.


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