Awhile back I made something similar to these tasty treats, but there was a missing element out of the whole equation. Mind you we were in the middle of a kitchen remodel and had no use of our appliances, in hindsight that may have had something to do with the lackluster finished product. Regardless, I tweaked the recipe this time. Originally, I use the standard pastry dough recipe from the Babycakes Covers the Classics cookbook by Erin McKenna. This time around I used parts of that recipe, plus one of my moms old cookbooks, plus a little guess work - I'm good at making things up as I go. Ha! Yeast is the main difference though, making this beautiful dough all the more delightful.
This recipe is a bit time consuming, and it would help your end results if you know your way around the kitchen fairly well. But you have to start somewhere. I will break the recipe down so it is a bit easier to follow. So roll up your sleeves, wash your hands, don an apron and get to baking!
PART ONE. The Dough.
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(DRY INGREDIENTS)
1 1/4 cups -- Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour
1 cup -- rice flour (I used white rice flour - Bob's brand)
1/4 cup -- arrowroot starch
1 3/4 teaspoon -- xanthan gum
1 Tablespoon -- baking powder
2 teaspoons -- ground cinnamon
1 3/4 teaspoon -- active dry yeast (heads up - don't use the kind specifically for bread machines)
(LIQUID INGREDIENTS)
1/4 cup -- melted butter/crisco or oil (I used butter flavored Crisco - don't ask why, it worked well though)
1/3 cup -- agave nectar
1 teaspoon -- vanilla
1 cup -- water/milk (I used 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk. Just because I can...)
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In a mixing bowl - whisk together all of the dry ingredients EXCEPT THE YEAST. Reserve half of the flour combo in a separate bowl and set aside. Put the yeast in the flour combo that is in the mixing bowl.
Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a large measuring cup and microwave until temperature reaches between 120-130 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, I suggest getting one. They're super handy to have around. Ours is part timer/part thermometer. You just plug the thermometer attachment into the timer and place the probe into the liquid. Moving on.
Once your mixture has reached temperature, turn your stand mixer on Low Speed. Gradually, pour the warm liquid into the yeast/flour combo.
Turn the mixer to Medium Speed and continue beating for 2 minutes. While still on Medium Speed, pour the remaining flour combo into the mixer and beat for approx. one minute more. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula if needed.
PART TWO - Kneading and Rising
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Okay, this part is a little tricky to try and write out, but bear with me.
Sprinkle a liberal amount of rice flour on a rolling mat. Scrape the dough onto the mat and sprinkle more rice flour over the sticky dough. Flour your hands, work dough into a ball and knead. The dough is sticky, so it makes the kneading process a bit complicated. Just keep adding a bit more flour until it's workable. I didn't knead mine for very long, though. Reshape into a ball.
Grease the bottom and sides of a rising bowl. If you don't have have one (buy one!) you can use a very large bowl or an old plastic ice cream bucket.
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Our rising bowl looks something like
this with a lid. |
Place the dough ball in the greased bowl and cover with the lid or plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm area until the dough rises - it should double in size. This will take approx. 1 hour.
I like set my bowl in the garage (the dough is covered, so - who cares?!) - the air is warm and humid in our garage, so the dough rises really well.
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During this down time, I like to clean up my mess - this way clean up time at the end is minimal.
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PART THREE - Filling, Rolling, Slicing and Baking
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
You can use regular sugar if you want, but I prefer using Florida Crystals. It is minimally refined sugar, that still has its nutrients in it. I love it because it caramelizes WONDERFULLY during baking. The results yielded make it truly worth it. But, it is a pricy item, so it is alright to use regular sugar.
1 3/4 - 2 cups -- Florida Crystals (or reg. sugar)
3 Tablespoons -- Cinnamon (approximately - you be the judge!)
Whisk together and set aside.
After your dough is finished rising, punch your fist through the ball - releasing the air. Pour onto the rolling mat that is covered with more rice flour. Roll the dough out in a rectangle until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
Melt 1/4 cup butter and using pastry brush, brush over the top of the entire rolled out dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar over the melted butter until the entire top is covered. Spread unsweetened dry coconut flakes on top of the cinnamon and butter covered dough.
Starting with one of the short ends of your rectangle, roll the entire dough into a "log" shape. Using a sharp butcher knife, slice the log into 1 inch pieces.
Place the newly cut, individual rolls face up in a greased pan/s.
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HINT - Each end piece of your "log" is usually lacking in internal yummy gooyness. So, before baking I like to take a spoonful of butter and mix it with a little bit of sugar/cinnamon and coconut. Then I put one dollop into the hollow middle of each end piece. When it bakes, it oozes and caramelizes into a roll of mouthwatering bliss. Trust me. It is So. Good.
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Cover the pan/s of rolls with plastic wrap and place back in your warm area to rise for another 15 minutes.
Place the pan/s of rolls in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown.
You can eat straightaway or drizzle with glaze. I am not ashamed to admit that I ate 3 of these puppies in one seating. I have yet to buy or make bread that has the sort of fluffiness gluten-filled bread is famous for, until now that is! This dough is SO good. I cried. And there may have been singing and dancing involved (just trying to burn off my calories, ya know).
It may seem like a doozy to take on, but trust me! It is worth the effort!
As an added bonus, here is a recipe for glaze.
1 1/2 cups -- powdered sugar
3-5 Tablespoons -- hot milk (start off with 3, add more to your desired consistency).
1 teaspoon -- grapeseed oil (you can use a different oil if you want - I prefer grapeseed because it's super healthy. The oil helps the glaze retain its "smoothness".)
And that my friends is all. Lets get fat together, shall we?
Rachel
Edward and Sons Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones
These crackers are the closest thing to Ritz I've found, as far as GF goes. Unlike their buttery gluten-filled counterparts, Lentil Crackers are packed with nutrients. Per every 28g serving there is only 110 calories, 16 carbs, 1g fiber, 3g of fat, and 5g of protein! I've only had the Sea Salt, but I'm super pumped to try more flavors. Check out their website, they have many goodies to ogle.
To be honest, these taste nothing like Twizzlers (my absolute favorite candy pre-GF days), but they are better than nothing. They're organic which is a perk, also no added sugar. The downside is, they're pricey. I saw these while browsing the candy aisle at a health food store (oxymoron?), and had to try them. If you've ever had organic fruit strips, these twists have a similar taste, but the texture is more "licorice-y". An inexpensive alternative that I keep in my purse at all times, Archer Farms Organic Strawberry Fruit Strips. I find mine at Target!
If I can help it, I like to avoid HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup). Long story short, I just plain feel better when I don't consume it. Now generally speaking, all I drink is water or my tea. But on the rare occasion I'm craving some carbonation, this stuff is simply delightful! I wish they came in those cute little "half-cans" though, I can never finish a whole one! 
