1 tablespoon whole milk

Pinch salt

Coat a 9-inch round metal cake pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Activate the yeast. Pour the milk into a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar over the milk, and set aside until the yeast dissolves and is bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Make the dough. Add the egg and 4 tablespoons melted and cooled butter to the yeast mixture. Place the gluten-free baking flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, and stir by hand until well-combined. The dough will be more of a thick, tacky batter than a stretchy dough -- similar in appearance to cookie dough.

Roll the dough out. Dust a piece of parchment paper with gluten-free baking flour, and scoop the dough onto the parchment. If the dough is too soft to roll out, set aside for 10 minutes to firm up. Roll the dough into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle (about 1/4-inch thick). Position it so that the longer side faces you.

Mix the cinnamon-sugar filling. Stir the 1/4 sugar for the filling and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.

Brush the dough with melted butter, and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar filling. Brush the surface of the dough with 3 tablespoons melted butter, leaving a 1-inch border at the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Roll the dough into a log. Roll the dough into a tight log and pinch the seam together at the top to seal.

Cut the dough crosswise into buns. Turn the log so the seam side is down. Use a serrated knife to cut the dough crosswise into 12 (1 1/4-inch) pieces.

Arrange the buns in cake pan and set aside for 1 hour. Place the rolls cut-side up in the prepared cake pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. The buns will not double in size, but will soften and expand slightly.

Heat the oven and brush the buns with melted butter. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 F. Once risen, brush the tops of the buns with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Bake the buns. Bake the buns until light golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in several spots comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Make the glaze. Whisk all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.

Ice the buns and serve. When the buns are ready, place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the glaze evenly over the cinnamon buns before serving.

Recipe notes: Cinnamon buns can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Arrange the buns in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator one hour before baking, brush with melted butter, and then bake as instructed above. Alternatively, freeze the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to two weeks. Transfer buns to the cake pan, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then remove from the fridge one hour before baking according to instructions above. Cinnamon buns are best eaten immediately after baking.

(Patty Catalanois a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)