Buttery Flaky Gluten Free Cruffins - Fearless Dining (2024)

Allergen Information:

These gluten free cruffins are gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and soy-free. I have not tested a dairy-free alternative. See the Substitution section for a gum-free version.

Substitutions:

To make this recipe gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. I haven’t tested it in this specific recipe, but my blend works in many of my other yeast recipes.

Tips For Sucess:

• Freeze the butter overnight. It will grate in a large grater much better and help build flaky layers in the dough.
• Use a gluten free flour blend that works with yeast. Many 1:1 blends, including Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, King Arthur Measure for Measure, and Pamela’s GF Baking Mix, do NOT work in yeast recipes. See the linked article on gluten free flour blends that work in yeast recipes in the Ingredient Notes section.

Flavor Variations:

• Orange – To make orange-flavored cruffins, use ¾ cup of milk, ¼ cup of orange juice, and add 2 TBSP orange zest to the sugar that is spread over the flat dough. It is a variation on these Gluten Free Orange Rolls.
• Nutella – Instead of sugar in the spiral, spread Nutella over the flat dough.
• Pumpkin Spice – Add 2 tsp. of pumpkin spice to the sugar mix you spread over the flat dough.
• Cinnamon Apple – Add finely diced apples (peeled) on top of the sugar and cinnamon that is spread over the dough. It is a variation of my Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Rolls.

What does a cruffin taste like?

Gluten free cruffins are a little different from regular cruffins because you can’t simulate the crispiness of flaky thin layers of a croissant with gluten free flour. These gf cruffins are flaky and have buttery layers from the spirals with crisp outsides, but they lack the thin layers.

Can you use salted butter?

Using salted butter will not change anything except the flavor of the cruffins. Salted vs. unsalted butter is more of a personal preference.

How To Store Gluten Free Cruffins:

Store your gluten free cruffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Gluten free tends to spoil quickly, so freeze any cruffins you don’t finish in the next 3 days. I freeze them in a freezer-safe zip-style bag.

Yeast Mix

• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast Or one packet. See note.
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 cup milk * See notes

Rolls

• ▢ 3 cups gluten free flour blend * See note!
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar layer

• ▢ ½ cup cane sugar * See note.
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Sugar Mix for Rolling Baked Cruffis In

• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Yeast Mixture

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  Warm milk to 110º F in the microwave. Add one tablespoon of sugar and the active dry yeast. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it is frothy. Preheat the oven to 200º F and then turn it off.

Cruffins

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  Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend.

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  Use a large cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Stir as you go so the flour coats the butter shreds.

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  Pour the yeast mixture and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients. Mix carefully.

• ▢

  If you need to add extra flour to work the dough, do this 1 TBSP at a time. Every gluten free flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio, which means you may need more or less flour to get a workable dough.

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  Dust a silicone mat with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl onto the mat. Dust the top of the dough with flour if needed.

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  NOTE: You only get one good rise with gluten free dough, so it is important to shape the gluten free cruffins before rising!

• ▢

  Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to a rectangular shape with ¼ inch thickness. Melt the butter in one bowl for 20 seconds in the microwave. Mix the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

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  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the butter. Use a knife to cut the dough into strips.

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  Roll each strip of dough carefully so the sugar mixture doesn't spill out. Place in a greased muffin pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and put it in the warm oven to rise for 45 minutes.

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  Remove the cruffins from the oven and remove the plastic. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Your cruffins should be double in size.

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  Brush melted butter over the tops of the cruffins. This will help them get golden and slightly crisp on the outside.

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  Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

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  Roll the cruffin in a bowl of cinnamon sugar while it is still warm. If you want more sugar to stick, you can brush the cruffin with melted butter first. I find when the cruffin is warm; the sugar sticks easily.

1. I have only tested this recipe with Cup4Cup so far. Other blends should work, BUT it is critical to use a blend that works with yeast. Many 1:1 blends don’t, so you need to check the back of the 1:1 bag and the website to ensure it is an okay flour. I talk more about this in my article about gluten free flour blends.
2. Note: every gluten free flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio. You may need to add more flour, milk, etc., to make the dough workable. This is normal, so be prepared to adjust your amounts if needed.
3. Add one teaspoon if your blend doesn’t contain xanthan or guar gum.
4. Yeast – I used Fleischman’s Active Dry Yeast. Double-check that the brand you use is gluten free. Red Star “Platinum” is NOT gluten free!
5. I have not tested this recipe with any dairy-free ingredients. If you try this, please leave a comment or message me and let me know how it worked out.
6. You can also use brown sugar in the “swirl” instead of sugar if you prefer.
7. Store leftover gluten free cruffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for up to 3 days. Freeze room-temperature cruffins in a freezer bag.

Flavor Variations:

• Orange – To make orange-flavored cruffins, use ¾ cup of milk, ¼ cup of orange juice, and add 2 TBSP orange zest to the sugar that is spread over the flat dough. It is a variation on theseGluten Free Orange Rolls.
• Nutella – Instead of sugar in the spiral, spread Nutella over the flat dough.
• Pumpkin Spice – Add 2 tsp. of pumpkin spice to the sugar mix you spread over the flat dough.
• Cinnamon Apple – Add finely diced apples (peeled) on top of the sugar and cinnamon that is spread over the dough. It is a variation of myGluten Free Apple Cinnamon Rolls.