Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
A big misconception about vegans is that their food isn’t particularly natural so isn’t palatable to people with particular tastes. But contrary to popular belief, vegan dishes aren’t complex concoctions of various plants and vegetables; they’re as normal and common as what other people eat minus the meat.
In fact, you can even satisfy your sweet tooth, too. PETA named some confectionery brands that you can consume without having to going against your lifestyle such as Smarties and Jujubes.
As for prepping your own food, there's now an abundance of alternatives for ingredients that come from various animals. VegKitchen lists a number of everyday products that are compatible with vegans. For instance, cow’s milk may be replaced by almond milk, while dairy butter can be replaced by Earth Balance, also known as vegan butter. As such, you can serve various dishes that even your non-vegan relatives or friends would enjoy without having to consume any animal-sourced ingredient in the process.
And similar to traditional cooking, you can also make use of different natural spices to add or diversify the taste in food. One such spice is cinnamon, extracted from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus 'cinnamomum'.
The spice has been used by humans throughout centuries, not just for edible consumption, but also for medicinal purposes as well. A post entitled ‘What Happens When You Eat Cinnamon’ explains the effects of cinnamon consumption, which include lowering blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels. The substance has also been used to fight illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. To yield the benefits that come from eating cinnamon, you can take it daily as long as you don't exceed your body's recommended threshold which you can find out from a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
For a quick treat using this versatile spice, you can make vegan cinnamon rolls. Following a recipe from the Minimalist Baker, here's one easy way of preparing this delicious recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons of rapid-rise yeast
- 1 cup of unsweetened plain almond milk
- ½ cup of Earth Balance butter
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ and a cup of organic cane sugar
- Grapeseed or canola oil
Preparation:
1. Mix and heat the almond milk with 3 tablespoons of Earth Balance butter in a sauce pan until it is warm and melted but not boiling. Let it cool to 110 degrees F.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the yeast. After ten minutes, sprinkle 1 tablespoon (each) of sugar and salt then stir.
3. Thicken the mixture by adding half a cup of flour at a time. Note that you may not have to add all of the flour into the mix.
4. Once too thick to stir, transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and knead until it forms a ball.
5. Clean your mixing bowl and coat it with either canola or grapeseed oil. Add the dough and set it in a warm place to let it rise.
6. Back onto the lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough into a long, even, thin rectangle. Brush it with 3 tablespoons of melted Earth Balance butter and top with ¼ cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
7. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and slice it evenly into 2-inch sections, fitting a well-buttered round baking pan. You should have about ten rolls in the pan.
8. Set it in a warm place to rise while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Next, place the pan in the oven and let it bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Let it cool for a few minutes then serve with a choice of dairy-free cream cheese or drizzle the remaining melted Earth Balance butter on top.
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