“When Lizzie was a teenager, she had an American friend who made the loveliest cinnamon rolls with ease. Little did Lizzie know how easy she would find it to make this sugar-free version. Rather like no-knead bread, these can be assembled with 10 minutes’ preparation in the evening, prove in the fridge overnight, go straight into the oven when we wake up and be ready to serve by the time we’re dressed. They’re really best eaten as soon as they are cooked – they do not keep as well because they have not had a second proving and so are a little denser.” David Gillespie
Makes 8
INGREDIENTS
2 cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1⁄4 cup dextrose
1 teaspoon dried yeast
30 g butter, melted
3⁄4 cup lukewarm milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
Cinnamon mix
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1⁄4 cup dextrose
60 g butter, melted
Glaze
2 tablespoons dextrose
1⁄3 cup water
METHOD
1 Thoroughly grease a 24 cm round pie dish (we love our Pyrex pie dishes) or a baking tray.
2 Combine the flour, dextrose and yeast in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
3 Stir the melted butter into the lukewarm milk (not hot, or it will kill the yeast).
4 Pour the milk mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, followed by the egg. Mix until you have a soft dough.
5 Knead on a clean, lightly floured surface for 5–10 minutes or until smooth (use flour sparingly – this is a soft dough that will come together as you knead it). Set aside for 5 minutes while you make the cinnamon mix.
6 Combine the cinnamon and dextrose in a small bowl.
7 Roll (or press) the dough into a rectangle of even thickness roughly the size of a 32 cm × 23 cm baking tray).
8 Brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter. Reserve any leftover butter for brushing the buns.
9 Sprinkle the cinnamon mix evenly over the buttered surface, leaving a small strip at one long end clear.
10 Starting from the long end covered in cinnamon mix, begin rolling up the dough to make a long log. The cinnamon-free edge should stick to hold the roll together.
11 Using a serrated knife, cut the log into eight even pieces.
12 Arrange the dough pieces in the prepared pie dish, ends towards the middle, one swirl in the middle and seven around the outside.
13 Brush the tops gently with a little leftover melted butter, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.
14 In the morning, remove the cling wrap and sit the pie dish in a cold oven. Set the oven to 200°C (don’t use the quick warm-up function if your oven has one) then leave for 20–25 minutes.
15 Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Combine the dextrose and water in a small saucepan over low heat, and stir until thoroughly mixed.
16 Increase the heat and bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 5 minutes.
17 Remove the rolls from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and brush with the hot glaze.
18 Serve warm.
Recipes extracted from The Eat Real Food Cookbook by David Gillespie. Available now, Macmillan Australia, RRP $39.99.
