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Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

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Originally published January 14, 2009 and updated on December 28, 2012.

In 2009 we hit upon a really good gluten free cinnamon roll and in 2012 we still think these are great.  Here is how you make these not-too-sweet cinnamon rolls.  Make the dough for dinner rolls described at the Book of Yum website ,  omitting all flavorings except the salt (don’t use rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, or any of those sorts of things) to make a plain dinner roll dough:

http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/adeenas-gluten-free-rosemary-teff-dinner-roll-recipe-1478.html

Then proceed as follows:

Make a mixture of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and set aside (you may need more of this mixture depending on how much you put in each roll.)  Get out some yellow raisins and set aside.

Put a paper muffin liner in to each part of a 12-cup muffin pan and 6 more cups from another pan (total of 18).

Put about 1/2 cup mochiko rice (sweet rice) flour on a large piece of wax or parchment paper.  Make 3 rolls at a time as follows, take about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mixed plain roll dough and plop it onto the rice flour.  The mochiko flour should be nice and thick on the paper to keep the dough from sticking.

Pat the dough into a rectangle about 7 inches wide by 4 inches tall, and a little less than a 1/2 inch thick.  These are rough measurements.  Dot the surface with butter (6 small bits of butter, totaling about 1 Tablespoon.)  Sprinkle the surface (the whole surface of the rectangle) with a few tablespoons of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture, and sprinkle with 8-10 raisins, distributing evenly.  Very gently, roll the rectangle up like a jelly roll (from the 7 inch side), so that in the end you have a 7 inch long roll.  Slice the roll in to 3 equal length sections.  Put each section in to a paper-lined muffin cup so that the cut side is facing up.  The top of the roll should show some sugar filling. Proceed the same way until you have used up all the dough.  As you work, rearrange the remaining rice flour on the paper to provide a nice cushion for the dough.

Set the rolls aside to rise until doubled – this takes about 1/2 hour to 1 hour on a warm radiator.  Bake to rolls at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Allow to cool briefly, then slather each one with some of the following mixture.

  • 2 Tablespoons softened butter
  • 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • enough fresh orange juice to make a nice frosting

Another excellent recipe for Cinnamon Rolls – Gluten Free – is available here: http://www.food.com/recipe/cinnabon-ish-cinnamon-rolls-gluten-free-376575/review

Sangria with strawberries

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gfzing dot com sangria fruit
It is nearly 100 degrees outside, and humid, so what better use of some dry red table wine than a tasty cold sangria to drink with a leisurely dinner of potato salad?  The cinnamon in this recipe lends a certain richness and depth to an otherwise light-hearted drink.

We followed along with and embellished upon the ideas expressed at the interesting Spanish website La Receta de La Felicidad that lists Webos Fritos among its ancestors.  These folks add salt and pepper to their sangria – brilliant!  We added lime and triple sec.

Combine and chill:

1 liter (1 wine bottle) of red wine – sangiovese is a dry red

1 fresh lime, washed carefully and finely sliced (peel and all)

12 ounces of fresh strawberries, washed carefully and sliced

3 TB of gluten free orange liqueur (a gluten free triple sec) or 3 TB sugar

1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (depending on how spicy you like)

1 pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon vanilla (we make our own by soaking split vanilla beans in potato vodka for months and months)

Mix together fruit and wine and chill completely (about 2-4 hours).  Add the spices and vanilla. Serve in wine glasses with plenty of the berry slices in each glass.  The limes are there for flavor – you don’t necessarily eat the slices of lime.

We would have taken a photo of the glass of sangria, but all that was left was the fruit! Eat the fruit with a spoon.

According to the new food pyramid (which is now a plate), the combination of a potato salad made with grated carrots and hard-boiled eggs, and a glass of this sangria with fruit, would satisfy most of the requirements except for the mysterious “dairy” circle.  That dairy circle could be taken care of with a simple slice of manchego cheese.  And done! – a balanced meal.