Cinnamon. Pumpkin. Yeast. Frosting. Everything you need in one glorious fall treat.
So there’s a tasty cinnamon roll, hanging out in a coffee shop in Philadelphia in the 1800s. It had crossed the Atlantic with the Germans, who called it their little “schnecken” because it looked like a snail, all rolled up like that. The Swedes like to claim it as their own and who wouldn’t? It’s a cinnamon roll, for heaven’s sake.
It travels the globe, leaving a sticky trail (like the namesake snail only, you know, sweet). Somewhere along the way it meets up with pumpkin. How? Not sure. Maybe it was its affinity for cinnamon, nutmeg, and other distinct spices that attracted the attention of the unassuming gourd. Maybe it was its sweet nature. Whatever. The result, a pumpkin cinnamon roll resplendent with cream cheese frosting, is nothing short of irresistible.
When the weather turns chilly and the light golden, pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the stuff traditions are made of. The pumpkin is right in the dough, giving each gooey, soft, flaky bite a depth of flavor that’ll take the chill off any fall day, whether you enjoy them in the morning with your favorite wake-up beverage, or in the evening as a dessert.
All the seasonal spices come out for this one. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice mix it up with the yeasty pumpkin dough to create a roll that, when topped with the creamy, maple-laced icing, will bewitch, bother, and bewilder (in a good way) all who partake. Plus, the aroma wafting from the oven is basically a big, invisible hug.
Maybe you’re a little intimidated by making yeast bread and that’s OK. Follow the times for allowing the dough to rise plus, there are a couple of little tricks tucked into step 2 of this recipe to help your brave journey.
First trick: incorporate one cup of flour into the wet ingredients, then add another. Adding the flour in stages prevents the dough from getting too dry or too wet, and is easier to work with when kneading.
The second trick: the “windowpane test” is this: when you think you’re good with the dough’s consistency, roll a small piece out flat until it becomes thin in the middle without breaking. Hold it up to the light – if light passes through, go directly to step 3. If not, knead the dough a little longer.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon for icing
Instructions
Prep time – 3 hours
Cooking time – 25 minutes
Yields – 10 servings
Step 1: Warm milk and butter until the butter is just melted and mixture is lukewarm. Combine pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in milk mixture, egg, and yeast.
Step 2: Mix in 1 cup of flour, then add 1 and 2/3 cups more, kneading to form a soft, slightly tacky dough. Perform the windowpane test to ensure proper kneading.
Step 3: Let dough rise in a greased bowl, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Step 4: Prepare baking dish with grease. Punch down risen dough and roll out to a 10×14-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
Step 5: Spread softened butter on dough. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices, and sprinkle over butter. Roll up dough and cut into rolls. Place in baking dish.
Step 6: Cover rolls and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 7: Bake rolls for 22-28 minutes, covering with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool slightly before icing.
Step 8: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add maple syrup and milk, then confectioners’ sugar (and optional cinnamon). Spread on warm rolls.
FAQs & Tips
Active dry yeast must be dissolved in a liquid (in this recipe, the milk and butter) to “proof” the yeast. You’ll know it’s good when little bubbles appear in the mix. Instant, or quick-rise yeast, can be added to the dough without proofing. You may want to let it dissolve a little in the liquids to give it a good start. Either way, be sure the milk is warm – between 105-110 degrees – hotter milk will kill the yeast. You can use a kitchen thermometer or just test it with your finger. If it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for the yeast. Simply let it cool enough so you can touch it comfortably.
Stop right there. The answer is no, don’t even think about using pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. It’s thinner and full of sugar. It won’t end well – trust.
That’s OK. Use a tablespoon of cinnamon and a half tablespoon pumpkin pie spice in the filling.
Fluffiness, my baker friend. Much of the air was knocked out of the dough after the first rise. The second rise ensures a pillowy product.
Whole milk produces fluffier, richer rolls, but two percent or nonfat is fine.
Fresh pumpkin cinnamon rolls will keep in an airtight container for about three days. They’ll keep for up to three months in your freezer. Move them to the refrigerator the night before you want to serve them, then warm them for about 10 minutes before serving. You can also freeze partially-cooked rolls! Bake them for about 10 minutes, let them cool, then cover tightly and freeze. Before you want to serve them, move from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow them to thaw overnight. Once they’re thawed, pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
You can sprinkle pecans, and walnuts, any favorite will do. For added flavor, give them a quick toast in a skillet or the oven before serving.
The color of an October sunset, the taste of harvest. Poetry in a roll. That’s what these are.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast 1 standard packet
- 2 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
- Optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon for icing
Instructions
- Warm milk and butter until butter is just melted and mixture is lukewarm. Combine pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in milk mixture, egg, and yeast.
- Mix in 1 cup of flour, then add 1 and 2/3 cups more, kneading to form a soft, slightly tacky dough. Perform the windowpane test to ensure proper kneading.
- Let dough rise in a greased bowl, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Prepare baking dish with grease. Punch down risen dough and roll out to a 10×14-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
- Spread softened butter on dough. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices, and sprinkle over butter. Roll up dough and cut into rolls. Place in baking dish.
- Cover rolls and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake rolls for 22-28 minutes, covering with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool slightly before icing.
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add maple syrup and milk, then confectioners’ sugar (and optional cinnamon). Spread on warm rolls.
