Season’s Eatings

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)

As sorely tempted as I was to bake my heart out in the form of holiday cookies, time simply slipped away while I wasn’t looking, leaving me to watch on in green-eyed envy as everyone else I knew pulled tray after tray of golden dough from their ovens. Besides the time commitment involved, I couldn’t for the life of me narrow down the winding list of possible treats to include in a platter. Sugar cookies, thumb prints, biscotti, shortbread, gingersnaps – Seriously people, how do you make a decision here? Still, there were sweet gifts to be made for friends and family, and so a day before the appointed exchange, it seemed inevitable that an untraditional approach would be in the cards. I could only hope that the recipients would still appreciate my offering of…

Cinnamon buns. Just think about that for a moment: Soft and warm from the oven, cinnamon and sugar rolled into every fold of tender dough, drizzled with an ample amount of maple icing. What’s not to love? A delicious indulgence appropriate for the season, I could think of nothing more comforting than a pan of these delectable buns, fully baked and ready to be devoured after just a hot minute of micro-love.

I must admit though, a certain blog post that happened to pass through my radar was quite an inspiration for this gift, so I can hardly take credit for it. Easily veganized, slapped together with such ease that the most difficult step is waiting for the dough to rise, it was one lucky find. In no time at all, I had seven decorative pans filled with plump rolls… And I have to say, there weren’t too many protests to be heard when those cinnamon buns were distributed into the hands of loved ones. Truly, the gift that keeps on giving is one that is both a treat for the baker and the partaker!

So in case you’d like to start a new tradition for next year, here’s the recipe with all of my changes and substitutions included. I must warn you however- This makes a lot of cinnamon buns, so unless you have a good amount of people on your “nice” list or a house full of hungry guests, you might just end up eating an unreasonable number of those addictive rolls yourself.

Cinnamon Buns
[Inspired by The Pioneer Woman Cooks]

1 Quart Soymilk
1 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Packets Active Dry Yeast
9 Cups All Purpose Flour, Divided
1 Heaping Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Scant Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Cup Margarine, Divided
2 Cups Granulated Sugar, Divided
Loads of Cinnamon

Maple Icing

1 2-Pound Bag Confectioner’s Sugar
2 Teaspoons Maple Extract
3/4 Cup Soymilk
1/4 Cup Margarine, Melted

First off, combine the soymilk, oil, and 1 cup of sugar together in a large pot and place it over medium heat on the stove. Bring it just to a boil while stirring, and then immediately take it off the heat. Let it sit for about 45-60 minutes to cool to below 115 degrees, as anything hotter will kill the yeast.

Once luke warm, add in the yeast and let it get acquainted with the mixture for about 5 minutes. Then, dump in 8 cups of the flou, stir well so that it’s fully incorporated, and cover the whole pot. Let it sit for another hour to rise.

After that hour has passed, (really, there’s a lot of waiting but not much work, you’ll see!) stir in the last cup of flour, along with baking soda and powder, and salt. Now you’re finally ready to get rolling!

On a well floured surface, take out half of the dough and use a rolling pin to coerce it into a very long, rectangular shape. Don’t worry about the exact measurements, but make sure it’s about 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick and longer than it is wide. Now, melt down 1/2 cup of the margrine and pore it liberally all over the dough. Spread it on evenly using a spatula, and then top it with 1 cup of the sugar. Next, just go crazy with the cinnamon shaker; I didn’t measure, but just coat the whole slab evenly and generously, and there should be no problems (I went through about 1/2 of my cinnamon shaker, by the way.) Finally, roll the whole thing up into one sugary, spicy snake and cut it into buns about 1 inch wide. Place the buns into lightly greased (I used 8-inch round, but anything goes) pans- It should make about 7 pans in all.

Repeat with the remaining half of dough.

The buns will need to sit for another 30 minutes, but in the meantime, you can start preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Once plump and risen, you can slide those rolls into the oven for a brief 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown and smelling incredible.

While they’re baking away, you can go ahead and make the glaze. Simply combine all the ingredients for it and stir well. Once those buns come out of the oven either drench or drizzle them while still hot, depending on how much holiday cheer you’d like to bestow. Enjoy, but make sure that you share the holiday spirit around!

Makes 7 Pans of Cinnamon Buns; Approximately 7 – 8 Buns Per Pan

Printable Recipe

44 thoughts on “Season’s Eatings”

  1. Hi Hannah, I’m a 14 year old Singaporean, really admire your creativity!! I wanted to order your book, but I just wanted to ask if you use alot of vegan butter and maple syrup, cause stuff like these are super expensive in Singapore.

    I only trust Earth Balance, which I got from the US when I was on holiday, but over here they go at about US $10 per tub. We have non dairy marg, but they’re hydrogenated and don’t taste as good.

    Maple syrup is twice the price of maple syrup in the US, so yeah you get the idea I think!

    So I love making vegan treats, but it’s so hard when stuff like these are so expensive, and it’s no use having a cookbook that keeps calling for vegan butter and liquid sweeteners!

    1. Melissa, in case you are still looking 2 years later, have you tried looking for palm margarine or coconut oil? I don’t know about Singapore, but in Malaysia, the Indian section of the grocery stores had big packets of hard margarine made out of palm oil. It’s not Earth Balance, but it is cheaper! Forget about maple syrup though…
      good luck!

