We love cinnamon rolls. Who doesn’t? But these Peppery Cinnamon Rolls with Chai Masala Frosting that were created by Chef Jason Wyrick are something with a twist, something a little unexpected, and something with a complex flavor that changed as we bit down on the roll. Staring at his cup of chai, Chef Jason was inspired to deconstruct the spices into a sweet bun, so what better way to do it than in a cinnamon roll! Breakfast or dessert, these sweet rolls are glorious perfection. Serve them with a cup of steaming assam tea to round out the experience.
Time to Make: 2 hours (mostly time for the dough to rise)
Makes 10 very big rolls or 20 small rolls
Peppery Cinnamon Rolls with Chai Masala Frosting
The Dough
1 tsp. of yeast
1 cup of room temperature almond milk
1 tbsp. of sugar
3 tbsp. of melted vegan margarine
3 cups of flour + flour for your working surface
¼ tsp. of salt
The Filling
¼ cup of melted vegan margarine or almond oil
½ cup of turbinado sugar or brown sugar
¼ cup of slivered almonds
¾ tsp. of cracked black pepper
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. of fresh grated ginger
The Frosting
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp. of ground cardamom
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
2 ½ tbsp. of almond milk
Slivered almonds for the final topping
Combine the yeast, almond milk, sugar, and melted margarine. Wait a few minutes for the yeast to foam. Add the flour and salt and stir until you have a tacky dough. Lightly flour a working surface and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky. Lightly oil the dough to keep the outside from drying out, place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour.
Lightly flour a working surface again. Roll the dough out into a ¼” thick rectangle. The rectangle should be about 15” long. Brush it with the melted margarine or almond oil. Sprinkle the sugar, almonds, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger along the dough. Roll it closed. If you want big rolls, roll it narrow side to narrow side and if you want small rolls, roll it wide side to wide side.Wet your knife and gently cut the dough into 10 discs. Flip them on their sides so you can brush the outside with a little melted margarine or almond oil. Place them on a baking sheet. Let these rise for about 15 minutes. Bake them at 350 F for 25 minutes.
While they bake, combine all the frosting ingredients. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, spread the frosting over the top, sprinkle slivered almonds over the frosting, and serve immediately.
Jason Wyrick, Executive Chef and Publisher of The Vegan Culinary Experience magazine and the co-author of the NY Times Bestseller 21 Day Weightloss Kickstart.