Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Update: I just realized I flubbed the recipe--the part about rising. If you're an experienced baker you'll have caught the mistake. It's corrected now.

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Here's my recipe for vegan cinnamon rolls made without any refined white sugar or flour. They're heavy and dense, but in a moist, yummy kind of way. They'd be perfect for a chilly afternoon like this one, except that I'm all out of several essential ingredients and don't see a grocery store run in my future for another week or so. (Yes, I don't get out much, but I mostly like it that way.)

Now to the recipe.

I use the basic bread recipe found here.

Sometimes I add a bit more honey--up to 1/4 c.--for extra sweetness. Of course, that will require a bit of extra flour too. I'm not very exact when it comes to this kind of stuff. Sweet potatoes (as mentioned in the same post as the basic recipe) would also be a really great addition, for extra moisture. They'd compliment the other ingredients as well.

After the dough has risen, roll out in a big oblong shape on a floured countertop. Spread with about 1/2 c. (or whatever looks good) thawed frozen orange juice concentrate, any cheapo brand will do. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon. Then sprinkle liberally with raisins, chopped nuts (pecans are my favorite), and whatever other chopped dried fruit you desire, like dates. Roll the whole thing up from the long end to make a big log, and sort of moosh it together to press the fruit and nuts into the dough a bit.

Then slice into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife. Put these on a well-oiled baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. I put so much fruit and nuts in that I have to be pretty careful moving them from the counter to the pan, or everything will fall out. You don't want to lose all that goodness.

When they're all on the pan, press the top of each one just enough that it has a small rim around the edge. Next you'll spoon a teaspoon or so of the orange juice concentrate onto the top and spread it around, but as you can see, the little rim will keep it from running all over the pan and creating a burned-juice mess.

Don't skip that last step. It makes a really nice, moist glaze that makes these extra-special and not just dry bread dough with raisins in the middle.

Then let them rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake at 350 for I don't remember how long. Really, I never wrote this down before and I don't remember. I think it was 20-30 minutes, until the bottoms of the rolls are brown and the tops are golden. Check one in the middle to make sure they are done and not doughy.

These are soooo yummy with a cup of tea. Hope someone tries and enjoys them!

Oh, something else that's really good is to eat them with cream cheese, like a bagel. Or a cream cheese icing made with cream cheese, vanilla, and honey or apple juice concentrate whipped together. Mmmmm...