Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe | My Baking Addiction (2024)

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If you happen to read MBA on a regular basis, you may remember me discussing my fear of yeast and my attempt to conquer that fear with the help of Amber from Bluebonnets and Brownies. Well since that post a couple of months back, I have been a bread baking fool and no longer doubt myself in the yeast department. In fact, I probably have more bread baking supplies and tools than some bakeries and with that came a serious addiction to the King Arthur Flour website.

Since I’m no longer a yeast novice, you can imagine how excited I am to flaunt my newly developed skills for this week’s Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Red Star Yeast.

As soon as we gained Red Star Yeast as a sponsor, I knew exactly what I was going to make – Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. These three words alone are enough to get any pumpkin lover jonesing – smother the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and you’ll pretty much be in sugar-coma heaven.
The pumpkin puree in the roll base creates a slightly denser dough, so these definitely are not as pillowy as a traditional Cinnamon Rolls – but they are just as delicious. I generously spiced these gorgeous rolls with homemade pumpkin pie spice and tossed in chopped pecans for a pleasant textural crunch.

As with most yeast based recipes, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls definitely take a little time and effort, but I promise you the results will be well worth it.

Remember – the longer you let yeast develop in a recipe, the more flavor it will have. Red Star Yeast pride themselves on providing the freshest, best yeast around, so let the little yeasties do their job and add tremendous flavor to your baked good. Once you’ve done it once, I swear you’ll never look back. Be sure to check out Red Star Yeast on Facebook and Twitter for delicious recipes, great information on yeast and much more!

Now , we want you to share your favorite recipe using yeast and be sure to head over to Good Life Eats, because Katie has a wonderful recipe for Sweet Potato Rolls waiting for you!

Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin or squash
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lukewarm water*
  • ¼ cup soft butter
  • 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
  • ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons Red Star Quick Rise Yeast or instant yeast

For the Filling:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

For the Frosting:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup I used Grade A
  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar sifted (see recipe notes)
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  • 1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft, fairly smooth dough.

  • 2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, until it's almost doubled in bulk.

  • 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Roll it into a 14" x 22" rectangle; the dough will be pretty thin.

  • 4. Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter onto the top of the dough. In a medium bowl, mix together the filling ingredients and sprinkle them onto the butter creating an even layer, leaving one short edge free of filling (about 1 inch).

  • 5. Starting with the short end that's covered with filling, roll the dough into a log.

  • 6. Cut the log into nine 1 ½"-thick rolls.

  • 7. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan that's at least 2" deep. Set aside, covered, to rise for 1 hour, or until the rolls look puffy.

  • 8. Bake the rolls in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're lightly browned and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and set them on a rack. Turn them out of the pan, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the cooling time, make the glaze.

  • 9. To make the glaze: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, confectioners' sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and creamy. Feel free to adjust the frosting to meet your needs. If you like a thinner frosting, add in a little milk (start with 1 teaspoon) and slowly increase until you reach the desired consistency. If you want it to be thicker, add in a little more confectioners' sugar.

Notes

  • *Adjust the amount of water by the time of year or your climate. For summer, or in a humid environment, use the lesser amount of water. In winter, or in a dry climate, use the greater amount. It's always best to start with the lesser amount; you can always add more. (I needed the full 1/4 cup in my rolls).
  • Feel free to adjust the frosting to meet your needs. If you like a thinner frosting, add in a little milk (start with 1 teaspoon) and slowly increase until you reach the desired consistency.
  • The pumpkin puree in these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls make them a bit more dense when compared to a traditional cinnamon roll.
  • According to King Arthur Flour, you can substitute the White Whole Wheat Flour for All-Purpose, you will just need to decrease the amount of water needed by about 2 teaspoons.
  • If you are unsure what the dough should look like, definitely check out this post on KAF for an in-depth photo tutorial.
  • If you prefer more maple flavor in your frosting, just play around with the proportions until it meets your needs.
  • The frosting pictured above is a bit on the thick side because I made it the night before and refrigerated it until the next day. Ideally, it should be a bit thinner.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

You may also like

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Sticky Orange Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

Oatmeal Pancakes

How To Participate

For a chance to win a Yeast Baking Gift Set (details of prize specifics below):

  1. Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring YEAST.
  2. Include “Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Red Star Yeast.” in your blog post.
  3. No blog? Just leave your recipe in the comments section.
  4. Add your link to the widget on either GoodLife Eats or My Baking Addiction (we have the same widget code, so only add it on one site).
  5. Submit your post before November 7th, 11:59 PM.
  6. Anyone can participate in the link up, but the prizes will ship to US addresses only.
  7. More detailed info are available here.

