Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Every pumpkin spice season, I make these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls at least once. It’s my favourite annual autumnal tradition.

The bread itself is light and fluffy with pumpkin spice filling in every single bite. I always add a crispy vanilla sugar shell to these buns and it becomes the perfect sweet treat.

You can even turn them into individual little pumpkins if you’re feeling extra festive!

Yield: About 6 large rolls

INGREDIENTS:

PUMPKIN DOUGH-

• 80ml Whole Milk (or any milk alternative), lukewarm
• 1tbsp Caster/Granulated Sugar
• 7g Instant Dried Yeast (1 packet)
• 150g Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Egg, room temp
• 350g Bread Flour
• 1tsp Salt
• 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 40g Unsalted Butter, softened

Pumpkin Spice Filling-

• 70g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 120g Light Brown Sugar
• 2tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/4tsp Ground Nutmeg

*You can replace the spices with 2tsp of premade Pumpkin Spice Mix or adjust the spice quantity to your preferences

Vanilla Sugar Shell-

• 8tbsp Powdered Sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract
• Water

STEPS:

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, and yeast
2. Add pumpkin puree, egg, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Stir then knead until a dough forms. The dough might be quite sticky at the beginning, continue kneading for 10min to get a smoother dough
3. Add butter gradually and knead until the butter is fully incorporated. I highly recommend using an electronic mixer with a dough hook to make the process easier
4. Once you have a smooth and cohesive pumpkin dough, place it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave at room temp to proof for 1.5-2 hours, or until it doubles in size
5. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and spices to get a spreadable pumpkin spice filling. Set this aside
6. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C
7. Once doubled, you should be able to punch the dough and watch the air bubbles get released from the dough. Transfer it onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead the dough a few times to get a round and even shape
8. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a large rectangle. The thinner the dough, the more swirls you will get
9. Evenly spread all of the pumpkin spice filling over the dough 
10. Grab the end of the rectangle and roll it into itself to form a log
11. Using a bench scraper, cut straight down through the dough to form the individual swirls. Depending on how big your baking tin is or how many swirls you want, you can adjust the thickness of each roll
12. Place them slightly spaced out into a baking tray, cover with a piece of clingfilm and let it rest for 20min or until they double in size
13. Pop the rolls into the oven at 160°C for 18-22min
14. While the pumpkin spice buns are in the oven, combine 8tbsp of powdered sugar with 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1tsp water. Mix to check the consistency, then slowly add more water until it reaches a runny but still viscous consistency. Aim for spreadable with a brush but not too wet
15. When the buns are done, take them out of the oven and immediately brush a thin layer of the vanilla sugar syrup over the buns. 
16. Let it cool. This will allow the sugar to dry out and form a crispy vanilla sugar shell on the pumpkin spice rolls!

TIPS:

STORAGE: Keep it in an air-tight container and microwave it for a few seconds to return to a soft and warm state for the best buns!

OTHER TOPPINGS: I like the vanilla sugar shell for the pumpkin spice buns because it’s subtle enough to let the pumpkin spice flavours shine. But it would also taste fabulous with some cream cheese frosting or even with no topping at all!

MAKING PUMPKINS: Make the rolls as normal, then tie 8 thick strings together. Place the middle of the bun on top of the knot and spread the 8 strings out under the bun into a big circle. Grab the two opposite ends of the strings and wrap it around the bun. Make a knot at the top. Repeat until all 8 strings are tied together. Let the buns proof so they expand beyond the strings. Bake them with the strings on and once they are done cut the strings off and stick a piece of cinnamon into the middle as the pumpkin stalk.