To all my baking friends, have fun making these Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls! They’re a real treat and so good when fresh and still warm!
If you haven’t made a gluten-free sourdough starter before but want to bake some GFV cinnamon rolls, consider trying the Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls recipe first. Those include active yeast.
The instructions are slightly different, so make sure to read both recipes, and watch the how-to video (also below) before starting. The yeasted ones can be ready in less time, but the sourdough ones are worth the wait!
The rising times vary depending on if you leave the sourdough to ferment on your counter for 6 to 8 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Creating a wild natural sourdough starter with gluten-free flour and water is magical. It really is. Transforming two very simple ingredients into bubbly yeast to help your baked goods rise is very special and fun to make!
If you’ve been waiting to start, don’t wait any longer because now you will have another recipe to use your wild yeast in!
Plus, the Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls make for the perfect Sunday brunch treat! Just make sure to plan ahead so you can bake them fresh in the morning, a few hours before serving.
How-To Video
Fresh is Real’s Amazon Storefront
Visit my Amazon Storefront to search for and buy baking and kitchen staples! Take Me Shopping!
What to Expect
What I learned while experimenting with this recipe is that you should not over bake the rolls. You might not think that 22-25 minutes at a 375° F oven will be enough, but trust me, they will be perfect!
Overbaking these sourdough rolls too long will create a crumbly dry texture. So please, easy on the baking times!
Overview
This recipe includes a few preparation steps:
- Making the roux
- Mixing the ingredients
- Adding the sourdough starter
- Letting the dough rise/ferment
- Flattening the dough
- Filling/rolling the dough
- Cutting the rolls
- Placing the rolls in baking dish
- Baking the rolls
- Glazing the rolls
Tip
The best tip I can offer for this recipe is to try and not overcrowd your baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Using a larger baking vessel, even a baking sheet, will bake up the best rolls.
Overcrowding the pan or dish will create rolls that are too tight together. Resulting in questioning yourself on the proper baking times.
Baking with Steam
In the video, on the bottom rack of the oven, I added ice cubes on a baking sheet. This step is optional, but doing so while your rolls are baking on the middle rack will help create some steam.
It’s well worth the try to increase the rise of your baked gluten-free, vegan goods!
Cinnamon Filling
In the video, I used my hands to mix the coconut oil, the cinnamon and the other filling ingredients. If you don’t want to use your hands, you can mix everything in a bowl with a spoon. Soften or even melted coconut oil will work best for that method.
There’s even the option of brushing on the melted coconut oil first, then spreading the rest of the dry cinnamon filling ingredients evenly on the flattened dough.
Play around; you decide what works best for you!
Alternatives
As for ingredient substitutions for this recipe, what I used is what I recommend. If you want to replace all the flours and starches with all-purpose gluten-free flour, that will be up to you to try!
If you try it and it works well, please rate and comment on the recipe below to let others know what worked for you.
Note that my recipe doesn’t include gums (xanthan gum) and some GF flour mixes do. It can improve the texture, but I prefer avoiding gums because it’s better for people with digestive issues.
This recipe includes organic coconut oil if you want to experiment with vegan butter, again, entirely up to you. It will work well, but it does introduce a lot more ingredients that, for some, are best to be limited.
Organic Ingredients
Making these yummy cinnamon rolls with the best ingredients is essential. If you have access to organic cinnamon, coconut sugar, coconut oil and even some of the dry ingredients like flour, give it a try!
Thing is if you follow a gluten-free, and mostly plant-based lifestyle is most likely because you do appreciate nutrition or you have a health condition that benefits from consuming the best ingredients when possible.
Baking Tools
- Small pan (non-stick works well)
- Spatula
- Small bowl(s)
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Large mixing bowl (clear is great)
- Sifter
- Spoon(s)
- 9-inch (or larger) baking dish (round or square) or
- 9-in (up to 12-in) cast-iron skillet
(a larger skillet will give each roll more space to grow) or - Baking sheet or larger baking dish 9 x 12 inches
- Plastic wrap, silicon cover, or clean tea towel
- Parchment paper
Previous Recipe
If time is a deciding factor, the Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls uses active yeast, which means that you only need about 2 hours to let your dough rise before baking.
Give that yeasted recipe a try first, then come back and try this one!
| 👩🍳 🍞 Good Food Cooking School 🥖🍪 | |
| If you’re interested in learning more about gluten-free baking, check out the Good Food Cooking School courses taught by cookbook author Heather Crosby from YumUniversity. I took the Bread Baking and the Classic Cookies 101 course a while back, and it’s what got me hooked on my baking journey. Take a tour to see if her baking courses are right for you! |
Did You Make This Recipe?
