Vegan Coffee Rolls (Coffee and Cinnamon Buns)

Vegan Coffee Rolls (Coffee and Cinnamon Buns) à la Dunkin Donuts

          Back in the States, I used to stop off at Dunkin Donuts almost every day for an iced coffee (extra extra, please) and a blueberry muffin, glazed donut, or, if it was a special day, a coffee roll!  I still love iced coffee (black please, no sugar), and am partial to a vegan muffin or donut any time I can get my hands on them, but coffee rolls are much harder to find.  I had a hankering last night and decided to try my hand at making these rolls, which are like coffee flavoured cinnamon rolls, but with a sticky glaze.  

          It was already almost dinner time when I started making them, so I didn't bother waiting for the normal multiple rise system...if you have the time and inclination for that kind of thing, check out my perfect pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe instead.  This worked fine for the coffee rolls, since they're meant to be a bit denser than cinnamon rolls, but they still have that wonderful, light, pull apart the layers goodness!

          I used instant decaf coffee in this recipe, but you can definitely use espresso instead - just reduce the liquid content accordingly.  The total amount of coffee in here is roughly equivalent to two strong cups, so if you use caffeinated instant coffee, you shouldn't get too much of a buzz.

          The recipe yields 12 coffee rolls, which you would think would make it easy to have some leftover to photograph in the daylight.  I did manage to save two (!) for the next morning to take pictures, but forgot to account for the fact that at this time of year the sun doesn't come up until after 9am in Scotland, and there was no way I was going to pass up having these for breakfast.  So, apologies for the poor lighting, but I'm only human, and coffee roll temptation is too much for me!

Vegan Coffee Rolls

Total Time: 2 hours

Serves: makes 12 coffee rolls (about 4 inches in diameter)

For the rolls

3 tsp instant yeast

120ml hot water 

120 ml almond milk (hot)

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tsp instant coffee

1/2 tsp vanilla

30g melted coconut oil

2 cups white flour

3/4 cup demi whole wheat flour (or unbleached white)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp arrowroot

Heat the almond milk and water in a large bowl or saucepan until they are hot to the touch, but not scalding (try for the temperature of a hot bath).  Add the yeast and sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes or so, or until the yeast is frothing.  Add the instant coffee, vanilla, and coconut oil.  Fold in the white flour, salt and arrowroot.  Then add the demi whole wheat flour slowly, folding until a doughball forms.  Knead for 4 minutes (the dough will be very sticky, so a bit of coconut oil on your hands will help).  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before moving on to the next step.  Meanwhile, prep your filling.

For the filling

2 tbsp melted vegan margarine

1/2 tsp instant coffee

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a small bowl, mix the margarine and coffee together until fully combined.  Reserve 1/2 tsp of this mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.

For the sticky glaze

1/2 tsp reserved margarine/coffee mixture

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 tbsp sweetened almond milk

1/4 cup icing sugar (more if desired)

Combine all these ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

Assembly

 

Prepare a baking dish by lightly oiling it with coconut oil.  

 

After the dough has rested for 10 minutes, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape (approximately 12x8 inches).   

 

I tried adding the coffee at the last minute for a 'marbled effect' which you can see clearly here, but it wasn't visible in the end product so I've simplified the recipe down to exlude it.

Brush the melted margarine and coffee mixture over the dough, all the way to the edges.  

 

 

 

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.  

 

 

Taking hold of the 12inch side of the rectangle, roll up, so that you end up with a 12 inch long roll.  The dough is very forgiving at this stage, so if there are any tears, just pinch them together - they won't show in the final product!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces, and arrange these in the baking dish so that they are about 1/2 inch away from each other.  They will spread substantially, and we want them to spread into one another, so we get soft edges! 

 

 Let these rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in size (I use my oven with the light on - since its so cold in our flat, I turn the oven on to 100C while rolling out the dough, and then turn the heat off when I put the rolls in to rise).

After an hour, heat the oven to 180C/350F, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and fully set in the centers.  Remove from the oven and immediately brush the sticky glaze over the top, making sure each roll gets well covered.  

 

These are amazing when they're still hot from the oven, but also delicious cold the next day.