Vegan Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls with Coconut Glaze
The key to fluffy cinnamon rolls is using the best flour for the job — bread flour. Past that, it’s care and patience. When you take your first bite and taste that intoxicating blend of warm cinnamon, fresh raspberries, and sweet coconut, you’ll know it was all worth it.
approximately 1 hour 30 minutes of rising time
Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar
Light-coloured and just right for baking, the subtle notes of caramel and moist texture make it ideal for allowing delicate flavours to shine through in your creations.
Redpath® Icing Sugar
Use it to make the smoothest frostings, icings, and glazes you’ve ever seen for the finishing touch on your cakes, cupcakes, and more.
For the dough:
- 1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk, canned 1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk, canned
- ¼ cup (52 g) coconut oil ¼ cup (52 g) coconut oil
- 2½ tsp (9 g) instant yeast 2½ tsp (9 g) instant yeast
- ¼ cup (54 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed ¼ cup (54 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed
- 3¼ cups (390 g) bread flour 3¼ cups (390 g) bread flour
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt ½ tsp (3 g) salt
For the filling:
- 1½ cups or half-pint (170 g) raspberries, fresh, washed and dried 1½ cups or half-pint (170 g) raspberries, fresh, washed and dried
- ¼ cup (63 ml) raspberry jam, natural ¼ cup (63 ml) raspberry jam, natural
- ⅓ cup (72 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed ⅓ cup (72 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed
- 4 tsp (12 g) ground cinnamon 4 tsp (12 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest, finely grated 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- 2½ tsp (5 g) cornstarch, divided 2½ tsp (5 g) cornstarch, divided
- ⅓ cup (83 ml) coconut milk, canned ⅓ cup (83 ml) coconut milk, canned
- 1 tbsp (13 g) coconut oil 1 tbsp (13 g) coconut oil
For the coconut glaze:
- 1¼ cups (150 g) Redpath® Icing Sugar 1¼ cups (150 g) Redpath® Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) coconut milk, canned 2 tbsp (30 ml) coconut milk, canned
- 1 tbsp (13 g) coconut oil 1 tbsp (13 g) coconut oil
- ½ tsp (2 ml) pure vanilla extract ½ tsp (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- Unsweetened shredded coconut Unsweetened shredded coconut
Equipment:
- Liquid measuring cup Liquid measuring cup
- Thermometer Thermometer
- Scale OR dry measuring cups Scale OR dry measuring cups
- Microwaveable bowl Microwaveable bowl
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment and hook attachment OR large bowl Stand mixer with paddle attachment and hook attachment OR large bowl
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Plastic wrap OR lint-free kitchen towel Plastic wrap OR lint-free kitchen towel
- Measuring spoons Measuring spoons
- Small bowl x 2 Small bowl x 2
- Microplane OR fine grater Microplane OR fine grater
- Baking pan (9 x 9) Baking pan (9 x 9)
- Parchment paper Parchment paper
- Paper towel Paper towel
- Dental floss (unflavoured) or thread Dental floss (unflavoured) or thread
- Pastry brush Pastry brush
- Aluminum foil Aluminum foil
- Fine mesh sieve Fine mesh sieve
- Medium bowl Medium bowl
- Whisk Whisk
Instructions
For the dough:
In a microwave-safe bowl (or the liquid measuring cup), warm the coconut milk and coconut oil together. Heat on high at 15 to 20-second intervals until milk is at 110°F (43°C) and no higher than 115°F (46°C). Cool to 110°F (43°C) if milk gets too hot.
Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl. Sprinkle in the instant yeast and stir to dissolve. Let sit until mixture is foamy; 5 to 10 minutes.
Add in the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, and mix on low speed (or stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon); 5 to 10 seconds.
Add in 1 cup (120 grams) of the bread flour and the salt, and mix on low speed. Once fully combined, add the next cup of flour and mix until combined before adding the third cup of flour. Once the dough becomes difficult to mix, switch to a dough hook. If the dough is still wet, add the last ¼ cup of flour. Cover the bowl and let dough rest; 15 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate and relax, making it easier to knead the dough.
Knead the dough (or lightly flour your work surface and transfer dough to the floured surface to knead with your hands) until it’s soft but tacky; 5 to 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball.
Lightly oil the stand mixer bowl or the large bowl used when mixing the dough. Place the dough rounded side down first, and flip it over to ensure the dough is lightly greased; this prevents the dough from sticking to the plastic wrap or damp, lint-free kitchen towel placed over the bowl. Place the covered bowl in a warm, draft-free location to rise until doubled in size; approximately 45 minutes (see Chef’s Tips).
