Humpastry Day - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I know it has been a LONG time since I posted a Humpastry Day recipe.  With all of my IM training, I have been cutting down on the amount of "treats" we have in the house.  So, when I feel like a treat, I've been baking things that I know I love, instead of creating knew things.

BUT, when I woke up to this:

  I had a strong desire for something warm, gooey, and comforting.  I didn't want cookies, chocolate, or anything overly sweet (I've had my fair share of Halloween candy....ugh!).  Then, I got a flashback of eating my mom's cinnamon rolls that she would make us.  They are awesome and delicious and just what I wanted!  BUT, they don't have the best ingredients in them.  Plus, there's no way I can make them as good as hers...there's just something about HER making them that makes them so yummy!



I looked in my pantry and saw my rows and rows of canned pumpkin.  I MAY have a problem with buying canned pumpkin every time I see it on sale! Ha ha!

Anyways, I suddenly got the idea of making pumpkin cinnamon rolls!  YUM!  I got on my computer, googled it, and there were tons and tons of recipes.  I looked through some of the ones I thought sounded good, then decided to tweak the recipes to make them a little bit healthier.

The result is a cinnamon roll that is not too sweet, has a hint of pumpkin flavor, and brings out all the smells/tastes of fall.  AND, I have to say that they were better than ones I've had at pastry shops where you can taste all the butter/oil in them.  The pumpkin puree makes them a little more dense than traditional cinnamon rolls, so they are not as light and fluffy, but they are still pretty good!  Warm, gooey, yumminess! :)

*Note:  These do take quite a bit of time to prepare, but most of it involves just waiting for the dough/rolls to rise.  This is a perfect thing to make on a cold, winter day..or a snow day, as was my case.  My boys loved helping me, but they loved eating them even more! :)  

Ingredients:
Makes roughly 15 cinnamon rolls

For the Dough:
*  1/4C warm water
*  2 1/4tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 package)
*  1/3C warm almond milk (you can use soy or regular milk too)
*  1 flax egg (1Tbl, ground flax mixed with 3Tbl. water) (or you can use 1 egg)
*  3/4C pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
*  1Tbl. melted Earth Balance butter
*  1 1/4C whole wheat pastry flour
*  2C all-purpose flour
*  1/2C brown sugar
*  1tsp. salt
*  1Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

For the filling:
*  1Tbl. melted Earth Balance butter
*  1/3C brown sugar
*  1Tbl. pumpkin pie spice

For the Glaze:
*  1/2 -1C powdered sugar (I always start with 1/2C, then add more depending on taste)
*  1/2tsp. vanilla
*  1Tbl. almond milk






Directions:
1.  Stir yeast into the warm water and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the ground flax and water together  and set aside.  Let both sit for 5 minutes.
2.  In a large bowl, mix almond milk, salt, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4C whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add the yeast mixture and flax egg and beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
3.  Slowly add the all-purpose flour, 1/2C at a time, until the dough is stiff and ready to knead.

4.  Place dough onto a floured surface and knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough.  *Note: during the kneading, I am constantly flouring my hands and the surface to keep the dough from sticking.  





5.  Place the dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides.

6.  Cover with plastic wrap/wax paper and let rise in a warm spot for 1-1 1/2hours, or until dough has roughly doubled in size.  *Note:  I did this on a cold day, so I actually placed my dough in the oven set at 100degrees.

7.  Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it into a roughly 16"x12" rectangle.

9.  Mix the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl.  Spread the melted butter onto the dough.  Then, sprinkle the dough with the brown sugar mixture.

10.  Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log.

11.  Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 1" pieces and place in a greased 13"x9" pan.  You should get around 15 pieces.

12.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise one more time until doubled in size, about 45min.

13.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
14.  While the rolls bake, prepare the frosting.  Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Mix until smooth.  Like I mentioned above, I start with 1/2C powdered sugar and add  more to taste.
15.  Let the rolls cool slightly before frosting.
16.  Serve warm and enjoy!  Yum, yum, yum! :)