Pillowy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
They are the most pillowy vegan cinnamon rolls you will ever try. Made with brioche dough and filled with a sweet and butter cinnamon filling, they are incredibly light and fluffy with a cotton candy texture! Enjoy them for breakfast during the Christmas holidays or for a special brunch!
Equipment
8.5×8.5-inch (22×22 cm) baking pan
Ingredients
Yudane
- 75 g all-purpose flour
- 75 ml water
Brioche Dough
- 100 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 g instant yeast
- 240 g all-purpose flour
- 45 g granulated sugar
- 1/16 tsp vitamin C powder
- 4 g salt
- 115 g diced vegan butter at room temperature
Cinnamon Filling
- 35 g vegan butter at room temperature, preferably spreadable butter
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Sugar Icing (Optional)
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the yudane
- Mix the flour and water. Add the flour to a bowl. Bring the water to a boil and pour it into the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour with the water and create a thick paste.
- Refrigerate overnight. Cover the plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Note: do not skip the resting time. I tried using the paste right away but didn’t get great results.
Knead the dough
- Combine the wet ingredients. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the vegan milk and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients. Then, add the instant yeast, flour, sugar, vitamin C powder, and Yudane. Note: Do not add the salt yet, as it could kill the yeast.
- Knead on low speed. Using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer, knead the dough on speed 2 for about 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will still have a grainy texture. This is normal.
- Knead on medium speed. Add the salt and knead at a speed of 4-5 for another 20-25 minutes or until the dough is very smooth and stretchy. Ultimately, it should pass the windowpane test. You can learn more about this in my vegan brioche recipe. Do not add more flour – the dough is supposed to be soft and a bit sticky.
- Slowly add the butter. As the stand mixer runs on speed 4-5, slowly add the diced butter. I recommend adding about 1/3 of the butter and adding more once it is fully incorporated. It should take about 5 minutes for all of the butter to be fully incorporated into the dough. Note: The dough should be very smooth and almost shiny. Be aware that at this point, the dough will also be very soft and slightly sticky. Once again, this is normal.
- First rise. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap touching the dough. This will prevent it from forming a crust. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. I usually simply place it in my oven with the light turned on.
- Second rise. Once the dough has almost doubled in volume, punch it to deflate it and cover it with plastic wrap again. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow it to rise for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. This will allow the dough to firm up.
- Grease a baking pan. Once the dough has chilled overnight in the refrigerator, lightly grease an 8.5×8.5-inch (22×22 cm) baking pan with butter.
- Make the cinnamon sugar filling. Add the vegan butter, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon to a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
- Flatten the dough. Line a working surface with a layer of plastic wrap. Place the dough on top and shape it into a rectangle. Next, top the dough with another layer of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a thin rectangle of about 16×11 inches (40x28cm).
- Spread the filling. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the cinnamon sugar butter filling all over the dough into a thin layer.
- Roll. Since the dough is quite soft and sticky, I recommend using the plastic wrap to help you roll the dough. Lift the longer side of the plastic wrap and use it to roll out the flattened dough into a log. It should be tight but not overly tight – otherwise, the brioche dough won’t be tender.
- Slice into shorter rolls. Once the dough has been rolled out, cut off about 2 inches (5 cm) on each side of the log. You can transfer those to a baking sheet and bake them as individual rolls. Measure the remaining log and divide the length by 9. Use a small knife to make marks on the dough, creating 9 equal pieces of about 1.4 inches (3.5 cm).
- Using dental floss or a thin thread, slice the log into 9 rolls and carefully place them side cut up in the baking pan.
- Let them rise. Cover the cinnamon rolls loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise in a warm spot for 90-120 minutes or until they have doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to
350 °F (175°C). - Bake. Finally, remove the plastic wrap from the cinnamon rolls and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Enjoy. Allow them to cool down for 20-25 minutes before drizzling with the glaze and enjoying!
- For the optional glaze: mix the powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla extract until fully combined. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk. Drizzle with a spoon over the cinnamon rolls.
- You can store the cinnamon rolls covered with plastic wrap for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Notes
Do not add extra flour.
Although it might be tempting to add more flour during kneading, do not! It is completely normal for the dough to be soft and slightly sticky. Since it contains large amounts of butter, the dough will firm up once it is cold, making it easier to flatten and roll.Do not rush the process!
It’s very important that you carefully follow the process and do not try to rush any step. The resting time for the Yudane, the long kneading time, and the overnight rise are critical to success.Let the rolls rise in a warm environment.
It’s essential to let the dough rise in a warm environment. If your kitchen is too cold, place the dough in an oven with the light on or near a heater.Slice your rolls using dental floss.
There are different ways to slice your rolls. My preferred option is to use a thin sewing thread or dental floss. Slide the thread under the roll, cross it on top, and pull to slice a roll. This results in clean cuts as opposed to using a knife (where you would simply end up with flattened and messy rolls).Another option is to use a pizza cutter wheel to slice the flattened dough into long strips before rolling them individually.