Maggie’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls (and Dinner Rolls)

DOUGH

1. Coat a large bowl with plant-based butter and set aside.
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the lukewarm warm water. Sprinkle the yeast onto the water and stir until dissolved. The yeast should begin to activate, and you will notice slight foaming or bubbling
3. In a separate bowl, mix Ener-G egg replacer powder and water with a small whisk or fork to remove lumps. Add the egg replacer mixture to the slightly warm (NOT HOT) plant-based milk (soy milk), and then add both to the yeast mixture
4. Add the melted butter, sugar, and salt, and blend with dough attachment briefly
5. With the mixer running, add in the flour one cup at a time* beating until incorporated after each. Use only as much as needed of the last ½ cup.(*Pre-measure and weigh the total flour, if possible, then add a cup at a time and expect to have about 25 g or a quarter of a cup left over, unless because of your weather or other variables, you need it all.) The dough will be soft and still a little sticky, but if it seems too much, you can use the extra bit of flour. This all can depend on the weather as well as other conditions.
6. Once all the flour you have added is incorporated, knead with the dough attachment at medium-high speed for a few minutes until the dough is smooth-ish. This will help develop the structure, and it will become a bit less sticky. But do not worry about it being perfectly smooth. A few minutes at medium-high speed will be enough without making it overly kneaded to become tough.
7. Lift the dough hook and with a dough scraper, remove the dough from the mixer and place it in the prepared bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let it rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk (1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen)
8. When the dough has doubled in volume, is airy and sof,t and you can gently press your fingers into the dough and watch it very slowly return, it is ready. (*see note.)
9. With clean hands, punch the dough down to remove the air and then divide it into two parts. I like to weigh each section to make them equal and wrap each in a large stasher bag coated inside with vegan butter.
10. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill fully, which can take several hours or can be overnight. A minimum chill of 2 hours will allow for you to shape the rolls, but will make the second rise happen more quickly than if you can chill for 4 hours or more
11. When you are ready to shape the rolls, remove the dough (one section at a time) from the refrigerator. This should be approximately two hours before you plan to bake them, but factor in how long the dough was refrigerated as well as the warmth of your kitchen.)*Notes on rising… the dough has risen adequately if, when you gently poke a finger into the rising dough, the indentation slowly bounces back. If the dough springs back immediately, it may need more time to rise. Conversely, be careful not to overproof the dough to the point that it will collapse when baking. Overproofing is marked by dough that collapses under a gentle poke or fails completely to bounce back at all when you poke it.

Holiday Dinner Rolls
A note on timing: I plan to put the rolls in to bake about 10 minutes before everyone starts to fill their plates with all the other gorgeous plant-based dishes. I serve them straight from the oven, passing the basket of hot rolls and plant-based butter for what is always the highlight of the meal.

1. Coat muffin pans with vegan butter. (If your kitchen or pan is very cold, to speed up the process of rising a little, run your pan in warm water and thoroughly dry beforehand.)
2. 2. For Cloverleaf rolls, remove the dough from the refrigerator and with clean hands, pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into small balls (approximately an inch in diameter) and place three in each muffin cup, Or go crazy and do any design or shape you love.
3. Cover the rolls with a dish towel and let them rise again.
4. Depending on the warmth of your kitchen, this could take anywhere from one to two hours. A colder kitchen or a colder pan can make this take longer.
5. When fully risen (greatly increased in size and billowy but not overly proofed to the point when they have no structure – see note*).
6. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them. They should be slightly golden but not at all over-baked.
7. Remove them from the oven and, if desired, brush with melted vegan plant-based butter and then carefully remove from the pans into a serving bowl or platter. An optional sprinkle of flaky sea salt can be nice. But the rolls are great with or without the extra butter and salt.

Cinnamon Rolls
I have been perfecting the Cinnamon roll recipe over many years. Tweaking the amount of cinnamon, adjusting the amount of icing. I love a strong quality cinnamon and have found that it is worth trying a few different brands to find the one you love. Vietnamese cinnamon has a particularly strong, spicy, and sweet taste. Although we love these rolls fully covered in icing, you can always use less if that suits you or your guests.

