Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

In a small saucepan, mix together the milk, butter, and sugar. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid reaches 110 degrees F. It should feel like a nice hot bath but should NOT be too hot to touch. If your liquid gets too hot, you need to let it cool down (roughly to 110 degrees) before proceeding or else you will ruin the yeast. Remove from the heat.

Sprinkle the packet of yeast over top of the almond milk mixture and let sit for 2 minutes so the yeast can activate. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

Add in 3 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour. It should rise to nearly double.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a roughly 9x13 inch casserole dish and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Set aside.

Add an additional 1/2 cup of flour to the dough and mix with your hands until combined. It will be a little shaggy at this point. Turn out onto a well floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. If the dough is sticky at all, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle that's roughly 15 x 9 inches. Stretch the corners just a bit to make sure that everything is even.

Spread the softened butter on the dough leaving about a 1/4 inch margin around the edges. Evenly sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Starting at one of the longer edges, tightly roll up the dough and place the log seam side down. Cut the dough into 12 even pieces and then place them into the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish and let rise again for 30 minutes. If desired, you can cover the dish and place it into the fridge overnight so they're ready to bake in the morning.***

Bake for 30 minutes.

Prepare the frosting by whisking together the frosting ingredients.

Once out of the oven, frost immediately and ENJOY!

*you can use any plant based milk that you want here

**if you don't want the orange flavored syrup, you can leave out the orange zest and swap the juice for almond milk

***to bake the cinnamon rolls in the morning, prepare them the night before and put them in the fridge BEFORE the second rise. Take them out of the fridge 1 hour before you desire to bake them so that they can rise for a second time (they should puff up a decent bit). To lightly speed up the 2nd rise, you can put them in the oven for 30 minutes at 100 degrees F BEFORE starting to pre-heat the oven. Proceed with the recipe as usual.