Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

A cinnamon roll with pumpkin in it? Heck yeah. It’s the time of year when people are putting pumpkin in everything, and I’m happy to join in the madness.

These turned out pretty tasty. The pumpkin adds a bit of texture, and makes them seem much heartier than your average cinnamon roll (which is good, because I can eat a roll the size of my head if it tastes cinnamon-sugar fluff). And, because it’s pumpkin-crazy time, I used a 1:2 ratio of pumpkin spice and cinnamon for the filling. My only complaint about the way these turned out is that I would have liked them to be a little less dense. I’m not sure if that’s because I used too much flour or because the yeast I bought recently has been very difficult to work with. (It isn’t dead, but it takes forever to rise, even when I put it directly in front of a heat vent.) Regardless, they were still yummy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
(adapted from Torview and King Arthur Flour)

Yield: 12 rolls

Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup of warm water
• 1 cup of pumpkin purée
• 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of dry milk
• 1/4 cup of butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Filling

• 5 tbsp granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of butter, melted

Glaze

• 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Activate yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water. Once the yeast is foamy and ready to go, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add yeast mixture, pumpkin, butter, and egg. Whisk dry ingredients into the center until you can no longer mix with the fork. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth (8–10 minutes). Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch down dough. On a floured surface, roll dough out into a 10 x 12 rectangle. Combine all of your ingredients for the filling and spread evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch perimeter uncovered all the way around. Roll rectangle up lengthwise and slice into 12 pieces. Place in a 9 x 9 baking dish greased with butter. (I actually didn’t do this, which I think was a mistake. I put them on a cookie sheet, and they kind of started to unroll slightly in the oven. If they were snugly packed in a dish, this probably wouldn’t have happened.) Cover rolls and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Bake rolls for around 25 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool. Once rolls have cooled, mix together your glaze ingredients and drizzle over the rolls.