Saturday, March 19, 2011

Beautiful Buns


Vegan. Whole Wheat. Cinnamon Buns.

Winning!

I discovered these bodacious breakfast buns on With a Side of Sneakers, and knew it wouldn't be long before they made an appearance in my kitchen. Do you recall last month's botched bun attempt? Ever since that disastrous morning, I've been determined to roll out a new recipe (pun intended).

This recipe will defy everything you previously thought you knew about cinnamon rolls. They contain no butter or oil, and only a modest amount of sugar. Best of all, they don't require a lengthy rising time--nor a lengthy prep time--which is just what this hungry girl wants on a Saturday morning.

The trick to these ooey gooey breakfast gems is to just barely bake them 'til done--it'll give them that oozing, doughy quality of bakery buns. We drizzled (covered) the tops with a powdered sugar glaze, but if you're not in a vegan-kinda mood, I urge you to whip up a bowl of cream cheese frosting.

Now please: Do your loved ones justice and step away from that tube of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. Tubes belong to socks, tops, and flotation devices, but they certainly do not belong in your refrigerator.

Vegan Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns
(recipe from With a Side of Sneakers blog)

These buns will change your opinion of breakfast forever. And it's a good change.

Dough Ingredients:
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 - 1/4 tsp. yeast
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup bread flour (plus more for kneading)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 4 TBSP applesauce
Filling Ingredients:
  • 2 - 3 TBSP vegan non-hydrogenated margarine
  • 2 - 3 TBSP applesauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
Glaze Ingredients:
  • Powdered sugar
  • Almond milk
  • Vanilla extract
Directions:
1) Heat the almond milk in the microwave until just warm. Sprinkle yeast on top and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, Combine the dry bun ingredients in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and applesauce and mix until a soft dough forms (add more flour as needed). Knead dough for a few minutes--I cheated and used the dough hook on my stand mixer :)

3) Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread with the vegan margarine, then the applesauce.

4) In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Sprinkle evenly over the dough rectangle. Roll up the dough, lengthwise, and cut into 10 rolls. Place in an 9 x 9 inch baking dish (coated with cooking spray). Cover and allow to rise briefly while you do the dishes and tidy up the kitchen :)

5) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake buns for 20 minutes. Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl in your desired amounts (I just kept mixing sugar and milk until I got to the amount and consistency I wanted!). Drizzle on top, and eat up.


14 comments:

  1. Oh. My. Lanta. I havent had a cinnamon roll in ages, and it is all because they are so unhealthy. You totally just made me having a cinnamon roll a possibility. You quite possibly are my hero :)

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  2. I'm SO glad that you've got to finally have some non-burnt-to-a-crisp buns! They look fabulous!

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  3. OH wow, these look SO good!!! What a fantastic recipe! :) My grandma used to always let us make cinnamon rolls when we were little, but they were always just the kind out of the can!

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  4. very impressive recipe!!

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  5. KYLIE! These look fantastic! I will definitely be making these..I just love your blog so much chickee :)

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  6. I have to be honest...I sometimes think that vegan cooking will not be any good. But I can't believe how awesome these buns look! My sister-in-law is vegan, and I'm always on the hunt for recipes that will impress and please her...I'm sure this is one of them! Thanks :)

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  7. Oh my goodness do I love cinnamon buns! These look amazing! :)

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  8. I love cinnamon buns but we just never have them! These look delicious.

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  9. I gave you a stylish blogger award! Check out my last post chickee

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  10. NOMz! Oh my goodness, thank you for this. Clearly, you going on a vegan cleanse is a BEAUTIFUL thing! :D

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  11. These look wonderful and I LOVE the fact that they have almost no fat. Most cinnamon buns are laden with fat and sugar. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Oh these would be perfect with the cup of tea I need to pour myself. In the midst of all this confusion/tragedy I’m facing, I find solace in these pictures…and in your words. Thank you for sharing with me..and thank you for supporting me through the good and the bad. May your week be full of laughter and love. Hold onto those you love.

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  13. I really need to do more vegan baking, and you know how I love when there's yeast involved! ;) Glad that you finally got your cinnamon rolls after the burnt ones. These are so wonderfully puffy!

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