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If you haven’t made gluten free cinnamon rolls before then you absolutely must drop everything right now!
These doughy, swirly, gluten free cinnamon buns are soft, sweet and delicious, laced with thick white icing.
They’re the perfect gluten free treat for brunch and trust me, they are way easier to make than you might think.
Enjoy them while they’re still warm and scoop up all that sugary, cinnamon-y goodness at the bottom of the baking tin.
It’s honestly making me drool just thinking about it!
What are cinnamon rolls?
Believe it or not, I’ve never actually had a ‘real’ cinnamon roll before.
I was diagnosed with coeliac disease over 20 years ago and although I rarely miss gluten, there are a few things I wish I’d been able to try.
Cinnamon rolls are one of those foods – and now I’ve mastered them I can see why people love them!
A cinnamon roll is basically a leavened (yeasted) dough, rolled up with a bundle of cinnamon-y, sugary goodness.
Cut into rolls, these buns are left to prove before being baked to golden perfection.
Then you slather them in a thick vanilla icing – which mingles with the oozing cinnamon syrup to create a delicious treat!
They are sweet and sticky, deliciously moreish, and perfect when eaten while still warm from the oven.
I believe there are other variations which can be made with a cream cheese frosting, or leave them un-iced and it’s a ‘cinnamon bun’.
Either way, this is my preferred recipe for making these delicious treats, and I know you’re going to absolutely love them!
What ingredients do I need?
There’s a full printable recipe card below with the full method, but for the shopping list you will need the following:
- 250ml milk
- 14g dried yeast
- 80g caster sugar
- 500g gluten free white bread flour
- 75g butter
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE FILLING:
- 35g butter (melted)
- 150g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
FOR THE ICING:
- 200g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp boiling water
As you can see, it’s actually a fairly simple ingredients list!
The sugar is important for activating the yeast and flavouring the bake and I wouldn’t recommend baking without it.
I haven’t tried a dairy free version but imagine it would substitute fairly well with a dairy free milk and dairy free spread instead of butter.
I always add extra xanthan gum because it helps with the texture of the bake – I wouldn’t recommend omitting it.
The flour I use is the FREEE gluten free white bread flour, which is available in UK supermarkets.
It’s a blend of rice, potato and tapioca flour, and while I don’t have my own homemade mix (yet!) it is something I’m working on!
Which yeast is gluten free?
I am based in the UK and there are several yeast products here which are gluten free and readily available.
I always use either the Allinson’s Easy Bake Yeast or the Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast.
You can also use the Allinson’s Time Saver Yeast, though be aware that you may not need to prove the dough for as long if you use this.
All of these yeasts are gluten free in the UK.
The Dove’s Farm one is certified gluten free and found in the free from aisle.
The Allinson’s yeasts are free from gluten and can be found with the ‘regular’ baking goods.
Testing if your yeast is active
It’s very important with any bread recipe that you activate the yeast before using it.
To do this, all of my gluten free bread-based recipes start by mixing the yeast with warm milk (or some of them with water) and sugar.
I’d strongly recommend using a food thermometer like this one to ensure the water or milk is around 40’C – skin temperature.
Too hot and it will kill the yeast, which means your bake will not rise.
When left in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes, the yeast should form a frothy top a bit like the head on beer.
This means your yeast is active and you’re good to go!
If your yeast doesn’t froth up after 10 minutes, it’s likely it is dead and you’ll need to discard it and start again.
Sometimes yeast can go out of date so this could be a reason for it not frothing.
You also need to make sure the water is warm – not hot.
When you pop your finger in it, it should be a warm, comfortable temperature, around the same as your skin.
How to roll cinnamon buns
Again, the recipe card down below has the full method for making these gluten free cinnamon buns.
But I thought it might be helpful to include a few step-by-step photos of the construction of these beauties!
I don’t know about you but I just find it helps to visualise what I’m doing.
Once you’ve made your dough, you need to roll it out. I recommend doing this between clingfilm sheets as it’s pretty sticky.
Make sure you always wet your hands when handling the dough, as this will stop it sticking to you.
First things first, you’ll need to shape the dough into a rough, flat rectangle with your hands, like this:
Once you’ve done that, take a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a large rectangle, around 4mm thick.
You want it to be approximately double the length on the longest side to the shortest.
You can peel back the clingfilm and use your (wet) hands to nudge it back into a neat rectangle as you go – this will help create a neater roll.
It should look a little like this:
Rolling them up
Once your dough is rolled out, remove the top layer of clingfilm – it’s time to make the filling.
First you need to brush the dough with butter, then cover it with cinnamon and brown sugar.
I find the best way to mix the cinnamon and sugar is to chuck it in a tub, pop a lid on and give it a good shake.
