Vegan MoFo, Day 1: Ice Box Cinnamon Rolls

Hello out there to everyone participating in Vegan MoFo 2013 and all of you lucky, lucky readers! You're about to encounter a month filled to the brim with vegan food during which we'll all work very hard. Blood, sweat, and tears, man! So please enjoy, and definitely be sure to check out all the other wonderful bloggers over at the Vegan MoFo Blog Roll! On to the show!

This year, I'm keeping with the "work through a cookbook" theme that I did last year with Meatless Meals. You can check out all of my posts here, should you so choose to peruse. Only this year, I am working to veganize recipes from a very special cookbook from my own childhood. It's a church cookbook that my mother picked up when it came out in 1978 (I think my Aunt Sherry still has her copy, too!). I was ecstatic to find my own copy this past May at a used book sale. Man, you should have seen my face when I spied that book on the table.

Mom's been making tasty recipes out of this church cookbook ever since. Her health isn't too great right now, so I am dedicating this Vegan MoFo to her, my biggest supporter and ace reader of this blog.

Gems from the Wheat State was compiled by members of the First Church of the Nazarene here in Wichita, KS with the purpose of raising money for a missionary trip in the summer of 1978. They even include special guest recipes--there's a recipe from the First Lady, Rosalyn Carter!

I've been toying around with several recipes over the past weeks and have already had some real winners. First up, mutha flippin' CINNAMON ROLLS. I'll have you know that I've only recently found my love for cinnamon rolls. I wouldn't say that I hated them before now, just that I preferred other sweets, like my mom's no bake cookies. Let's just say that veganizing this recipe has made me truly be able to love cinnamon rolls. I am eating one for breakfast now as I type and have plans for a second batch later today to bring to a pool party. Yes, a pool party. Cinnamon rolls are welcome everywhere.

The recipe is called Ice Box Cinnamon Rolls because the recipe contributor stressed that the dough, once rolled, could be refrigerated or frozen to be baked at a later time. Me? I just baked them all now and stored some in the fridge and freezer.

Ice Box Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Gems from the Wheat State, page D3, contributor Agnes Sharon
makes about 20 cinnamon rolls

2 pks yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Ener-G egg
3 cups white-whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 cups soy milk, warmed
4 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
scant 1/4 cup soymilk
1 tbsp melted vegan margarine

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, oil, and egg to yeast. Add flour and baking powder gradually, alternating with adding soymilk. Once dough is formed in the mixing bowl, oil the top and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 hour. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thickness, slather with melted vegan margarine, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut slices at about 1/2" thickness. Place on a well-greased pan to rise again for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 20-25 minutes. To make icing, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, soymilk, and melted vegan margarine in a small bowl and whip until combined. Drizzle icing over warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy! These will keep in the fridge for probably a week and in the freezer for an undetermined time because they won't last very long in either place before being devoured.

I'll dub this one a "win." :)


Past Vegan MoFo posts on this day:

VMF Day 1 2012: Lentil Soup and Baked Bananas
VMF Day 1 2011: Curry is for Lovers
VMF Day 1 2010: Green Soup

I'll also be Instagramming during Vegan MoFo. Check me out here.