Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I know that autumn just technically began last weekend, but I always start anxiously awaiting cooler weather in late August. This weekend finally brought the first real fall weather so far this year! It's sunny but not hot, with crisp mornings and breezy afternoons. I convinced Evan to go to a farm market with me yesterday morning, and they just so happened to have rows upon rows of pumpkins. And I can only see so many pumpkins before I feel the need to start baking with them.
If you look back through my recipes, I don't think it's a secret that I love cinnamon, and cinnamon rolls just might be my favorite cinnamon-y dessert. I've posted about them before, and they're one of the baked treats that I'll actually make with some regularity – I don't feel the need to rotate them in and out. With that said, though, I've always wanted to try a more creative take on cinnamon rolls, so in honor of this lovely fall weather I decided to add some pumpkin!
For this recipe, unlike the one I've posted before, I'm not using any starter mixes. This cinnamon roll dough is made from scratch, using my grandmother's recipe as a starting point. The pumpkin only comes into play in the filling – I wasn't feeling brave enough to try to add it to the dough, too – but I didn't want that flavor to overpower everything else anyway. I just wanted to give a breakfast classic a slight fall twist.
For any readers who may be a little more health-conscious than I am, I wanted to share that the pumpkin puree in the filling is replacing some of the butter that would normally be used. These aren't only a fun seasonal treat – they're even a little healthier for you than the traditional recipe!
PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Prep Time: ~3 hours
Makes 12 rolls
Ingredients
3-4 cups flour
2 T brown sugar
½ t cinnamon
4½ teaspoons (2 packets) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
⅓ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
Filling:
5 T butter, softened ¾ cup pumpkin puree ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2½ T cream cheese, softened
2 T butter, softened
¼ t vanilla
1½ T milk
Directions
Grease a 13x9-inch pan* and a large bowl, and set aside.
Dough:
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and yeast. In a small bowl (or glass measuring cup) heat the milk in the microwave until hot but not boiling, and add the butter. Stir to melt the butter. When the milk-butter mix is ready, pour it into the dry ingredients and mix well. After a couple minutes, add two eggs, and mix again. (I recommend waiting a couple minutes so your eggs don't start to cook from the heat, but it does make for more difficult stirring when adding the eggs after the milk.)
Beat the mixture by hand, occasionally scraping the bowl, for 3 minutes. Add in the remaining 1-2 cups of flour gradually – I only needed about a cup and a half – until the dough comes together. It should be soft, smooth, and elastic, and just barely sticky. Place the dough into the greased bowl and place in a warm area until it's doubled in size, around 1 hour.
Filling:
While you wait, prepare the filling. Mix the filling ingredients together (softened butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and cinnamon) until they're thoroughly and uniformly mixed.
Preparing the rolls:
After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Flour a prep board, or your countertop, and roll out the dough into a roughly rectangular shape until it's about ½ centimeter high, around 12 by 16 inches. Spread the filling over the dough as evenly as possible.
Starting with one of the shorter edges of your dough rectangle, start to roll it up tightly, and as you finish rolling it up try to press the edge of the dough onto the roll to seal it. The rolling is easier said than done, especially with the pumpkin puree filling, so take your time! Then, using a good knife without a serrated edge, slice the roll into about 12 equal slices.
Place the cinnamon rolls into the greased 13x9, evenly spaced, and let them sit in a warm place to rise until they're doubled in size. You can preheat the oven to 375 F to make the kitchen a little warmer! After the rolls have puffed up enough, bake them for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Icing:
Once the rolls are out of the oven, prepare the icing. Rapidly stir the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and whipped in consistency (or use a hand mixer – I'm just lazy). Then stir in the milk. Mix in the powdered sugar gradually until you have the consistency you want. Spread the finished icing over the rolls, once they're just warm and no longer hot.
Makes around 12 rolls. Enjoy on a brisk fall morning with hot apple cider.
Happy Eating,
Natalie