I made these Butternut Cinnamon Rolls a few times. Yes, because they’re that yummy.
Thing is they came out a little different each time.
Just the teeny tiniest bit different depending on exactly what gluten-free flour blend or butternut squash—frozen, canned, fresh—was used.
It’s something that can happen when you bake with substitutions—no gluten, no butter and no eggs. If you substitute an ingredient it will change things just slightly. Or, it may change the recipe in a big way. And, if you substitute a substitute—well that’s just a whole new experiment.
It’s not all bad. It can be interesting. It can be fun. It can be a delicious success.
Butternut Cinnamon Rolls
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
Prepare the filling and set aside. Mix together:
1 cup brown sugar (Look below to learn how to make coconut brown sugar!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup yellow raisins
Whisk together in a large mixing bowl:
2½ cups TSP GF flour blend
¾ teaspoons xanthan gum*
1½ teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer
3 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Blend into the dry mixture, using a large fork (or your hands) until the flour mixture becomes somewhat sandy in consistency:
6 tablespoons cold Earth Balance Buttery Spread
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup mix together:
½ cup organic butternut squash puree**
½ cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Add half the butternut squash mixture to the flour and stir to combine. Continue adding the wet mixture, stirring to combine until it’s all added. This should result in a sticky dough that can be rolled out. If the dough is too moist you can add in a bit more flour a teaspoon at a time—alternately if it’s too dry add more coconut milk a teaspoon at a time—until it reaches the right consistency. If the dough is too firm, however, the rolls won’t be tender.
Line your counter with a large sheet of parchment paper, flour it and turn the dough ball onto it. Pat the dough into a flat rectangular shape. Sprinkle with additional flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Gently roll the dough out into a larger rectangle about 9 inches x 12 inches x 3/8 inch.
Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough allowing a small border without any filling. (You can hold back a few tablespoons of filling if you’d like to sprinkle it over top of the cinnamon rolls before baking.) Gently tap the filling to make sure it adheres to the dough.
This is the tricky part—rolling the dough. Using the parchment paper gently lift the dough along the 12 inch side rolling it in on itself. You’re going to use the paper to help you roll the dough so it’s roll and peel, roll and peel (get it?) until you’ve got a nice log of rolled dough.
Seal the seam by pressing or pinching it. Cut the log into 8 equal slices and arrange them in the cake pan.
Sprinkle any remaining filling over top. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.
*Add xanthan gum if using TSP flour blend. If using an alternative flour blend read the ingredients to see if it already includes xanthan gum. If your preferred GF flour blend already contains does xanthan gum then omit the amount called for in this recipe.
*Fresh and canned butternut squash is a bit denser than the frozen variety. You may need to adjust the liquid measurement slightly depending on the type you use.
How to make coconut brown sugar.
Place one cup coconut sugar and 4 teaspoons molasses in the bowl of a small food processor. Process until mixed…voila! Brown sugar. If you don’t have a small food processor you can mix it together with a fork until combined.