Gluten Free Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

An honest to goodness gluten free cinnamon roll that is soft, and has caused my family to ask me repeatedly, "are you SURE that these are gluten free?"
I can promise you that these are sure to get rave reviews from anyone that you serve them to.

Ingredients for the sauce:
1/4 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
2 TBL corn syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla
2 TBL heavy cream
1/8 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the dough:
2 1/2 C gluten free flour blend (310g of  Krusteaz is what I used )
1/2 C tapioca starch
1 TBL rapid rise yeast
3 TBL granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 C instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 C butter
1/2 C water
3/4 C milk
1 egg at room temp
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 TBL extra light olive oil
1 tsp pure vanilla

Ingredients for the filling:
1/2 C brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 TBL cinnamon
2 TBL softened butter
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

Let's get busy!

Start by greasing a baking pan ( I use an 8x10 foil pan), and preheat your oven to 350*F

 1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium-low heat, stirring it until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the vanilla, cream and salt. 
Pour your sauce into the greased pan.

2. Mix all of your filling ingredients in a small bowl until they are well combined. Set aside.

3. Mix all of the dry ingredients for your dough in the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to mix well. You really can't over mix gf flours.

4. In a microwave safe bowl (preferably with a pour spout), heat the water and butter just until the butter melts; stir the milk in, then whisk in egg, vinegar, oil and vanilla. Use a thermometer to make sure that your liquid is at the right temp for the yeast ( 100*-110*). 

5. With your mixer running at medium-low speed, add the liquids to the dry ingredients, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl every so often. Mix for about 3 minutes.

6. Lay a 10x20 inch piece of plastic wrap on your rolling surface(this makes it easier to roll into a cylinder), and sprinkle it with about 1 TBS of sugar. I have found it helpful to put damp paper towels underneath to prevent sliding all over.

7. Place your dough in the center of the wrap, pat it into a square, cover it with another layer of wrap.  Roll it into a rectangle that measures roughly 8x16.

8. Take off the top layer of plastic wrap and sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of one long side uncovered by filling so that you can seal the roll shut.

9. Start on the long side that has filling to the edge, and using the plastic, begin rolling your dough into a long cylinder. 

10. Using a piece of thread, or dental floss, slide the thread under the end of the cylinder, and use it to cut the dough into 8 rolls.

11. Place your rolls into the pan and gently pat them down to about 1 inch high. Cover with a clean, lint free cloth, and place somewhere warm to rise until they are doubled in size( about 35 minutes). I do this on my stove top while the oven warms.

12. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls are a golden brown. 
Let the rolls set up in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then turn them over onto a serving plate.



This recipe was adapted from The Baking Beauties