Something kind of terrifying is going on around here, and it started in the back of the closet. I found shoes there, old shoes, shoes that did not fit. They had to go. Thus far, this is the snoring-est horror story yet, but wait, the discontent simmers: Half the closet followed, all of the plastic hangers that drove me batty were replaced with nonslip ones, sweaters were color-sorted, dresses were arranged by season and my husband’s closet is on notice too.
It gets worse: What began as a vague declaration that “this coffee table needs to be replaced” turned into an entire living room overhaul, from a fresh paint job to a new sofa, chairs, and yes, tables too. The throw pillows are looking nervous, as well they should. The kitchen cabinets got purged and everything that remained went into airtight glass jars. With labels. It’s like Aunt Pinterest came to town in there. Lest you think my three year-old has escaped my high straightenance bender, I bought every single pair of his pants in two sizes this fall, in case he goes on another wild growth spurt right around the time the universe runs out of pants; I picked up his Halloween costume on Labor Day weekend, and then, the shelves in his room just didn’t feel right to me and it turned out they were missing colorful baskets to hold his toys.
You see, you can’t go on book tour if your son’s toys aren’t yet in colorful baskets; somewhere it is written. While measuring for baskets, I happened upon his sock drawer and his socks were so flimsy, so thin, and I panicked like only a mother could: they’d never keep my baby’s toes warm if I wasn’t here. So I bought him fourteen pairs of warm socks. And you know, even then — even then! — it hadn’t occurred to me that the something bigger was happening, something resembling all of the nesting I didn’t do when I actually was about to have a baby (instead, I baked brownies).
But the parallels between writing a book and having a baby are surprisingly numerous. In both, there are high hopes. In both, things are harder than one might have expected. There are points near the end when you will exclaim in exasperation, FORGET THIS I CHANGED MY MIND but really, it will be too late. And in my case, whenever someone has asked me when I’m having another kid I just look at them like they have two heads: Don’t you know I’m having a cookbook in October? Clocking in 2.8 pounds and 336 pages, she’s a beaut!
I realize I probably sound just a little bit like I’ve lost my mind. My cooking has reflected it too. There’s a urgency, a gravitas to everything. I can’t just make banana bread; it has to be hearty and healthy. I can’t make any baked pasta dish; it too needs to be a balancing act of indulgence and nutrition. Even pasta must be matched ounce for ounce in broccoli and noodles these days.
Obviously, an intervention was in order and I don’t just mean on our bookcases, but you’d better believe that will happen too. Fortunately, a stork package flew in, and in it was the newest cookbook from the darling crew behind the Baked bakery flew in and in it, life is as it should be: stunningly designed, organized to a hilt and bursting forth with an almost unbearable level of deliciousness. Sorted by their favorite ingredients, Baked Elements gives equal billing to everything delicious in this world: peanut butter, malt, caramel, cheese, citrus, booze, cinnamon and chocolate, but it wasn’t long until I honed on the pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Because while I was elbow-deep in a pile of disorganized gift bags (how did we ever live like this before? I bet you’re asking, too), October arrived and it demands things like scarves and leaves and cider and a kitchen full of cinnamon spice. It doesn’t matter what frights you’ve been up to: I think everyone needs to stop what they’re doing to make time for these this weekend. Everyone around you will delight in them, and not just out of relief that you finally put the label-maker down.
One year ago: Pear, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble
Two years ago: Mushroom Lasagna
Three years ago: Quiche Lorraine
Four years ago: Best Challah and Mom’s Apple Cake
Five years ago: Peter Reinhart’s Bagels and Peanut Butter Brownies
Six years ago: Pumpernickel Bread
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Baked Elements
Okay, I changed a lot: the moisture level (I needed less), the instructions (streamlined them in some places, added details in others), the yield (I wanted more), the flour (I think AP works fine here), the spices (just a little fiddling), the baking pan size (I didn’t have the one requested, and wanted to make more buns than suggested) and the glaze (less sugar, more glaze to accommodate more buns). I’m sorry. I just can’t help myself. But the biggest thing I probably changed is the kind of yeast you use. Instant yeast was called for and while it has its charms (no proofing), it gets on my nerves because it’s so very slow (a packet of it seems to take at least twice the time to rise as a packet of active dry). And when I want pumpkin cinnamon rolls, I want them right then or as soon after as possible. I hope you don’t mind.
