November 2, 2011

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! :)



18 comments:

Angela and David said...

Those look fabulous. Now I feel the need to go out and buy something pumpkin flavored.

Julie said...

Oh Aimee!!!!! That sounds fantastic!! I had to laugh at all of your pumpkin too..I have a bit of a problem with that myself. :)

Can I please, please, please come over for a pumpkin roll!?!

misszippy said...

Oh my gosh! I would inhale those! Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

Christi said...

OMG!!! Those look so absolutely yummy!

Alisa said...

Oh man, YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am pretty sure I'll be making these =).

Holy snow! It's been cold here too, this morning it was 33 degrees and only is up to about 45 now. But it's sunny and that's all I care about right now.

Yay for IM training and taper which you're either in or hitting soon!

A Prelude To... said...

those sound GOOD! I'm dreaming of snow. The little snowflake on my dashboard blinked on this morning and we all started thinking of sledding and snowmen and Christmas...but there is nay a cloud in our sky...so probably no snow for us just yet.

~ Jury said...

Oh man, these sound delicious!!! My hubby would love 'em. Thanks for the recipe :)

CautiouslyAudacious said...

That's a lot of cans of pumpkin! Looks good!

Unknown said...

They sound so yummy! I might have to make some!

Jill said...

YUM!! What a perfect treat for a day like today. I have multiple cans of pumpkin, too...I will have to try these one day when I am not too impatient! :)

Beth said...

those look so good! where do you fond the time?

Betsy said...

Forget Duffy's Rolls...I'm coming to Aimees! I'll trade you a pumpkin cinnamon roll for some perform and pretzals at mile 18 of your IM marathon in a few weeks :)

Regina said...

Yeah for Humpastry Day! I've missed you! Your stuff is always awesome. Like you, I have cans and cans of pumpkin, so I'm so on this! Yum!

Unknown said...

Okay... you just totally won me over (although I already loved you!!!) But this just did me in...

Keith said...

Ummm, where did you say you lived again? Those look so yummy, I just want to curl up with them and a nice cup and a good book and a cat in the lap.

Kacie Darden said...

That looks delicious! I am going to have to make these!

Anne-Marie said...

Those look and sound divine! Unfortunately, they're probably a little too much effort for me :(

I am jealous of that snow... I've been itching to ski again!!

Anonymous said...

These sound great! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I can't believe you can still get all your IM training in with all that snow covering everything!