Some mornings, for whatever reason, I wake up craving a good cinnamon roll. This recipe does take some time and prep work to let the dough rise, so I usually make these on a weekend evening when I have time so I can wake up to them already baked the next morning. Trust me, the end result is totally worth it! I also love to freeze the final product so that I can pull them out and stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds for a quick work week treat! Just make sure that if you do freeze these, you pull the cinnamon rolls apart from each other before freezing, otherwise you won’t be able to get one out at a time.
For the Dough
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1 packet active dry yeast
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1tbs sugar
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¼ cup warm water (around 110 degrees)
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2 2/3 cup flour
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½ pumpkin puree
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½ cup milk
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¼ tsp salt
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¼ tsp cinnamon
For the filling:
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½ cup room temp salted butter
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½ cup brown sugar
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1½ tsp cinnamon
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1 tsp orange zest
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1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Glaze
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3 tbs salted butter
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3 tbs bourbon
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1/3 cup water
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1/3 -1 cup powdered sugar to make it your desired thickness
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½ tsp orange zest
Start by making the dough. Place warm water, yeast, and sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer and let sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy. Fit the mixer with a dough hook. Add in milk and pumpkin, stirring to combine. Next add in dry ingredients in 3 batches and let the dough hook knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, and forms a ball in the bowl of a mixer. If it’s too wet, and doesn’t form into a ball, you can add an extra 1/3 cup of flour. Remove from mixer and place in an oiled bowl, covering with a slightly damp towel for 1 hour.
In the meantime, make the filling. Make sure the butter is at room temp, and simply mix all of the ingredients into a paste. Let this sit while the dough rises to let the flavors come together.
Once the dough has risen, cut it in half, and roll each half out to about a 9×13 rectangle. Divide cinnamon sugar paste in half, and spread out into an even layer on the dough. Roll the dough into a log, and cut each log into 10 pieces. Place cinnamon rolls in a parchment paper lined and oiled 10×15” cake pan, evenly distributing them, and cover with a slightly damp towel. Let rise 1 hour.
Place in 375 degree oven for 15-25 minutes until golden brown and a tester comes out of the dough clean. They should be slightly firm to touch.
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the glaze, put everything but the sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add sugar, and reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes until desired thickness is reached. Sometimes I like a thick, frosting like glaze, and other times I like something simple just to lock in the moisture. Pour glaze over cinnamon rolls immediately after they come out of the oven, and enjoy!