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Easy Gluten Free Cruffins Recipe

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4.4 from 60 reviews

These Easy Gluten Free Cruffins combine the flaky, buttery layers of croissants with the convenience of muffins, made entirely gluten-free. Perfectly spiced with cinnamon sugar and featuring a tender crumb, this recipe uses a simple yeast dough enriched with vanilla and butter, shaped into delightful cruffin forms and baked to golden perfection. A fantastic treat for those avoiding gluten but craving flaky, sweet pastries.

Ingredients

Scale

Yeast Mixture

  • 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon cane sugar
  • 1 cup milk (warm to 110º F)

Cruffin Dough

  • 3 cups gluten free flour blend
  • ½ cup cane sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (frozen)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sugar-Cinnamon Filling

  • ½ cup cane sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Topping

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
  • ¼ cup cane sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Prepare Yeast Mixture: Warm the milk to about 110º F, ensuring it’s warm but not hot to preserve yeast action. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cane sugar and the yeast into the milk. Set aside and allow it to sit until the mixture becomes frothy, indicating yeast activation. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200º F to prepare for the dough rise.
  2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of gluten free flour blend, ½ cup cane sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. This forms the dry base for your dough.
  3. Add Butter to Flour: Using a grater, grate the frozen 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the flour mixture. This helps create flaky layers similar to traditional laminated dough.
  4. Mix Dough: Add the frothy yeast mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the dry ingredients with grated butter. Mix gently but thoroughly to combine into a dough. Take care not to over-mix to maintain tender layers.
  5. Roll and Add Filling: Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a rectangular shape. Sprinkle the filling made of ½ cup cane sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon evenly over the dough. Cut the dough into strips, then roll each strip tightly into a coil to form cruffin shapes.
  6. Shape and Rise: Place each rolled strip into prepared muffin pan cups. Since gluten-free dough only rises well once, shape the cruffins before letting them rise. Let the dough rise in the warm oven (200º F) until puffy and nearly doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.
  7. Bake the Cruffins: Remove the pan from the oven and increase oven temperature to 375º F. Bake the cruffins for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked through.
  8. Finish with Butter and Sugar-Cinnamon: Immediately after baking, brush each cruffin generously with the 3 tablespoons melted butter. Roll or sprinkle with a topping mixture of ¼ cup cane sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for a sweet, crunchy finish.

Notes

  • You only get one good rise with gluten-free dough, so it’s important to shape the cruffins before allowing them to rise.
  • Use a good quality gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum or similar for best texture.
  • Milk can be substituted with any non-dairy milk but ensure it is warm for proper yeast activation.
  • Freezing the butter before grating helps create flaky layers in the dough.
  • The oven warming step at 200º F helps the gluten-free dough rise effectively.

Keywords: gluten free, cruffins, cinnamon sugar, yeast dough, gluten free pastries, baked goods, dairy, breakfast pastry

Find it online: https://mixitwitjoe.com/easy-gluten-free-cruffins-recipe/