Once you try this recipe, remember to take a picture and share it with us on Instagram Tag it @Freshisreal_ #freshisreal
Print
Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 30 mins (+ 6-12 hours rising/hands off time)
- Cook Time: 22-25 minutes
- Total Time: min 6:55 +/- 12 hours
- Yield: 8 – 10 rolls 1x
- Category: Treats
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan, Nut-Free, Allergen-Friendly, Fermented
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
To all my baking friends, have fun making these Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls! They’re a real treat and so good when fresh and still warm!
If you haven’t made a gluten-free sourdough starter before but want to bake some GFV cinnamon rolls, consider trying the Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls recipe first. Those include active yeast.
The instructions are slightly different, so make sure to read both recipes, and watch the how-to video before starting. The yeasted ones can be ready in less time, but the sourdough ones are worth the wait!
The rising times vary depending on if you leave the sourdough to ferment on your counter or the refrigerator overnight.
Useful Tools
- Small pan (non-stick works well)
- Spatula
- Small bowl(s)
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Large mixing bowl (clear is great)
- Sifter
- Spoon(s)
- 9-inch (or larger) baking dish (round or square) or
- 9-in (up to 12-in) cast iron skillet
(a larger skillet will give each roll more space to grow) or - Baking sheet or larger baking dish 9 x 12 inches
- Plastic wrap, silicon cover, or clean tea towel
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Roux
- 2 tablespoons brown rice or sorghum flour (18g)
- 1/2 cup water (118g)
Dough
- 1 cup sorghum flour (110g)
- 1 cup brown rice flour (125g)
- 1/2 cup millet flour (60g)
- 1/2 cup potato starch (70g)
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch (60g)
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk (whole)* (7g)
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (12g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder*** (4g)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free sourdough starter (brown rice or sorghum) (150g)
- 1 cup warm homemade hemp milk**
- 1/4 cup water (add in incrementally)
Filling
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened****
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (80g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon (or just a dash) cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Glaze (optional)
Option 1:
- 2–4 tablespoons coconut butter
- 1–2 tablespoons hemp milk
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
Option 2:
- 6–8 tablespoons organic powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon hemp milk
Option 3: Enjoy plain!
Instructions
Before you begin, please watch the recipe video to help you make the Gluten-Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (or the yeasted version).
Step 1
To make the roux, in a small pan (non-stick works well) on low heat, combine 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour (or sorghum flour) with 1/2 cup of water. Stir continuously with a soft spatula while cooking for 2 minutes. The roux will be ready once it looks like a thick paste. Remove from heat, spread it around in the pan to let it cool faster.
Step 2
Sift, combine and mix the first 9 dry ingredients. Add the lemon juice (optional), warm hemp milk, roux, sourdough starter and mix well. Add the 1/4 cup of water incrementally and mix in between each addition, we don’t want the dough to be too wet. Mix until everything is well combined. Cover (plastic wrap, silicon cover, or clean tea towel) your bowl and let your dough rise for 6 to 8 hours. The dough will grow a bit in size. If mixed in a clear bowl, you will see the growing bubbles on the sides. Wait for some signs of bubbles or dough growth before manipulating the dough.
Step 3
On your kitchen counter, place a 13-in x 20-in sheet of unbleached parchment paper. You will need it to help you roll the dough. Transfer the dough to the paper and flatten out with your hands to an approx. 8.5-in (d) x 15-in (w) rectangle.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 375° F and grease your baking dish or cast-iron skillet with coconut oil. If you decide to use a baking sheet, you don’t need to grease it but do line it with a sheet of parchment paper. Combine the filling ingredients; coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, vanilla extract and mix until well combined and smooth. Spread the filling mixture over top of the dough rectangle with a spoon or your hands except for a 1-in edge (closer to you) for sealing the roll. Watch the video to help you.
Step 5
With a sharp knife of kitchen string, gently mark and cut the roll into 8-10 equal parts. Place each dough roll into a greased baking dish or onto the lined baking sheet. Make sure to keep space between each. They will rise and grow once baked. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the edges are golden. Watch the recipe video for tip about baking with steam. Do not overbake as they will get dry and crumbly. Once ready, let cool for 5-10 minutes before icing.
Step 6
Icing the cinnamon rolls is optional but does add a nice touch—especially if serving these to friends or family. Make the icing with ingredients you have on hand and play around with some variations. Enjoy once cooled!
Notes
Store on your kitchen counter, covered for 1-2 days. It is best to warm up the rolls on the second day. They will be drier the next day.
*1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.
**Warm hemp milk, not hot. To make 1 cup of hemp milk, blend 1-1/4 cups of water with 1/3 cup of organic hemp seeds/hearts in a high-speed blender and strain to remove any larger bits. You can try another type of plant milk; I haven’t tested any other for this recipe.
***Baking powder; gluten-free, corn-free, aluminum-free. To make homemade baking powder, you can mix approx. 4 tablespoons of cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons of baking soda and around 2 tablespoons of either arrowroot starch/flour or tapioca flour. You can also buy some premixed.
****You can use Earth Balance’s vegan butter as an alternative to coconut oil. Some are soy-free.