1. Semi-melt the vegan butter.
2. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
3. Using a bit of the softened vegan butter, prepare two 13 x 9” baking pans by lightly coating the bottom and sides.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator one section at a time.
5. Roll out one section of dough into a rectangle approximately 1/4″ thick. I like to form a rectangle approximately 14” by 16” (This will yield 24 rolls total between the two.)*
6. Brush the dough with half of the softened vegan butter all the way to the edges. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the dough. I like to use a spoon to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture across the middle of the rectangle all the way across, and work my way over the entire dough this way. I then use my hands to fully distribute the mixture, assuring that there is full and equal distribution.
7. The amount will be enough to cover well for any of the prescribed sizes I list below. If you are making a smaller number of larger rolls, you may not use the full amount of the cinnamon and sugar. It’s a preference thing. I like a lot of cinnamon flavor.
8. Starting on the long side of the rectangle, roll up jelly roll style. Lifting the edge slightly and tucking under. Trying not to lose any of your filling, continue rolling, keeping it even along the way. You want the roll to be snug but not squeezed. Squeezing it too tight will result in a very raised middle. A little elevation in the middle can be nice, but too much can cause the layers to bake unevenly and not have room to expand.
9. Use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion and no pressure, to mark and cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. To achieve equal sizes and the desired number of 12 per roll (24 total) make your first cut in the middle of the roll, then divide the two halves in half again, and then each of those sections in three equal slices. This will give you 12 rolls of approximately 1 ¼ ” each.
10. Place the 12 rolls into the 9 x 13” prepared pans (or see the other size options below). There will be space between each roll for the second rise and baking.
11. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
12. Cover each pan with a dish towel and let the rolls rise again in a warm place until almost doubled in size. As with the first rise, be careful not to over-proof. (This will take between one to two hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. (Cold pans and kitchen counters can slow down this process. Warming your pan by running it under warm water before adding the vegan butter and the rolls can help.
13. While rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. I suggest doing this earlier than you think to make sure the oven is ready when your rolls are. Make sure your heat has fully reached this temperature before adding your cinnamon rolls.
14. Place the rolls in the hot oven (bottom or lower rack) and bake until just done – a touch golden but not browned, and you can see that they are baked through to the bottom. This is a visual thing, but it is only around 15 – 20 minutes (assuming your oven heats accurately) …. just barely beginning to brown in some places and cooked but still tender! Don’t rely on time. Pay attention!
15. While they are baking (or before), make the icing. In your mixing bowl with the whisk attachment in place, combine the powdered sugar, room temperature plant-based butter, and vanilla on low speed. I recommend using your splatter shield as you do this to avoid a Lucille Ball experience of a kitchen covered in white. When the powdered sugar is almost incorporated into the plant-based butter and with the mixer running, gradually pour in the plant-based milk, adding just enough to make a rich and fluffy icing. Raise the speed to medium or medium high and continue whisking until smooth and fluffy!!
16. After removing the rolls from the oven, allow them to cool only slightly (just about 3 to 5 minutes). Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to top each roll with the powdered sugar icing and spread with a metal cake spatula. Generously spread the icing evenly over the rolls, covering fully and deliciously.
17. Make some coffee or matcha and serve!

CHEF’S NOTES:

• Notes on storing and reheating: These are magical straight out of the oven, but they reheat beautifully as well. So, if you are lucky enough to have some left over, freeze them, wrapping them individually or in pairs in foil. When you are ready to reheat, you can reheat either in a hot oven briefly or in a microwave oven (approximately 20-30 seconds from frozen to perfect. Watch carefully, though. If reheating rolls that have not been frozen, microwave for only about 8 seconds).
• Notes on size and quantities: To end up with 24 rolls, I use two 9 x 13 pans and slice as described above. *If you need to make 32 rolls, you can make your slices a bit smaller (1”) this will result in a roll that is a bit less high, but you can cut 16 from each section. You will need 12” by 16” pans or some combination that will accommodate. OR if you want wider but less tall Jumbo rolls, roll them up from the shorter side of a 12” by 16” and slice into 12 sections.