Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

There’s just something about an ooey gooey cinnamon roll. Well, besides the fact that ooey is a hard word to spell. Or possibly easy, but it isn’t actually in the dictionary and ooey just looks wrong. But I’m sure you know what I mean.  Just look at this roll here. Glaze dripping off the fork and the roll, flecks of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg begging to be savored.

Confession time. I’ve NEVER had a Cinnabon. Double confession time. I never liked cinnamon rolls. Until now. Now I want them All. The. Time. I just had one literally five minutes ago and already I’m looking at the pan calculating how many more I can eat before I gain five pounds. This is why I bring my baked goods into the office on a regular basis.

I’ve been all about the pumpkin recipes lately. Freshly roasted pumpkin is such a treat and now tha I’m roasting up one a week or so, I want to try pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin gnocchi, and pumpkin pancakes. So when I saw a recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls from Coconut and Lime, I started planning out when I would make them. The next free evening I had I started measuring out my mise en place and stopped. Err. One ounce of yeast? Seriously? One ounce of yeast? Now I don’t bake that often and if there is one ingredient that I am not that well versed in, it’s yeast. So I got my scale out and started measuring. And realized I didn’ thave one ounce of yeast. So I decided to improvise and come up with my own recipe. Here it is.

Cook Local’s Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

• 2 Tbsp of active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup of warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
  

  The picture doesn't convey just how gooey these rolls are...

• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Filling

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 tsp crystalized ginger, minced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Topping

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2-3Tbsp water

1. Place the warm water in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the 1 tsp of sugar and the 2 Tbsp of yeast and let stand to proof for 5-7 minutes.
3. Mix the flour, salt,cinnamon, ginger, nutmet, cloves, and brown sugar on low speed until just combined.
4. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg and mix well until the dough comes together. It will be a bit sticky.
5. Oil a large bowl.
6. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat all surfaces with oil.
7. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
8. Punch the dough down and let it rest for a moment while you flour the counter or large cutting board.
9. Roll out the dough to approximately 14×21 inches.
10. Mix the filling ingredients together and with a knife, gently spread the filling over the dough.
11. Starting with the long end, roll the dough up, trying to prevent any large air gaps.
12. Pinch the ends to seal.
13. Cut the dough into 1 inch rounds.
14. Grease an 11×9 inch baking dish on the bottom and sides.
15. Lay the rounds, cut side down, in the dish, leaving plenty of space on all sides (3 should fit across and 4 or 5 should fit length wise).
16. Preheat the oven to 350.
17. Cover the baking dish and let the rolls rise in a warm location for 45 minutes to an hour or until the rolls have risen enough that they have expanded to fill the pan.
18. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
19. Mix the frosting ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
20. Frost by drizzling frosting over the rolls within one hour of serving for best taste and effect.

Notes: I had to make these rolls twice. The first time, I didn’t use the egg and I used less yeast. The rolls were still good, but they were a bit dry. This ratio of ingredients is nearly perfect. The rolls are sticky and gooey, but not too sweet. The pumpkin flavor is mild and the pumpkin pie spices are warm and comforting. Next time I’ll use even more crystalized ginger, but then again, I might be able to live on crystalized ginger, so adjust the amount as you see fit. These will make a perfect Thanksgiving morning breakfast. You can make the rolls the night before and then heat them slightly in the morning and frost them fresh right before serving.

Edited to add: You don’t need to make these the same day you eat them. In fact, here’s an easy tip: Make the rolls the night before. Let the dough rise, roll it out, fill it, roll it, slice it, and let it rise in the pan. Then, put the pan (covered with plastic wrap) in the fridge overnight. Pull it out in the morning, let it warm up for about 20 minutes, and then bake. Voila! Fresh, hot cinnamon rolls without doing all the work in the morning!

Also, don’t worry if they don’t appear to rise quite enough in the pan after 45 minutes. When you put them in the oven, they’ll plump right up.

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