Cinnamon Swirls
Honestly, cinnamon swirls are one of those things we kept saying we'd figure out a plant-based version of, and when we finally nailed it we were absolutely buzzing. There's something about pulling a tray of these out of the oven, all golden and pillowy, with that sticky cinnamon sugar oozing through every layer, that just feels like a proper treat. The dough is soft and fluffy, the filling is rich and warming, and the whole kitchen smells incredible while they bake. These take a bit of time and effort but trust us, the payoff is absolutely worth it. Make these on a lazy weekend morning and you will not regret it.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Large baking tin greased & lined with baking paper
- Rolling pin
- Dough risen until doubled in size (warm place, covered)
Ingredients
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp plant-based butter
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 240ml almond milk
- 1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 360g plain flour
- 3 tbsp plant-based butter
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 60g icing sugar
- handful of pistachios chopped
- 2 water
Method
Make the dough
- Heat the milk, butter and caster sugar on a low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved
- Set aside to cool for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile measure out the flour into a bowl, add the yeast and salt and mix to combine
- Check that the milk mixture has cooled to body temperature and then add to the dry ingredients, mixing quickly with a wooden spoon into a dough
- If it looks too wet add in a few more tablespoons of flour until it comes together into a loose dough - it will be very soft in texture‚ not like a bread dough
- Turn out on to a floured surface and give a few gentle kneads to bring together
- Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and put in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size
Form the buns
- When the dough has risen dust your work surface with flour and tip out the dough
- Knead it gently together, knocking the air out of it - it will be very soft and a little sticky, add a little more flour as you need to
- Roll out the dough into a rough rectangle around 35cm x 50cm
- Spread the butter onto the dough and sprinkle over the cardamom, cinnamon and brown sugar evenly on top
- Cover and leave to rise for 25-35 minutes
Bake the buns
- Once the buns are risen place the tin in the oven for 25-30 minutes
- They should be lightly golden on top and feel slightly soft in texture underneath when prodded
- While the buns cool, make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp of water
- Once they are completely cool, cover with the glaze and scatter over the pistachios
Tips & Variations
- Nail the prove: Don't rush the rising time. We like to put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp tea towel, and leave it somewhere warm like near a radiator or in a slightly warm oven. Give it the full time and you'll be rewarded with a seriously fluffy result.
- Glaze while warm: Pour or drizzle your icing over the swirls while they're still warm from the oven so it melts into all the layers. If you wait until they're completely cool the glaze just sits on top and it's not the same.
- Freeze for later: These freeze brilliantly. Once baked and cooled, wrap them individually and freeze for up to a month. Just warm through in the oven for 10 minutes and they taste freshly baked. Henry always makes a double batch for exactly this reason.
Why This Works
The trick here is making sure your milk mixture has cooled down to body temperature before it hits the yeast, because too hot and you'll kill it, too cold and it won't activate properly. Getting that right is what gives you that beautiful soft, pillowy dough that makes these swirls so good. We also find that rolling the dough out nice and evenly and not rushing the second prove makes a massive difference to the final texture.