Dairy/Soy-Free Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry for the delay in posting - life has been crazy. Baby is now 2 months old, and my 3 year old just started preschool last week - it's been hectic to say the least. HA!

So, I found this awesome recipe online for vegan blueberry cinnamon rolls, and I've kitchen tested it twice now. It's AMAZING! A great way to use blueberries (although you can easily substitute a different fruit - I'm thinking applies or other berries would be great - although I would NOT use frozen, as they would give off too much liquid when cooking and make the dough soggy).

Anyhow, I had to share here, and encourage you all to try this recipe. It's actually really easy (only one dough rise) so if you haven't made bread or worked with yeast dough before, don't be scared off. And I've been given the thumbs up from various folks who can have dairy/soy, and they've all loved the end result (took these to a brunch party), so don't be scared by the fact that they are vegan. These ROCK!

Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
makes 8 rolls
adapted from Healthy Food for Living

Ingredients:

1 cup vanilla almond milk, heated in the microwave for 45 seconds or until it reaches around 100 degrees F
2 1/4 tsp (or 1 0.25 oz packet) active dry yeast, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 1/2 cup flour (plus up to 1/4 cup for kneading and rolling)
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp soy/dairy free margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups blueberries (honestly, I didn't measure - just put what looks good in)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp almond milk (I used vanilla)
splash pure vanilla extract, about 1/4 tsp

Directions:

Coat an 8×8 inch square baking pan, or 9-inch round cake pan, with canola oil baking spray. Set aside.
Scatter yeast over warmed milk and allow to activate for about 10 minutes, or until frothy (you may need to help out the yeast a bit by gently pushing it into the milk, but don’t stir the mixture quite yet).
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and melted margarine. Set aside.
When yeast and milk mixture is bubbly, stir in the applesauce. Add wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until incorporated. Transfer dough onto a clean lightly floured surface and knead until soft and smooth, adding enough extra all-purpose flour (up to 3 Tbsp) to keep dough from sticking, about 2 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Lightly flour work surface again and roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness, about a 12-inch x 9-inch rectangle.
Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and margarine mixture evenly over the rolled-out dough, leaving about a 1-inch border around the perimeter.
Scatter blueberries evenly over the top. Gently push berries into dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Starting at a short end, carefully & tightly roll the dough jelly roll-style, making sure the filling doesn’t come out at the sides. Gently pinch seam closed. Cut the roll into 8 even pieces and place in prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (at this point you can refrigerate, covered, overnight or proceed on with the recipe.)
Remove the towel and bake rolls at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
While cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp almond milk, and vanilla extract.
Remove rolls from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer rolls to a wire rack, drizzle with glaze, and let sit for an additional 15 minutes before serving.