Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scrolls

I was challenged to make a vegan version of cinnamon scrolls. I didn't have any vegan butter in the house, so I swapped the butter for applesauce. Guess what? It worked, they turned out so tasty that I wanted to share my recipe with you. You could also try making them with gluten free or spelt flour for a slightly healthier version.

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1 packet of instant yeast (7g)
• 25g castor sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 300ml warm oat milk (not too hot)
• 60-80g brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons applesauce (I used Bramley Applesauce by Sainsbury UK)
• 40 ml water
• icing sugar
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Method

1. Preheat the oven 180˚c fan (350˚F).
2. Whisk warm milk, yeast and sugar gently together and let stand for 20 minutes, for the yeast to bubble up and slightly activate.
3. Add all other ingredients and mix with a stand mixer on low until combined then on medium speed for 5-8 minutes, until the dough forms and has pulled away from the sides. You may need to stop the mixer halfway to scrape the sides. The dough will be softer than bread dough. If you find the mix too dry add a little more warm milk. If the dough it too sticky and wet add a little more flour. You will find that the dough should be sticky and stringy.
4. Lightly flour your hands and remove the dough from the bowl and ensure that it is all blended together you may need to massage and shape the dough into a ball.
5. Place in a lightly floured large bowl and rest covered with either plastic wrap or a damp tea towel in a warm place for 1-2 hours until the dough has double in size. Don't rush this step, otherwise the bread will not be light and fluffy.
6. Once double, transfer to a lightly floured bench.
7. After the dough has risen, knead it gently on your floured surface, then roll it out to form a rough rectangle (30 x 40cm).
8. Gently spread with apple-sauce (this could be swapped out for vegan butter). Sprinkle with cinnamon and crumble a layer of dark brown sugar evenly over your dough. Roll the dough lengthways and cut the roll into 16-18 slices.
9. Line a cake tin or grease a lasagne baking glass dish. Place the cut slices gently side by side. Cover again with the damp cloth or plastic wrap and place back in your warm spot and allow the dough to rise again for 20 minutes.
10. While you're waiting for the dough to rise, make the glaze. Add 1/4 cup of water with 2-4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Heat slowly until the sugar is dissolved. Now pour this mixture over the risen buns before placing them in the oven.
11. Bake until brown for 20-30 minutes.
12. While waiting for the buns to cook you could mix the optional icing. Blend with a wooden spoon the icing sugar with lemon juice. Once the buns are cooked and cooled slightly, drizzle this on top.