Cinnamon Buns
”But Make It Vegan” for Environment911.org
June 2022
I don’t think I need to sell you on these, because... cinnamon buns.
But what if I told you that you could make them in about 30 minutes!?
I was cooking recently with my friend Rebecca Coleman, who wrote a cookbook called “Vegan Baking Made Easy” and she has a quick vegan cinnamon roll recipe that is sure to make your Sunday morning even better.
I made some adjustments for what I had in my house, but I found them simple and delicious! They’re not the big super fluffy ones, but they’re SO fast and simple to make.
Makes 12 Small Cinnamon Buns
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or white)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp of baking powder
- 1/3 cup of brown or granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon (or more if you’d like)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp of non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Melt 1/2 cup of the vegan butter and let cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Preheat oven to 350F, grease a round cake pan (approx. 8 inches) with the un-melted butter. Rebecca also suggests using a muffin tin for this (but I always claim the middle buns with all soft sides).
Combine the ½ cup of non-dairy milk in a bowl with the vinegar – this will curdle the milk and make it into vegan buttermilk – let sit for at least 5 mins.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, 2 tbsp of granulated sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add 1/3 cup of melted butter to the vegan buttermilk and stir to combine.
Create a well in the flour mixture and add the buttermilk/butter combo in and mix to combine, then knead with your hands into a dough.
Sprinkle a clean surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it and knead it a few more times.
Flatten the dough with your hands and rolling pin and shape into a ¾ inch thick, 12x6 rectangle.
Spread the remaining melted butter on top of the dough with a pastry brush, and then sprinkle your desired sugar (I used golden) and cinnamon evenly across.
Roll the dough into a log (12-inch side), and pinch the end to close the seam.
Cut into 12 equal sized pieces (cut in halves until done) and then place evenly in the greased pan.
Bake for 20 mins until they start to become golden brown on the edges.
While they are baking mix the powdered sugar with the 2 tsp of non-dairy milk, an optional vanilla, in a small bowl.
It will be thick, but you want it that way because it will melt on the buns.
Remove the buns from the oven when ready and let cool for 5-10 mins in the pan.
Carefully remove and spread the icing on top of the buns and serve.
You can store these at room temp in an airtight container for a few days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
ENJOY!