Gluten Free Cruffins

CRUFFINS! A culinary crossover of the beloved MUFFIN + the decadent CROISSANT! Oh the joy, right?! Yes, they’re delicious! Yes, they do take some time to put together and that makes them even more enjoyable! This is a variation of our G/F DINNER ROLL recipe and it’s such a fun one! Be sure to check out the NOTES section below for several tips on what kind of potatoes I use, nightshade free options and a yummy chocolate variation. Enjoy!

30 minutes

25 minutes

Difficulty

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	328
Fat:	20 g
Carbohydrates:	41 g
Protein:	2 g
Cholesterol:	87 g
Sodium:	461 mg
Fiber:	2 g
Sugars:	23 g
Calculated per serving.

by Back Porch Paleo

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Serves: 16

Ingredients

dough

.25 cup Whole Milk, warmed to 110° (can sub almond milk or milk of choice)
1 Tbsp Granulated White Sugar, organic if desired
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast, rapid rise preferably
.33 cup Salted Butter, softened (can sub organic shortening, such as Spectrum)
3 whole Eggs, room temperature
.5 cup Red Skin Potatoes, mashed (no skins) completely with milk, butter, and salt (day old* & room temperature, see notes; can sub mashed sweet potato for nightshade free option)
2 tsp Sea Salt
.25 cup Granulated White Sugar, organic if desired
1 whole Lemon zest, zest only, reserve juice for another use
.5 cup Whole Milk, warmed to 110° (can sub almond milk or milk of choice)
3.5 cups Caputo Fioreglut Pizza Flour (gluten-free), + additional, depending on egg size and for dusting (can sub King Arthur 1:1, Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour blends)
1 whole Egg, + 1 tsp water for optional egg wash

filling/coating

1 cup Salted Butter, room temp & really soft but not melted
1.5 cups Granulated White Sugar
1.5 Tbsp ground Cinnamon

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Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Add ¼ c milk, sugar and yeast to a measuring cup, stir well & allow to bloom.
While the yeast blooms, add the butter, eggs, mashed potatoes, salt, sugar and lemon zest to the base of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix to combine. Or add to a large mixing bowl & use a hand mixer.
Once yeast has bloomed, add that along with the remaining ½ cup of milk to the egg mixture along with 2½ cups of the flour and mix to combine well. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and add the remaining 1 cup of flour about ⅓ at a time while the mixer runs, until the dough ball comes together. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need an additional 2-3 tablespoons of flour to bring the dough together. You should have a nice soft and pliable dough that you can touch with your finger and not be sticky.
Leave the dough in the mixer bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 30 minutes. Prepare a muffin tin by coating with avocado oil and set aside. Prepare filling/coating by stirring sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl until well combined.
After 30 minutes, remove dough from the bowl and divide into 8 portions
Roll one ball out into an approximate 10”x7” rectangle. Spread about 1 tablespoon of butter evenly over the top then sprinkle about 1-1½ tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly over the butter, lightly pressing into the dough.
Beginning with the long side, roll up like you would a cinnamon roll into a log.
Using a thread, slide it under the rolled dough and pull it from one end to the other end, down the middle, creating two long sections. Alternately, use a thin, very sharp knife and slice down the middle from one end to the other.
Carefully roll these sections sideways creating a spiral circle, tucking the tail end just slightly under the bottom. Place in the prepared muffin tin and repeat with remaining dough balls.
Once all 16 are done, cover with plastic and set in a warm place in your kitchen for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400° while cruffins rise.
When ready to bake, brush with egg wash (if using) and place in the oven, then immediately reduce the oven temperature to 385°.
Bake for 16-19 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then carefully remove to a cooling rack.
While cruffins cool a bit, melt remaining butter and brush the top of one cruffin and carefully roll in remaining cinnamon sugar mixture or sprinkle on top (see note.) Repeat with remaining cruffins.
These are best the day of but do freeze well.

Notes

FULLY COATED: You can brush/coat the entire cruffin. You will need approximately ¼ cup more melted butter and about ¼ cup more cinnamon sugar. Exact amounts will vary depending on how coated you like them. // CHOCOLATE VARIATION: spread melted chocolate spread (we use Fourth & Heart Chocti) thinly on the rectangles before rolling up to make a chocolate filled cruffin. You can coat them with cinnamon sugar after they bake, but that is optional. // RED POTATOES provide more “bounce/elasticity” to use as the mashed potatoes in this recipe. Day old is key, as it gives the starch some time to settle. I make a standard mashed potato: peeling the potatoes and boiling til done. Then use milk + butter and some salt to mash the potatoes. I like to use a potato ricer for optimal creaminess. // If you're using the "NIGHTSHADE FREE" option and using mashed sweet potatoes to make these rolls, you may need to adjust the amount of flour used by up to 3-4 tablespoons for optimal dough texture. // Alternatively, use a HAND MIXER beginning by adding 1-2 cups of flour then kneading the remaining 1 cup of flour into flour by hand on your countertop so you don’t burn out the motor on your hand mixer if it’s not a heavy duty model.