Vegan Rye Cinnamon Pecan Rolls

I really REALLY wish there was somewhere near me that sold vegan cinnamon buns. Because I would be there every single frickin day. I need more baked goods in my life; its making me mentally unstable. Alas, the only place that has a baked good that’s close to a ‘normal’ pastry is Crosstown Doughnuts who have started doing Vegan Doughnuts every Fri, Sat & Sun. All other vegan places near me are very health focused and their baked goods are either in fact raw, or are made with buckwheat flour and there’s no dough in site.

I have yet to venture to Crosstown to try the Vegan doughnuts but the dough (via instagram) looks so bloody tasty, I need to get there ASAP.  (You’ll be seeing an update on that very soon via my instagram.) If anyone knows of any good bakeries in central London near the Victoria/Westminster/Mayfair area, PLEASE let me in on it.

I made these cinnamon rolls with the intention to freeze them in order to sustain me during the week ahead, but they never made it even close to the freezer. I shouldnt be surprised as that’s typical me, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.

This recipe is actually really similar to your average cinnamon roll recipe, and it was really easy to create a vegan version. I gave one of my non-vegan friends one and she soon sent through a lovely text about how amazing they were and how you would have no idea they were vegan. Those kind of words make me so happy; to know that living a vegan lifestyle you don’t need to miss out.

So here you are; a cinnamon roll that both you and your non-vegan friends and family will love. Ssh don’t tell them its vegan and I 100% guarantee they wont even know.

Ingredients – Makes 10 cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 7g – dried yeast
• 200ml warm water
• 330g plain white flour
• 160g rye flour
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 15g cane sugar (or caster sugar)
• 100ml nut milk (I used almond milk)
• 50g vegan butter, melted
• extra plain flour for kneading

Cinnamon Roll Filling

• 50g vegan butter (plus a little extra to grease dish)
• 40g cane sugar (or caster sugar)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 handfuls of pecans, roughly chopped

Maple Topping

• 150g icing sugar
• 35g vegan butter
• 20g maple syrup
• water to adjust consistency

Method

Cinnamon Roll Dough

• Begin by whisking together your dried yeast and warm water. Set it aside and let it rest for 5 minutes until bubbling.
• In a large bowl combine the plain flour, rye flour, salt and cane sugar. In another bowl combine the nut milk and melted vegan butter. After 5 minutes, pour your water/yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and combine using a spoon or your hand. As the mixture becomes shaggy, gradually add in your nut milk/butter mix. Continue to stir until a dough is formed. Once your dough is shaggy, tip it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Your dough should form a smooth ball and bounce back when you press the surface.
• Leave in a greased bowl to prove for 1 hour (or until doubled in size) covered with a kitchen towel.

Rolling, filling and cutting

• In a small bowl combine the cane sugar and cinnamon from the filling ingredients and chop your pecans. Grease a baking dish with vegan butter ready for your rolls later.
• Once your dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a large floured surface and roll out into a rectangle about 0.5cm thick. Melt your butter for the filling and brush it over the surface of the dough, leaving a small border around the edge. Sprinkle over the sugar/cinnamon and then the chopped pecans. Starting on the longest edge, roll up the dough into a long spiral sausage. Cut into ten even pieces and lay into the backing dish spiral side down with a few cm in-between.
• Prove for another hour, or until doubled in size.
• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C.

Baking and finishing

• Once your cinnamon rolls are nice and proved, bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. You’re cinnamon rolls should be evenly golden brown on top and smell delicious!
• To make your topping; beat together the icing sugar and butter. Once light and fluffy, stir in the maple syrup. Gradually add water (a tbsp. at a time) until the consistency is thick but spreadable. You don’t want your icing to be too thin, you want a thick and indulgent topping that’s similar to cream cheese consistency. Spread your icing over the top of the cinnamon rolls while they’re still a little warm.
• ENJOY!