The April Gluten Free Baking Challenge is under way and this month, we’re baking something sweet!
This post may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. As always, thank you for helping to support What The Fork Food Blog ♥
You guys, I can’t believe it’s already April! March is usually such a loooong month that just drags on and on but WOW. That was fast!
I’m not complaining though because March isn’t up there in my top 10 favorite months… haha. I’m definitely looking forward to Spring weather, more sunshine, and April vacation.
The March Gluten Free Baking Challenge was so great, you guys made some amazing Meyer Lemon Breads!
I polled the Gluten Free Baking Club again for this month’s challenge recipe. The choices were Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls, Gluten Free Lemon Bars, and Carrot Cake. Others also asked for a Hummingbird Cake and Carrot Cake Cupcakes.
Just so you know, I don’t have a Hummingbird Cake recipe here on my site yet, but I think I might need to make one soon. But, GOOD NEWS, there’s a Hummingbird Quick Bread in The Gluten Free Quick Breads Cookbook which will be releasing NEXT WEEK!
There’s still time to pre-order your copy and you’ll have it in your hands as soon as it launches. Thank you for your support, I truly appreciate it!
So.. let’s get down to business, shall we?
The April Gluten Free Baking Challenge Recipe is….
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls ❤️
These gluten free cinnamon rolls are everything you want in a cinnamon roll. They’re soft and not dense at all. So many gluten free cinnamon roll recipes yield a dense roll, which in my opinion, isn’t good enough. These rolls aren’t like the others 🙌🏼
There’s also a dairy free option in the recipe notes. So if you can’t do dairy, I highly encourage you to make the dairy free cinnamon rolls and participate in the challenge!
You guys, these cinnamon rolls will be perfect for Easter brunch, just sayin’ 😉
If you were one of the Gluten Free Baking Club members to vote for one of the other recipes, feel free to make that as an alternate to the cinnamon rolls.
Let’s go through the run-down of everything you need to know about participating in the challenge this month 👇🏼
What is the Gluten Free Baking Challenge?
A gluten free baking recipe is chosen to be the monthly challenge recipe. To participate in the challenge, you’ll bake the chosen recipe, take a quick picture of it, then share it to be entered to win the giveaway.
Where To Share Your Photos
Share your photos to one or more, mentioned below. Only one is required as an entry for the giveaway so don’t feel like you need to share everywhere!
- Instagram – Share your photo of the Gluten Free Baking Challenge recipe to your public Instagram account. (If it’s a private account, I won’t be able to see it.)
- To qualify, you must use the #gfbakingchallenge and tag @whattheforkfoodblog
- For those of you who have participated in the past, #gfbakingchallenge is a NEW hashtag for the challenge ❤️
- Then, you must enter the link to your Instagram post in the giveaway form below.
- To qualify, you must use the #gfbakingchallenge and tag @whattheforkfoodblog
- Facebook Group – If you’re a member of the Gluten Free Baking Club Facebook group, you can post your image there.
- To qualify for the prize, include the #gfbakingchallenge in your post!
- Once your post is approved, grab the link and to the post and enter it into the giveaway form below.
- Click here to request to join the group.
- Facebook Page – Share your photo to my What The Fork Food Blog Facebook page with the official baking challenge hashtag, #gfbakingchallenge then enter the link to your post into the giveaway form below.
- Share your recipe to a gluten free recipe sharing group on Facebook. This entry method is new and can be used as a bonus giveaway entry. Be sure to link to the Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls recipe in your post (so others can get to the recipe!) and don’t share the full recipe in the group.
The April Gluten Free Baking Challenge Prize
This month’s gluten free baking challenge prize is a $50 Williams Sonoma Gift Card. Please note, your chance of winning the challenge prize has nothing to do with photo quality. Winner will be randomly drawn from the giveaway form. There will be additional entries to increase your chances of winning. To be eligible for the prize, you must use the entry form to enter. The giveaway form is located at the end of this post directly after the recipe. All winning entries will be verified and winners will be contacted by email.
What You Need To Know to Make Recipe for Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Key Ingredients
- White Rice Flour
- Brown Rice Flour
- Tapioca Flour
- Arrowroot
- Sorghum Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Light Brown Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cream Cheese
Equipment Needed
- Stand Mixer
- Kitchen Scale – optional because I do provide cup measurements too. But for the best results, measure the flour by weight.
- 9-inch round pan
- Rolling Pin
- Plastic Wrap
Be sure to follow me on instagram and hashtag #whattheforkfoodblog or tag @whattheforkfoodblog – I love seeing what you make!
If you love this amazing gluten free chocolate cake recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
| facebook | twitter | pinterest | instagram | youtube |
Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
These are the Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls you’ve been dreaming of! Soft, yeasty, and just as good as ones made with wheat! There’s even an option to make these dairy free cinnamon rolls!
Ingredients
For the Rolls:
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk heated to 105-110º (see notes for dairy free)
- 55 grams white rice flour (1/3 cup)
- 50 grams brown rice flour (1/3 cup)
- 65 grams Arrowroot (1/2 cup)
- 30 grams tapioca flour (1/4 cup)
- 16 grams sorghum flour (2 Tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil (see notes)
For the icing:
- 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Sir together the melted butter, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon until combined then set aside.
- Butter an 8-inch cake pan or spray generously with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Add the yeast and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly pour in the warm milk, making sure the yeast is moistened. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to "bloom" as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Add the white rice flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- When the yeast has bloomed, add the egg, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and avocado oil. Mix on low until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Turn up the speed to medium and mix for 1 minute. The dough should be slightly sticky and will easily form a ball.
- Spread out two sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface and have them slightly overlap to create a large, square work space. Dust the plastic wrap generously with gluten free flour and dust the dough with flour as well. Transfer the dough ball to the center of the prepared work space and top with two more pieces of plastic wrap. Roll the dough out into a thin, rectangle, approximately 10 inches by 14 inches.
- Carefully remove the top layer of plastic wrap and spread the cinnamon mixture over the dough, leaving a half inch of space on all sides.
- Use the plastic wrap to help roll the dough into a log, rolling it as tightly as you can. Use a knife (or unflavored dental floss) to cut the log into 9 equal pieces.
- Transfer the cinnamon rolls to the prepared baking pan. I sometimes gently roll them to round the sides again before putting them in the pan.
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for one hour (I let mine rise on top of my preheated oven when my house is chilly).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the rolls have risen for one hour, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20 minutes.
- Make the icing while the rolls are baking. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl and beat together using an electric hand mixer. When smooth, add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner icing, add more milk.
- Top the warm cinnamon rolls with the icing before serving. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To make these cinnamon rolls dairy free, use unsweetened coconut milk in the dough and spray the pan very generously with non-stick spray. To make the icing dairy free, use dairy free cream cheese, vegan butter, and unsweetened coconut milk.
- Vegetable oil or canola oil can be subbed for the avocado oil.
- Store leftover rolls in an airtight container for up to 1 day at room temperature or up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you wish to freeze these rolls, I recommend freezing them without the icing.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
April 2019 Gluten Free Baking Challenge
Gabriela Martinez
Wednesday 5th of June 2019
Hi Sharon! Thanks for this recipe. O was wondering if it is possible to substitute butter for oil? We are dairy free too and in my country we can’t find vegan butter Thanks PS: I’m loving your book too
Gaby