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with coconut oil or lightly grease and line pan with parchment paper.
For the filling:
Slice raspberries in half. Lay them cut-side down on a layer of paper towel to absorb any excess juice.
In a small bowl, combine raspberry jam, the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, vanilla extract, salt, and ½ teaspoon (about 1 gram) of the cornstarch, until well mixed.
In another bowl, toss the halved raspberries with the remaining cornstarch until well coated.
To assemble:
Punch down the dough, and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll into an 18 x 10-inch rectangle (dough should be an even thickness; about ¼-inch thick). If the dough keeps contracting while rolling, cover with plastic wrap and allow the gluten in the dough time to relax.
Evenly spread the raspberry jam mixture over the surface of the rolled out dough, leaving about ½ inch free on the furthest long edge. Scatter the fresh raspberries coated with the cornstarch over the raspberry jam mixture. Gently flatten the raspberries with a spatula to help prevent large gaps between the rolled dough and the filling.
Lightly brush the far edge with water. Starting at the other end, roll the dough into a tight log; pinch the dough together when the edge dampened with water is reached.
With the seam side down, slice the log using a length of unflavoured dental floss (or thread). Slide the floss under the roll 2 inches from one of the ends, cross the two ends at the top of the roll and pull tightly in opposite directions until the floss cuts through the roll. Repeat the process at 2-inch intervals until the entire roll is cut.
Arrange the 9 rolls, spaced evenly apart (there will be gaps between the rolls), in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Place in a warm, draft-free location to proof until almost doubled in size; about 30 to 35 minutes. To check if the rolls are ready for baking, perform the poke test (see Chef’s Tips).
Halfway into the proofing time, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C).
Once the rolls are ready to be baked, heat the coconut milk and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup until just warm; approximately 30 seconds. Being careful not to deflate the risen dough, gently brush and dab the tops of the rolls with the warmed coconut milk mixture, allowing the coconut milk to soak into the crevices and sides. Cover pan loosely with foil.
Place covered cinnamon rolls into the preheated oven; 10 minutes. Remove the foil cover from the rolls. Continue baking until a thermometer reads just below 190°F (88°C) at the centre of the pan; 10 to 15 minutes. Do not overbake, or the rolls will be dry.
Remove from oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool slightly; 10 minutes.
For the coconut glaze:
Sift the Redpath® Icing Sugar into a medium bowl. Sprinkle in salt.
Place the coconut milk and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat just until the oil melts.
Whisk in the warm coconut milk mixture and vanilla extract into the sifted icing sugar. Whisk until the glaze is completely smooth. Spread or drizzle the coconut glaze onto the still warm rolls. Sprinkle glaze with shredded coconut. Serve immediately.
Chef's Tips
*The warmth of your kitchen and ingredients used will determine how long it takes the dough to double in size (e.g. a cold kitchen may result in the dough taking 2 hours to double).
*Active dry yeast can be used in place of the instant yeast; however, the rise times will be longer.
*All-purpose flour can be used in place of some or all of the bread flour. Note that the result may not be as fluffy or tall when replacing one with the other.
*Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar can be substituted for the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar. The flavour profile will have a more pronounced caramel undertone, and the colour will be darker.
*Vegan butter can be substituted for the coconut oil if a less coconut-forward roll is desired. Also, other non-dairy milks can be used in place of the canned coconut milk, with a similar reduction in coconut flavour.
*Any complimentary jam or fruit preserves can be substituted for the raspberry jam (e.g. strawberry, blackberry, marmalade, or even applesauce)
*If tops are browning too quickly, re-cover the top loosely with foil and continue baking.
*Overnight rolls: Make the cinnamon rolls up to where the rolls are placed into the baking pan and covered. Instead of placing the rolls in a warm place to rise, place them into the fridge (between 8 to 12 hours). Remove from the fridge and place into a warm, draft-free location to come to room temperature; approximately 1 hour. Proceed with the remaining steps.
*If raspberries are unavailable, other seasonal berries (e.g. blackberries, cherries, or blueberries) can be used instead.
*Poke test: Poke the rolls with a floured or oiled finger. It is ready to be baked when the indentation slowly fills back in. The rolls are over-proofed if the indentation remains and does not fill back in. Rolls will need a few more minutes of proofing if the indentation fills immediately back in. This test can be done on any yeasted product.