Link Up Your Recipes:

Love any of the recipes featured in today’s Holiday Recipe Exchange? If so, be sure to to use the Ziplist Web Recipe Clipper to add your holiday favorites to your online recipe box.


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This Week’s Prize:

$159.79 Value. Prizes provided by Red Star Yeast.

Recipe Theme Schedule:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe | My Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

Which of the following are common mistakes made when preparing cinnamon rolls? ›

Mistakes Everyone Makes When Making Cinnamon Rolls
  • You didn't use quality cinnamon for the cinnamon rolls. ...
  • You killed the yeast. ...
  • Not kneading the cinnamon roll dough enough. ...
  • Overmixing is as bad as undermixing. ...
  • Your cinnamon roll dough was under proofed. ...
  • Not considering the environmental factor on the dough.
Mar 10, 2023

Why do my cinnamon rolls fall after baking? ›

If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

Why are my homemade cinnamon rolls tough? ›

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

What happened to Trader Joe's pumpkin rolls? ›

Trader Joe's discontinues pumpkin rolls

Plus, a special icing was included that incorporated pumpkin purée into its recipe. The company that distributes them has reportedly gone out of business, according to a current TJ's employee, but that doesn't soften the blow for pumpkin roll lovers.

What happens if you add too much flour to cinnamon rolls? ›

ONLY add as much flour as needed to handle the dough. It's better for the dough to be sticky at the start than to add too much flour and wind up with dense rolls, instead of light and fluffy ones.

What happens if you use too much butter in dough? ›

Too much butter will result in a very soft, sticky dough that's difficult to shape, and bakes up greasy and dense.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise too long? ›

The rolls are still prone to over-proofing if left in the fridge too long; and the cinnamon-sugar filling can melt and make the bottoms of the rolls syrupy and damp if left unbaked for too long.

What happens if you put too much yeast in cinnamon rolls? ›

If you added too much yeast to your dough, there are a few steps you can take to salvage it: 1. Dilute the dough: If you have enough ingredients, you can double or triple the rest of the dough ingredients to dilute the excess yeast. This will balance out the yeast and prevent it from overpowering the dough.

Should the cinnamon rolls touch or be kept apart while baking? ›

Give Your Rolls Space

Place the formed cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet 1-2 inches apart to ensure an even, full rise.

Is melted butter or softened butter better for cinnamon rolls? ›

It can definitely be tempting to just stick that butter in the microwave if you've been storing it in the fridge, which can easily lead to accidentally melting it, but ensuring that your butter is softened will make all the difference: It will make it easier to evenly spread the filling on top of the dough.

Why are my cinnamon rolls hard the next day? ›

You are describing the normal quality of the item as it cools. It it remains soft and doughy, it means that it has not been fully baked. That said, if the rolls are becoming too hard and chewy, you may not be permitting the dough to rise enough, or you may be working the dough too much before shaping.

Why did pumpkin roll crack? ›

A moist cake has less chance of cracking. Overbaking could also be the culprit. The thin layer of cake batter in the typical 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan takes only about 10 to 15 minutes to bake. Check your cake after 8 or 9 minutes and watch closely until it tests done.

Why is there no canned pumpkin? ›

Why Is Canned Pumpkin So Hard to Find? In a nutshell, there are two reasons: weather and demand. "Due to wet, cold weather conditions during planting, we started harvesting a little later than usual this year," says Noelle Perillo, manager of brand public relations at Nestle (where Libby's pumpkin is made).

Does Aldi sell pumpkin rolls? ›

Bake Shop Pumpkin Cake Roll

That means it can stay out on the counter, so you can be the hero of your office and bring it into work as a mid-afternoon snack (or breakfast, who are we kidding). Available 9/8, selling for $4.95.

Why won t my cinnamon rolls cook? ›

If your butter/milk mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast and you won't really notice until you're far into the recipe… when the rolls won't rise! Keep the temperature warm to the touch, around 100–110°F (38–43°C). An instant read thermometer is a handy tool for this baking recipe and many others.

Why didn't my cinnamon roll dough rise? ›

Add more yeast, blend in the starter, or knead in more flour to help initiate rising. Dough that has expired yeast, too much salt, all-purpose or cake flour, or antifungal spices like cinnamon might have trouble rising.

What makes cinnamon rolls unhealthy? ›

Often a favorite at many seasonal events and carnivals, eating just one cinnamon roll gets you close to your daily recommended calorie count per day, as well as your fat intake and sugar intake. There are really no healthy alternatives to cinnamon rolls, as most are way too high in calories and fat.

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