The temperature has dropped, the snow is beginning to fall and Christmas is just around the corner. For me, spices are the most important accompaniment to food and drink at this time of year (a cheaper alternative to keeping you warm instead of putting the heating on!) and cinnamon is one of my favourites! I love it in my coffee, in my red wine AND in my sweets and puddings. As many of you will know, my sister is vegan and I can honestly say that she bakes some of the nicest cakes/biscuits/generic treats I have ever tasted!! And, for me, my favourite of her creations is her Cinnamon Buns...also known as Cinnamon Swirls and these are simply delightful.
(C) Charlotte Rydz
(C) Charlotte Rydz
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Ingredients
This recipe was baked in Andy's breadmaker, but you can use the old fashioned method. RESTING TIME is the most important with this recipe as the dough acts like a bread and needs time to rise.
Dough: Filling: Icing:
225g Strong Bread Flour 30g Pure (melted) Icing Sugar
1 tsp Mixed Spice 50g Brown Sugar Cold Water
1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Cinnamon Lemon Juice
1 and 1/2 tsp Dried Yeast 75g Sultanas
110ml Soya Milk
50g Vegetable Spread (Pure)
1. Place the pure and milk into the bread maker pan. Add in the flour, salt and spice. (Make sure there is no liquid viewable at the top as the yeast will start reacting as soon as it comes into contact with the milk.)
2. Spoon in the yeast on top of the flour in the middle of the bread pan. Set the bread maker to the dough programme. Sit back and relax for about 1hour and 30mins.
3. Remove the dough from the bread maker, place in a deep bottomed dish, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for about another hour, just so that the dough is light and airy and you can get as many buns out of the dough as possible.
4. Start to make the filling - mix the sugar and sultanas together in a small bowl.
5. On the stove, melt the pure in a saucepan until it resembles liquid gold.
6. Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and roll out the dough into an oblong shape, about 30cm long and 25cm wide.
7. Brush the melted pure over the dough and evenly sprinkle the sugar and sultanas over the pure.
8. Pre heat the oven to 190degrees C.
9. Gently roll the dough up - grab hold of the long side of the dough and roll to the other long side so it resembles a long, thin, swiss roll shape. Using a blunt/butter knife, cut the rolled up dough into little 'pinwheel' sort of shapes.
10. Place into a deep baking dish (I used my roasting dish, my sister uses her lasagne dish) so that the pinwheel is facing upwards. Bake in the oven for 30mins until they have swelled, gone golden and are firm to the touch.
11. Whilst the buns are cooling, start to make the icing using the icing sugar, lemon juice and water to taste.
12. Once the buns are cool, drizzle the icing randomly over the buns. Allow the icing to set and Voila!! Easy peasy, professional looking Cinnamon Buns/Swirls!
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I was so so sooooo chuffed with how these turned out. I was quite anxious about giving my sister's recipe a go, as she always does them to perfection and I didn't want mine to be atrocious, but I was quite proud at how they turned out. I loved the size of the buns, a small, bitesize bun to go with your tea. Infact, I was so impressed with them, I took some into uni for my friends to try. They absolutely adored them and they were very much needed after a boring lecture at uni!!
It just proves that just because something is described as 'vegan' doesn't mean it is going to be tasteless and raw like it is commonly perceived. Infact, I don't think I know anyone who cooks better or eats just as well than my sister. She definitely is my cooking (and eating!) role model. (Also, these are fab for anyone who is lactose intolerant.)
To find out more about my sister's and brother in law's vegan lifestyle, why don't you follow @theveggieblog on Twitter? Lots of yummy things to bake and eat, as well as reviews on vegan products and places to eat and drink.
Bon Appetit!!
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