Description
Fluffy cinnamon knots with crispy edges and shiny tops – completely vegan! Dairy and egg-free deliciousness.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine
- 1 cup nondairy milk
- 1 cup water
- 4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
Filling:
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small pot, melt the butter and then add the milk and water. Warm the mixture until it’s just warm to the touch/lukewarm. Whisk in the yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add the salt.
- Add the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment on.
- Slowly add the flour with the mixer on low speed mixing continuously. I like to add it about 1 cup at a time, letting it mix in before adding more, just to stop the flour from poofing everywhere. Once all the flour has been added, continue to knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, and not too sticky to the touch.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and gather the dough into a ball in the center of the bowl (just pull it away from the sides of the bowl so it’s not stuck to the sides). Place a clean tea towel overtop of the bowl and then add a cookbook or sheet pan on top – I find this helps it rise better. Leave it on the countertop in a draft-free area for 1 hour to rise.
- Meanwhile, stir together the filling ingredients, then set aside.
- Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. If you don’t have two, you can just have a piece of parchment paper ready that will fit the pan so you can transfer it once the first batch is done.
- Remove the pan and towel off the bowl and give the dough a punch right in the middle to deflate it. Divide the dough in half and place one half on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle about 18 inches wide by 14 inches tall.
- Spread the filling onto half of the dough (see photos above for these steps) then fold the dough widthwise over the half with filling, to cover it.
- Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to divide the folded dough, widthwise, into 8 equal strips.
- Slice each strip in half, but don’t cut all the way, so it is attached at the top by an inch of uncut dough. It will have two “legs”.
- Twist each leg of dough, then twist them around each other. Finally, wrap it into a knot and place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough (you will get 8 knots per pan).
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cover the sheet pan of cinnamon knots with a tea towel and place on the stove as the oven heats up. This will help them rise a little bit more and make them nice and fluffy.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown on top.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot on the stove, add the glaze ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring and simmering until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove pans from the oven and brush tops of cinnamon knots immediately with the sugar glaze. This will make them nice and shiny and keep the tops from getting hard.
- Serve! Store extras in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. You can also freeze an d reheat in the oven as you please.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour rising
- Cook Time: 15 minutes