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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Using mashed potato in this bread dough makes the fluffiest vegan cinnamon rolls which stay soft & moist for days. No need for eggs or dairy!
Course Bread and Yeast Doughs
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon, dairy free, egg free, eggless, potato, vegan, yeasted
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 120 g mashed potato (you'll need 1 medium potato)
  • 475 g plain white flour or white bread flour
  • 40 g granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp instant yeast (easy-bake yeast)
  • 1 tsp fine table salt
  • 50 g vegan butter or vegetable oil I use Naturli block butter
  • 240 g lukewarm water

Filling:

  • 200 g dark brown sugar
  • 75 g vegan butter I use Naturli block butter
  • 10 g ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 1 tbsp boiling water optional

Instructions

Make the mashed potato:

  • Peel and quarter a medium potato. Place into a small pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over a high heat then simmer for 8-10 minutes until very soft. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Whilst still hot, mash the potatoes until lump-free. Weigh out 120 g of the mash to use in the recipe. 
    120 g mashed potato

Make the dough:

  • Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
    475 g plain white flour or white bread flour, 40 g granulated sugar, 2 tsp instant yeast (easy-bake yeast), 1 tsp fine table salt
  • Mix the butter (or vegetable oil) into the mashed potato until smooth then stir in the lukewarm water. Pour all of this into the bowl of flour mixture and stir together to get a shaggy dough.
    50 g vegan butter or vegetable oil, 240 g lukewarm water
  • Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a clean work surface and knead together, dusting lightly with flour as needed to prevent sticking - try to add as little flour as possible. You can alternatively use the 'slap & fold' method as explained in the blog post above the recipe. Knead for around 10 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test (see notes).
  • Place the dough back into the bowl you used earlier. Drizzle a little oil on top and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a clean bin bag and leave somewhere warm to rise for 1.5 to 2 hours, until doubled in volume.

Make the filling:

  • Combine the dark brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and cornflour in a medium bowl. If the filling is looking a bit crumbly/dry, add the boiling water and mix until smooth and creamy.
    200 g dark brown sugar, 75 g vegan butter, 10 g ground cinnamon, 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch), 1 tbsp boiling water

Roll & shape:

  • Uncover the risen dough and punch it down then tip out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a 35 x 50 cm rectangle. Dot the filling over the surface of the dough and use a spatula (or butter knife) to spread the filling evenly over the whole surface.
  • Starting at one of the short edges, roll the dough up tightly into a log. You can pop this log onto a baking tray and freeze for 10 minutes to make the next step a bit neater - this isn't 'necessary' but will make the rolls cut more cleanly.
  • Cut the log of dough into 12 equal pieces then place each one cut side up onto a lined baking tray. Cover with a clean bin bag and place somewhere warm to rise for 30-40 minutes until puffy.

Bake:

  • 10 minutes before your buns are fully risen, preheat your oven to 180°C fan (350°F fan) or 200°C non-fan (400°F non-fan).
  • Remove the bin bag from the tray of cinnamon rolls. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

Windowpane test: take a small piece of the dough and stretch it until its as thin as you can get it. The dough is ready when it can be made thin enough to see your fingers through it without breaking (see video in blog post). 
Make in a stand mixer: make the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook fitted, kneading on medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test. 
Pearl sugar: you can sprinkle a bit of pearl sugar onto the buns before baking if you like. This is a bit of a speciality ingredient but you can find it online quite easily.