The result is definitely a sweet bun. If you’re more sugar cautious, you could definitely dial back the dough’s and filling’s sugar by 1/4 cup. Then again, these are pumpkin cinnamon rolls, so maybe a little extra indulgence is in order.
These are a great thing to make ahead of time. You could assemble them tonight, let them rise in the fridge and finish on the counter in the morning (I instruct when, below) and bake them before you head out for whatever harvest festival/hayride/fall bliss you’ve got lined up this weekend.
Want to make your own pumpkin puree? Here’s how!
Yield: 16 to 18 buns
Dough
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, to be divided
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, warmed (but not over 116 degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from 1 .25-ounce or 7 gram envelope yeast)
3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
1/4 cup (packed) (50 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (6 grams) table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cups (160 grams) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
1 large egg
Oil for coating rising bowl
Filling
3/4 cup (packed, 145 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (5 grams) ground cinnamon
Glaze
4 ounces (115 grams) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk or buttermilk
2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Few drops vanilla extract (optional)
Make your dough: Melt your butter, and hey, if you’re melting it in a little saucepan, you might as well brown it for extra flavor. Once the butter has melted, keep cooking it over medium heat for a few additional minutes. It will become hissy and sizzle a lot, then take on a nutty flavor as golden bits form at the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Combine your warmed milk and yeast in a small bowl and set aside. After five to seven minutes, it should be a bit foamy. If it’s not, you might have some bad yeast and should start again with a newer packet.
In the bottom of the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, sugars, salt and spices. Add just 1/4 cup (or two-thirds of; leave the rest for assembly) of your melted/browned butter and stir to combine. Add yeast-milk mixture, pumpkin and egg and mix combined. Switch mixer to a dough hook and run it for 5 minutes on low.
Scrape mixture into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 1 hour in a draft-free place; it should just about double.
While it is rising, line the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans (8-inch round should work too, as does an 8-inch square) with parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan and the paper.
Assemble buns: Scoop dough onto a very well floured surface and flour the top of it well. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to an approximately 16×11-inch rectangle. Brush reserved melted/browned butter over dough. Stir together remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle mixture evenly over dough. Starting on a longer side, roll the dough into a tight spiral. It’s going to make a mess because the dough is crazy soft and some stuff spills off the ends; don’t sweat it. It will all be delicious in the end.
Here’s how to cut cinnamon rolls without squishing their pretty spirals: With a sharp serrated knife, using absolutely no pressure whatsoever (only the weight of the blade should land on the dough) gently saw your log with a back-forth motion into approximately 1-inch sections. When a soft dough like this is rolled, it tends to grow longer, which means that you’ll have the option to either make more buns (say, 18 instead of 16) or just cut them a little larger (in generous inches).
Divide buns between two prepared pans. You can sprinkle any sugar that fell off onto the counter over them. Cover each pan with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes.
If you’re doing this ahead of time, you can now put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, leave them out for an hour to warm up and finish rising.
15 minutes before you’re ready to bake them, heat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. Beat your cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in milk until you get the consistency you’re looking for, either thick enough to ice or thin enough to drizzle.
Finish your buns: Remove the plastic and bake buns for 25 minutes, until puffed and golden and the aroma brings all the boys to your yard is like a snickerdoodle. Transfer pans to wire cooling racks and drizzle/schmear with cream cheese glaze, then have at them.
wow, these look absolutely delicious!
But you cant get tinned pumpkin in London – anything else i could use?
Yep. Whole foods and Tesco
Even Sainsbury’s Local carries it now.