  2. It is definitely tough to pick out what treats to make. That’s probably why we end up with so many this time of year! Your cinnamon rolls look so yummy though!
    Oh, and I must say, your Mochas Devastation Cake is amazing!! Everyone in my family loved it and they were even more dumbfounded when I told them there was tofu in it!! I made a tiny mistake with the ganache frosting, but no one even noticed. Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful recipe :-)

  4. Hi Hannah

    your blog makes me smile and sometimes hungry :)
    though i do try to stay out of temptation’s way it’s almost impossible with such beautiful photos and tasty treats. the cinnamon buns looks so good that i think they’ll be next :)

    keep on the good work

  5. you’re buns look gorgeous (hee hee)! i would have welcomed a pan of those any day – the ultimate sinful comfort food….thank you for all your sharing this year and i look forward to much more tempting ideas in 2008! btw, belated congratulations on your food blog award for best writing…can we look forward to another book in the future???

  7. Cinnamon rolls are awesome. Yum. I’m glad you could veganize a recipe to use – it looks incredible. I like the idea of making a big batch and sharing them with all your loved ones. :)

  9. oh my goodness, look at those cinnamon buns!!! EXCELLENT work on veganizing that recipe – I must try it for my family!! I can’t do much baking right now though, since I injured myself, but I’m putting these on my “must-try-recipe” list :0)

  12. What an excellent baked good gift idea. I’ve never thought of giving cinnamon rolls but I know I’d love to receive them! They look great.

  13. how fantastic! I admit I had a bit of a vicarious heart attack when I looked at the original post (1 1/2 – to TWO cups of butter?? *faint*), but considering how many they make… and considering it’s the holidays… I can see why this recipe topped your list!

  14. These may be my first foray into Vegan cooking. I’ve avoided it thus far b/c I don’t want to run out in search of weird ingredients…but I think I always have everything needed for these!

  16. Oooh, thank you! I’ve actually been wondering where I was gonna get a decent cinnamon roll recipe. I probably *will* end up eating most of them myself… but that’s okay. :)

  17. Mmm. Cinnamon buns! You write so beautifully I can smell and taste them already. They look like quite an improvement on what my husband brings home from the bakery.

  20. Hannah, Those maple frosted buns are holiday worthy, indeed! Beautiful! And the lime photograph made my mouth water. ;)

    I’m struggling with vegan gluten-free baking. Without the gluten- or the eggs- it’s tough! Not to mention, no soy or flax. I wonder if some of your recipes would convert with gluten-free flours? I’ll have to take a peek at your new book [Congrats!] and see if the recipes *could* convert to GF.

    Have a healthy, safe and lovely New Year!

  21. I have to say, time slipped by for us as well. The funny thing is that the only thing that came from our oven were my cinnabons. I have made them for years, but being vegan now I veganized them and they turned out just like they always were. I think the great pan idea is wonderful. I give mine away too, but usually on a paper plate. I like your idea and your recipe. Thanks for sharing!

  22. another amazing creation. i cannot wait to try them.,.and might i add that your cookbook is amazing. i brought it into work and so many people are coming up to me asking me where they could get a copy. also, as soon as it is in our warehouse, we are ordering it for the store because so many vegans come in. your work is so unique and creative…you have so many talents. thank you so much for sharing them.

  23. They look great! Any idea what the baking soda and baking powder do? My usual vegan cinnamon roll recipe (otherwise very similar to yours) doesn’t use them, and I can’t think of any other yeast doughs that do.

  26. Hi Hannah, I’m 13 years old and have been battling my Dairy allergy since I was 9. Since third grade, I was never able to eat cinnamon rolls, but now I can!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I have had to watch all the other kids eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast and all I have is a bagel or a piece of toast. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!- Rachel

  27. THanks again for the recipe Hannah…

    however I am a little confused…could you help me simplify the instructions a little? And I was wondering if you have instructions for just 10-12 rolls, cause I’m baking just for my mummy (dearest!) and two best friends.

  28. Recently, i found out that my son has a milk-protein allergy (he’s 3!) and so now I am faced with the challenge of rplacing his favorite foods with ones he can eat without getting sick. And to be fair, I don’t eat anything he can’t. I love this recipe! neither he nor I (or anone else, for that matter) can tell that there’s anything different about these buns. Thanks!

  29. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe… the cinnamon buns are cooling as i type this. they rose beautifully and smell teriffic!!
    I have spent a good part of the last 3 years developing and searching for recipes that my 3 year old can eat ( he has dairy, egg and peanut allergies)and the hardest part is coming up with recipes the rest of the family will still enjoy with out sacraficing the
    taste and consistencey of the product. (mostly in baked goods)
    I’m so excited to be able to just bake a recipe without developing it first!!! Again thank you so much i can’t wait for my family to try them.

  30. Hannah,
    These look amazing!!! I am always in the mood for cinnamon rolls, so I wonder, would these do okay if I froze them so whenever I wanted fresh cinnamon rolls I could just grab them out of the freezer and stick them in the over? Thanks!
    Alice

  32. Hey,

    Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to make them today! But just wanted to let you know that the link you posted to “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” is broken (for me at least).

    Thanks again!
    Claudia

  34. So I made these this evening and they are pretty tasty. I think I had higher expectations though. Oh and you need to cover the rolls the last time around for them to rise for 30 mins, the instructions didn’t mention covering.

  36. Ooh, yours look good, too! I considered swapping out the milk for soymilk (I keep it on hand because I’m slightly lactose intolerant) but I worried that the fiancee would notice.

  41. this is my first go-cinnamon roll recipe! I printed this out, used to make it all the time, then I lost the print out, and forgot your blog. In my random search for something as perfect, I ended up on Pioneer Woman’s website, and just subbed in vegan ingredients. I had no idea your version was inspired by hers, hahaha! Goes to show my tastes are consistent. :) Now I’ve found you again and can just follow the recipe exactly again.

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