Monday, October 25, 2010

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls


Who doesn't like a good homemade cinnamon roll?  Popped into the oven early in the morning the sweet goodness permeates every room in your home drawing sleepy kids from bed.  Beginning the day with a smile and a, "Wow Mom... that smells so good!"  is always treat to a Mom's ears and a nice way to start the day.


Cooking Light provided a version of this keeper years ago that I adapted to work for me, and I feel good serving it to my family in place of other recipes that are higher in fat and calories.  On occasion I add a portion of spelt or whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose to bump up the health meter, and I'm thrilled to have the fiber and beta-carotene rich pumpkin included in the mix.  Filled with the usual butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and topped with a sweet glaze these tender rolls are a hit every time.  We keep a few cans of pumpkin in the pantry just for this oft requested recipe.  The lightly orange hued rolls are a sweet treat for any table!


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
¾ cup room temp milk
½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
2½ Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1 Tbs sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
generous ⅛ tsp nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat or spelt (may use all all-purpose)
2 tsp dry yeast

Filling:
2½ Tbs butter, melted
⅓ cup brown sugar
generous 2 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg


Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2½+ tsp milk (add enough to make a thick glaze)


Place dough ingredients into a bread machine programmed for the dough cycle.  Process as directed by your machine.  If using bread macing skip the next paragraph.

Alternatively, process dough ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand - will need to knead approximately 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  When kneaded place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray and allow to rise about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.


When dough cycle is complete, dump onto a well floured surface and punch down.  Allow to rest for a few minutes while you are melting the butter and obtaining ingredients for filling.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray - I use a rectangular dish slightly larger than a 9x9, enough to fit 16 rolls.


Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick.  Brush the rolled dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar.  Add extra sugar if the entire surface is not covered.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the brown sugar, feel free to adjust the cinnamon measurement to your taste.  Starting with the longest edge, begin to carefully roll the dough into a fairly tight roll.

Preheat oven to 375º.


With a sharp knife cut the rolls into 16 pieces and place flat into the baking dish, I do 4 rows of 3 rolls each row.  Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for about half of an hour. (Alternatively, you may cut the rolls a bit thicker into 12 slices and use a 9x9 square baker).


Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on a rack while you are preparing the glaze.  For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thick, yet still "drizzable" glaze.  Whisk until smooth.  Spoon the glaze over warm rolls and serve.  The rolls melt in your mouth when warm, but are equally delicious hours later when they are cold.  To return to "fresh from the oven" goodness, microwave for 10-30 seconds (depending on your microwave!).


I love the ones that pop out of the center!  Sweet cinnamon goodness!!!

38 comments:

  1. Kim those look fantastic! I love homemade cinnamon rolls and the addition of the pumpkin is such a great fall treat! :-)

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  2. Nothing tasted better than fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls on a Sunday morning! I love your addition of pumpkin to the mix. It sounds wonderful!

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  3. Wow mom, can you make me some of these! I just stocked up on pumpkin today, so I'm excited, I can make these! I've been craving pumpkin!
    -Gina-

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  4. These look amazing! Nice and fluffy, the way a cinnamon roll should! The pumpkin is a lovely addition! Great post :)!

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  5. Yummy! I can almost smell the cinnamon rolls baking in the oven =P and the pumpkin makes these perfect for Halloween brunch this Sunday ;) I love the ones that pop out of the center too!

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  6. You've read my mind with this recipe. I wanted to make some rolls today just couldn't find the time and tomorrow are the first thing on my "to do" list. Seeing yours makes me want some rolls right now.

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  7. Whoa. This looks so so so so good! I LOVE cinnamon rolls. I've never had pumpkin ones before though, and they sound absolutely delicious! Yum.

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  8. How amazing! I've been looking for a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe all day, and you have delivered a beautiful one to me! Thank you for sharing it...these warm, rich rolls sound like a perfect way to start the day. I'm going to be baking these soon!

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  9. I love rolls especially if they have cinnamon and pumpkin. Thank God that we don't gain weight just by watching them. Otherwise I would be really fat.

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  10. I love a good cinnamon roll or sticky bun, and yours look so good. I think the pumpkin must add a wonderful dimension of flavour and make it so moist and tender!

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  11. Yours are super delicious! i love cinnamon rolls and they have been baked to perfection!

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  12. Your pumpkin cinnamon rolls look amazing! I'm drooling all over the screen.

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  13. very similar to the way I make looks good our favourite too
    http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-22nd-2010.html

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  14. you make awesome bread! ... i love this post. thank you for sharing.

