Ditte Isager
Pamela Anderson’s Favorite Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and sweet cinnamon rolls are what Sunday mornings were made for. These cast-iron beauties are buttery, fluffy, and kissed with a rich maple-infused glaze.
January 14, 2025
At her home in Vancouver Island, Pamela Anderson starts Sunday mornings off sweet with these labor-of-love cinnamon rolls. Brought down still warm in their cast-iron pan to the end of the pier at her remodeled Ladysmith, BC home, Anderson savors these fluffy, sweet rolls—from her brand-new cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart—with family and friends, accompanied by strong black coffee for guests, a French press chicory dandelion brew for her.
Ditte Isager
For a softer, chewier dough with a hint of tang, you can make these into sourdough cinnamon rolls. Instead of using active dry yeast, substitute approximately 1 cup bubbly, active sourdough starter. Adjust by using only 2 cups all-purpose flour and only ½ cup milk, and double the rising time.
What you need:
For the dough:
1½ cups unsweetened vegan milk
¼ cup vegan butter
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1½ cups whole spelt flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the cinnamon filling:
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature
For the maple glaze:
1¼ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened vegan milk
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
What you do:
- For the dough, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm milk and butter until butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool until milk is lukewarm. Into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour mixture. Stir in sugar and yeast, and set bowl aside until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, spelt flour, and salt.
- When yeast is ready, add flour mixture to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed to knead dough until soft, smooth, and a little bouncy, about 6 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead dough by hand, but it will take a few minutes longer. The dough should be tacky but not so sticky that it sticks to bottom of bowl. If it does, mix in additional all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough no longer sticks.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer dough to it. Cover bowl with a piece of parchment paper and a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm spot to rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- While dough rests, prepare cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Line a 12-inch cast-iron pan with parchment paper, letting paper hang over sides a bit.
- Transfer risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. Pat and roll into an approximately 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Use a spatula to spread softened butter all over surface, leaving a bare ¼-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture all over and rub gently into butter using your fingertips.
- To form cinnamon rolls, starting with a long side, roll dough tightly into a log. Brush bare edge with water and pinch to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut cylinder into 9 slices, each about 1¾-inches thick. Use your fingers to pat a little thinner and reshape as needed.
- Place slices in prepared pan, nestling them close together in a single layer. Cover pan with a piece of parchment paper and a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm spot to rise until puffy but not quite doubled in size, about 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before rolls are finished rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Uncover pan and bake cinnamon rolls until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. It’s better to barely underbake than to overbake—see if you can gently separate layers in the middle of a bun to check if they are just cooked through and fluffy.
- For the maple glaze, in a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, butter, maple syrup, milk, and salt. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls and serve.
For more plant-based recipes like this, read:
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