Maple & Butter Pecan Cinnamon Buns [Gluten-Free, Vegan]

Topping

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add vegan butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup, stir until everything is dissolved. Add coconut cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and stir till incorporated. Remove from heat and pour into a greased 9×13 pan with high sides and sprinkle pecans.

Filling

In a bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it looks like wet sand. Set aside.

Dough

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients except sugar and yeast and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix your wet ingredients with sugar, yeast, and ½ cup of the dry ingredients and mix till well incorporated. Set aside for 10 minutes or until a foamy film forms on the top.

With the stand mixer, using the paddle attachment or by hand, pour the dry ingredients a ½ cup at a time into wet ingredients until well combined. You should have a uniform dry dough but that is slightly tacky. If too wet to roll out, add more flour or if it is not sticky, add a little almond milk 1 tbsp at a time.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it on a flat surface to cover an area larger than 8″ x 16″. To the best of your ability, use your hands to spread out the dough into a 10×13 rectangle. Then take another piece of plastic wrap and lay it on top and roll out your dough so that it is even and approximately ½ inch thick.

Remove plastic wrap and spread filling mixture evenly across dough’s surface. Leave 1″ along one short end without any filling, this is where your cinnamon rolls will be sealed.

Starting along the other short end (the one with filling), use the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to lift the edge of the dough and roll it up, forming a long cylinder. Start with the edge that has filling on it, that will be the center of your finished rolls. Roll around a few times to ensure that the edge is well closed.

Carefully cut the ends to even out the edges then cut them 1” inch wide and place them onto your baking pan. Cover your buns with a wet towel and place your baking pan in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hr.

Once they have risen (see image), brush them with the 2 tbsp of melted butter and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.