Gluten free goeey banana and clove protein rolls – 107 calories

Gluten free does not mean roll free! Walking past a bakery, smelling the freshly baked goods that are off limits for you might be tempting. Some are lucky to live near places where you can find gluten free alternatives but let’s face the facts: most of them contains funky ingredients, added sugar or are _incredibly_ high glycemic (meaning they elevate your blood sugar quickly).

So yesterday I was craving buns and decided to make a play on a traditional cinnamon bun. Using sorghum flour instead of all purpose flour and swapping the cinnamon filling for banana I must say I was pleased with the result. I used quark and protein powder just to add some protein and seasoned it with cloves. Banana + cloves may sound a little bit off but I promise you that it tastes wonderfully. The buns came out moist and soft but most of all: they’re low on fat but still serves you A LOT of flavor. You won’t fail because they’re easy to make (I promise!) so go make them for that sunday brunch and make everyone believe you’re a gluten free genius!

.. Oh, they’re a really healthy and creative alternative to the traditional cinnamon roll. However, they’re about 107 calories each. That’s still a bargain for a roll considering the fact that a normal cinnamon roll contains about 220-400 calories each. So, as soon as I did the calorie count on my buns I’ve decided upon going even lower and swapping the bananas for pumpkin puree for a even skinnier version of these. Stay tuned because they’ll appear as soon as possible!

1 sachet active dry yeast + 2 tsp baking powder (my dry yeast mix already contains baking powder but if yours doesn’t then try something like this or blend your own mix)
1 cup or 2,1 dl neutral whey powder (80 g)
2 1/4 cups or 6,6 dl my gluten free blend(270 g)
1 cup quark (divided) (200 g)
10 tsp guar gum (30 g)
1 1/4 T psyllium husks (6 g)
1 T coconut flour
1 tsp cloves
2 T sweetener of choice
A pinch of salt
A splash of white wine vinegar
2 small mashed bananas (110 g)
1 1/4 package banana puree (something like this) (180 g)
1 cup + 1 T or 2,5 dl unsweetened pistachio milk (250 ml)

Heat up your milk and dissolve your yeast in the milk if the product you’re using requires that (mine didn’t so I skipped this step). Blend the milk with the half of quark (1/2 cup, 1 dl or 100 g) and add one banana plus the cloves, puree, salt, vinegar and the sweetener. In a separate bowl, mix the protein powder, baking powder, (once again, omit if your mixture contains it) guar gum, the husks, and both flours and slowly add the blend to your milk mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides. Let it rise and rest in a warm and dark place for about one hour.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining banana and the quark along with some seasoning of choice. I added some sweetener, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add to taste but this is going to be your filling so make it tasty! Once done resting, transfer it onto a floured surface. Knead until you have a silky, smooth, elastic dough. If the dough sticks to your hands (too wet) add a little extra flour. Roll out the dough into a huge rectangle and spread out your filling. Beginning at the long side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 17 slices and place the slices directly in a greased baking pan or into paper molds. Let the dough rise for about half an hour under a clean kitchen towel and oh, do not forget to heat up the oven to 420 F or 250 C while your dough is resting. Bake it in the oven for about 6-8 minutes or until the buns look done.

Macros for one roll out of 17:
Calories: 107
Fats: 2 g
Protein: 13 g
Carbs: 17 g (2 g fiber)