Chocolate, Orange, and Date Cinnamon Buns
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Description
Sugar free and vegan chocolate orange cinnamon buns, filled with dates and made with whole-food ingredients. Cinnamon rolls that you can feel good about eating for breakfast (no judgement here).
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 ml (1 cup) non-dairy milk
- 60 ml (¼ cup) light-tasting oil*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast**
- Zest of an orange
- 400 - 480 grams (2 ½ - 3 cups) spelt flour***
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Filling
- 100 grams (½ cup) packed soft dates soaked if needed
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- Juice of an orange ~3 tablespoons
- Zest of an orange
- 50 grams (¼ cup) dark chocolate
Instructions
Dough
- Add the milk, oil, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and heat on low until just warm to the touch. Pour the milk mixture into a large heatproof bowl and whisk in the yeast. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, or until foaming.250 ml (1 cup) non-dairy milk, 60 ml (¼ cup) light-tasting oil*, 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- Stir in the orange zest, 1 cup of flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments, stirring between each addition, until it becomes too difficult to stir. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead, adding more flour as needed, until a soft and smooth dough forms, about ten minutes.2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast**, Zest of an orange, 400 - 480 grams (2 ½ - 3 cups) spelt flour***, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it. Brush a little oil onto the top of the dough, cover, and set the bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
- Line a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan with parchment paper. Punch the dough down and place it onto a floured surface. Roll it out to about 2 cm thickness and spread the filling equally over the dough, then top with the dark chocolate. Roll the dough up lengthwise and cut into 5 cm wide pieces. Place the pieces into the prepared pan, cover, and set in a warm place to rise again for 30 minutes.50 grams (¼ cup) dark chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Once the buns are finished rising the second time, place them on the centre rack in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm if you can and keep any extras in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days.
Filling
- Blend the dates, coconut oil, orange juice, and zest until smooth in a food processor or high speed blender. If it's not becoming smooth, add a tablespoon of nondairy milk.100 grams (½ cup) packed soft dates, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, Zest of an orange, Juice of an orange
Notes
• If the milk mixture gets too hot, just let it cool in the bowl until it's warm but not hot.
• I always use a big dinner plate to cover the top of the bowl when I'm letting dough rise. It's better and preventing it from drying than a tea towel, and no plastic.
• You can also use a square tin or a regular baking sheet for the buns, but the baking time might change slightly.
* I did half sunflower oil and half hazelnut. You can use coconut or any light-tasting oil, but try adding some hazelnut if you have it!
** You can also use half a cube of fresh yeast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bun | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.