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  15. Wow, these sound awesome, I want this for breakfast for sure, can't turn down a warm cinnamon roll especially with pumpkin!

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  16. Congrats on yet another Top 9! I'm not surprised these are the BEST I've ever seen. All I wanted was cinnamon rolls when I was preg with my daughter. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls wound so rich and perfect for this cold WET fall!

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  17. Ooooh yummm! These look delicious! Were they all gooey and sticky? :)

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  18. Oh my they look! I like the ones where the top pops out too ;) Going to give these a try today, what better on a rainy day. Thanks for sharing your recipe, the addition of pumpkin is really nice.

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  19. These look fantastic. I've been trying to come up with a good pumpkin cinnamon roll. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  20. These look amazing!! I've been obsessed with pumpkin lately, so I'll have to add these to my to-bake list.

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  21. Good Lord, Kim! These look absolutely fantastic and I think this is the recipe that will get me out of my phobia with yeast! Where do you buy yours? I always see "yeast packet" but, I remember when my mother used to make pizza dough with the bread maker, she had some huge package of loose yeast that she used with measuring spoons.

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  22. Hester... your comments always make me smile!!! Thank you! =)

    I actually buy the yeast in bulk at Costco and store it in an airtight jar in the freezer. It lasts for quite a long time and is SO much less expensive that way!

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  23. Raven, Baking and Eatgreek, thanks!

    Susi, you said it exactly... we really like the pumpkin addition.

    Gina... pop on over... I'll make them for you anytime!

    Thanks Amy.

    Lilia, I tell everyone that I'm giving them the "pretty" ones and then eat this one!

    Grin, we may have them up on our menu again soon too...they are requested frequently!

    Thanks Roxan and Monet!

    Katerina, I know what you mean!!

    Nicely said Carolyn!

    Suchitra and Becky, thank you both!

    Torvie, I need to check your out! Thanks for leaving a link.

    Thank you Black!

    Camala, I agree... unfortunately I didn't turn any of them down and our pan was empty before we knew it!

    Thanks Dionne! We actually got some sun here! Woo Hoo!!

    Thank you also Melting, Becky and Sara!

    Krissy, you will love the way it makes your house smell! Nothing better than cinnamon on a rainy day.

    Happy, I've been having a similar obsession! Loving all the pumpkin recipes we've been seeing!

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  24. I have never actually made my own cinnamon rolls. I am slowly getting more and more "into" baking - so maybe one day soon I will work up the nerve to try that, too. But with pumpkin? I'd say this recipe might bump that day up a little sooner. Perfect for this time of year!

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  25. A nice combination of two really good treats, cinnamon rolls and the beauty of pumpkin, thanks for an update recipe.

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  26. Great recipe ! Is 2tsp yeast equivalent to 1 pack ?

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  27. Cinnamon rolls are my ultimate weakness.. and these look absolutely divine! Great job Kim, and congrats on Foodbuzz Top 9 :)

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  28. These look amazing! I have been wanting to make cinnamon rolls for awhile now...and since pumpkin is in them...I might have to make these now!! :)

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  29. I really love the addition of pumpkin to these rolls. They look so fluffy and delicious, I swear I could eat one right off of my screen.

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  30. gosh, i've seen these everywhere recently. i need to get on the bandwagon and make them already. they look delicious!!

    kim
    http://www.lovintheoven.com

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  31. These look great.

    Just a quick tip. I find that dental floss (unflavored of course) is a great way to cut cinnamon rolls.

    I mark them with the knife, then "cut" with the dental flos by putting the floss under the cinnamon rolls, crossing and pulling (if that makes any sense. It avoids, squishing the dough!

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  32. I made the rolls last night, stored them in the refrigerator and baked them this morning. They turned out pretty well. I didn't think they had a very pumpkiny flavor though. It was the quickest recipe I've ever used that had yeast involved, that was pretty cool :)

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  33. These look delicious. I may have to make these and blog about them soon!

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  34. Tha addition of pumpkin is very clever... nice one! Inspiring I'd say :)

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  35. I made these rolls tonight. Other than waiting for the proofing times, they were super simple and quick to make! The flavors are great and the rolls turned out fluffy and light, with the sugar carmelizing perfectly.

    I ended up baking a couple, then freezing the rest of the batch, following the final proof. They baked up just as perfectly strait out of the freezer, just add a minute or two to the baking time.

    Thanks for the recipe!

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