Once coated, it should look like this:
To create the rolls, you will need to use the clingfilm to guide the longest edge of the rectangle nearest you into a curl.
Keep rolling, as tight as you can, until the whole thing is rolled up.
You may need to use your hands to tuck the first roll under itself so that it stays in place, but once you start rolling it should be fairly easy.
Once rolled, it should look like this:
Once rolled you simply need to cut it into 12 even pieces, and then pop them in a baking tin.
These will then need to prove for 50-60 minutes.
This proving time is a guide and will depend on how cold or warm your house is at the time.
If it’s a hot day, you may find these prove quickly, while a cold day might need even more time.
Your aiming for the rolls to puff up a little so they are touching, like this:
Once bake, it’s important to allow the rolls to cool for at least half an hour before icing and eating.
This is to give them gums time to settle and for the bread to finish ‘cooking’.
But scoff them warm after 30 minutes-or-so and you’re in for an absolute treat!
My gluten free cinnamon rolls recipe
Here it is – everything you need to make the perfect batch of gluten free cinnamon rolls.
Soft, doughy and sweet, these are just perfect with a coffee for a mid-morning snack!
This recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls and I recommend making them in a 24cm square baking tin.
I’ve also got a handy video here showing you just how easy they are to make!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
These gluten free cinnamon rolls are just the BEST treat - dough cinnamon buns with a thick icing on top. This recipe makes 12 cinnamon buns.
Ingredients
- 250ml milk
- 14g dried yeast
- 80g caster sugar
- 500g gluten free white bread flour
- 75g butter
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 35g butter (melted)
- 150g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the icing:
- 200g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp boiling water
Instructions
- Warm the milk in the microwave or a pan until it reaches around 40'C (skin temperature). Stir in the caster sugar then add the yeast. Cover with a tea towel and sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes until it forms a frothy head on top like a pint of beer.
- Meanwhile mix the gluten free bread flour, xanthan gum and baking powder in a large mixing bow and stir together.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and add the vanilla extract. Beat with a fork until mixed. Melt the butter in the microwave.
- When the yeast mix is ready, make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast mixture in. Pour the beaten egg and melted butter in too.
- Using a wooden spoon, beat the mixture together until it forms a thick, sticky dough. It should start to come away from the sides of the bowl but be quite stiff and sticky to mix - you'll need some elbow grease!
- Lay a large piece of clingfilm (or two pieces overlapping each other) out on the work surface and very lightly oil them. Turn the dough out into the centre of them.
- Wet your hands with cold water and shape the dough into a rough, flat rectangle shape. Keep wetting your hands to stop the dough from sticking to them.
- Cover the rectangle with more clingfilm and then roll out the dough into a large rectangle, around 4mm thick. You can use wet hands to bring the ends back into a neat, large rectangle shape.
- Once rolled out, melt the butter for the filling. Take off the top layer of clingfilm and brush the butter all over the dough in an even layer. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and then sprinkle liberally and evenly to completely cover the dough.
- Using the clingfilm to help you, roll the dough from the longest edge and keep going until the dough is completely rolled up into a long cylinder shape.
- Cut the dough into 12 event pieces - I do this by cutting the cylinder in half with a sharp knife, then each half in half again, then finally cut each piece into three.
- Lightly oil a 24cm square tin. Lay the rolls down in the tin in three even rows of four. Cover the tin with clingfilm and then place in a warm spot and prove for 50-60 minutes. They should puff up in size and all be touching.
- When the dough has proved, preheat the oven to 180'C / Gan 160'C / Gas Mark 4. Remove the clingfilm and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and leave the rolls to cool for around 30 minutes. Make the icing by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Pour evenly over the rolls and leave for 5 minutes to set before tearing the rolls apart and eating them.
Notes
- These cinnamon rolls are best eaten on the day of baking. You can keep them in an airtight container for a couple of days and refresh them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
- I always use the FREEE by Doves Farm gluten free white bread flour which is a mix of rice, potato and tapioca flour.
- I usually use the Allinsons Easy Bake Yeast (in the baking aisle) or FREEE by Doves Farm yeast (in the free from aisle). Both are gluten free.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 7g
Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free yeasted baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking tutorials to get you going:
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
Like this Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls recipe?
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Made these today following your recipe and yesssssssssss!!! *cheers hysterically* Thank you so much! Not had cinnamon rolls in years and these are delicious and your recipe is so thorough and easy to follow ❤️. xxx
Amizing! My children love them, thank you for the recipe! Just out of curiosity, can I freeze them?
Hi, I can’t get hold of the bread flour, would sr flour work for this recipe?
No ideally you need the bread flour – you can use PLAIn (not SR) if not but the mixture will be stickier to handle.
Can this recipe be made dairy free please?
I’ve not tried it yet – but I think it would work if you subbed for DF milk and DF butter 🙂