The most amazing gluten-free cinnamon buns EVER!

Okay, so I know I'm biased because I made them and all...but seriously folks, after 15 years of gluten-free experiments gone horribly wrong (and some turning out moderately okay).  I have found the cure to all my cinnamon bun cravings...and I have to say that is the one thing I miss the most from my previous life!

Now this is not your conventional cinnamon bun, and I think that's why it works so well.  In the cookbook Rice Flour to the Rescue, we included a cinnamon bun recipe, and I'm not knocking that version at all, however I always had trouble getting the buns to rise a second time and if they didn't rise properly, the dough could be pretty dry and crumbly...a la classic gluten-free style.  : P

So here's my most amazing recipe for Cinnamon Bun Twists:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white rice flour
• 2 cups glutenous rice flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup wam milk
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of white rice flour, 1 cup of glutinous rice flour, all the white sugar, salt and instant yeast together in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the milk, water, oil and eggs.  It's important that the milk and water are warm but NOT hot, otherwise you will kill the yeast.  The overall temperature of the liquids should be about 40 degrees C.
3. Add in the remaining white rice and glutinous rice flours and pat the dough into a smooth round ball.  Add only small amounts of extra flour if you find the dough is still too sticky to handle.  Too much flour will prevent the dough from shaping nicely and will create dry, crumbly texture after baking.
4. Cover and allow the dough to rise for about half an hour in a warm place.
5. Divide the dough into three equal balls.  Roll out the first ball into a circle the size of a pizza pan.  Tip: you may want to roll the dough out on a floured piece of plastic wrap to make it easier to transfer to the pan.
6. Place the rolled out dough on a floured pizza pan.  Top with some of the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins if desired.
7. Roll out the second ball of dough and place it on top of the first to create a sandwich.  Top again with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins if desired.

8. Roll out the third ball and place it on top.
9. Leaving the center whole, cut the dough into eight wedges.  See the image below:

10. Using a floured lifter, pick up one wedge and carefully flip it twice to create a twist.  Be gentle with the dough and go slow and it can fall apart easily.  This is where using too much flour can create a problem.

11. Go around the whole circle twisting each wedge.  Once you're done, pat the edges together and shape it into a nice circle.  If you want a nice presentation without having to add icing, you can brush the whole thing with a bit more melted butter and dust lightly with more cinnamon.

12. Cover and let it rise again for at least another half an hour.
  

13. Bake at 375 degrees C for 20 - 25 minutes.  Allow it to cool before trying to lift it off the pan, unless of course you're eating them fresh, in which case just serve it as is!  : )