I actually got a bit teary eyed when I saw that first photo. Seriously.
I am on something of a cinnamon roll bender, making them with all kinds of things, blueberries and dried cherries, but have not thought of pumpkin yet. So, of course, these are next. Thank you!
These rolls are pure heaven and that glaze is perfection!
waiting to get my hands on this cookbook! needless to say i want to lick off that dripping icing.
Walking around the city, thoughts of cinnamon rolls have been popping into my head with alarming frequency. Is it the fall that makes us dream of gooey, cinnamon-y treats? Whatever it is, I have the fever, and these might just be the cure.
i think i love you!!!
I’m a long time reader and not only do I love your recipes, but I’m also lovin the Pyrex. Beautiful!
Yum!
I can’t wait already made the list and head to the grocery store. This will be delicious with a cup of cider or english breakfast tea!
Hi Deb! These look amazing and are so going to be made at my house this weekend. Both of my kids have a sleepover, so this is going to be their Sunday breakfast. I have been baking all kinds of pumpkin goodies as well, and nothing says fall like pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread and now pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I am loving that I have all the ingredients in my pantry for this recipe, so I don’t have to hit the grocery store. Bonus!
Have a blissful weekend!
Jackie
One quick question: so if I’m going to put them in the fridge overnight do I cover & let them rise for 45 mins before putting in the fridge or does the 1 hr to room temp the next day take care of that?
sarah — The one hour to room temperature should take care of it. You can eyeball it; you’ll want them to look puffed a bit before they reach the oven.
Mandy — Will add hand-mixing instructions.
This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, so your timing for this recipe couldn’t be more perfect! The cream cheese glaze puts these over the top!! I can’t wait to try them out on my family.
Two of my favorites together at last! I’d love to mix these up tonight for breakfast tomorrow but I have one small question. I currently don’t own a mixer (a crime, I know) so would I need to adjust the mixing method for doing these by hand? I’m no stranger to handmade homemade yeast dough but I want to make sure I compensate if necessary. Looking forward to trying these out :)
Deb. This is really the best blog on the planet. You always make me laugh, and you always make me want to get right back in my kitchen. {and yeah! my in-laws are coming this weekend! this will be perfect for brunch tomorrow!}
I have just sent the link to my husband. Hopefully when I get back from my trip, the kitchen will be clean and fully stocked so I can make these. Yum!
These look gorgeous! I have half a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge, and I know just what I’m going to do with it!
To Lara, I believe you can get tinned pumpkin at the Whole Foods markets in London, at least you could when I lived in England a couple years ago.
I woke up dreaming about pumpkin cinnamon rolls and now here they are…this is DANGEROUS.
mmmm..i have been thinking about all things pumpkin lately AND craving cinnamon rolls…next on my TO-BAKE list! I just make pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting yesterday..good thing i have guests staying at my house for a few days to eat it all up!
Looks AMAZING, DELICIOUS, MOUTH-WATERING !and I really love reading your posts …
Have a lovely weekend.
Why in the world am I looking at this while hungry?! These look amazing!!!
Oh, these look delightful. Do you think a soft dough like this will work without a dough hook? I don’t want to wait until I go home at Christmas…
Jordan — Yes. In fact, in the original Baked book instructions, they say to just use the paddle. I found it messy and opted for the dough hook. However, either will work in a pinch!
So, I’m reading this (and salivating a bit, I admit) as I sip on my pumpkin spice coffee, and I realize that there are probably at least two types of cinnamon roll fans. Those who like to see plenty of roll peeking through the icing, and others who want the dough completely obliterated by the gooey sweetness. I fall in the latter camp. For me, the roll is a vehicle for the icing. Having said that, I’m making these. Pronto.
The whole pumpkin cinnamon rolls thing looks delicious, but what I’m really excited about is all that talk of organizing. Yeesh. Love it. I think my daughter’s closet is in danger.
Oh man, I was CONVINCED that this post was going to be a pregnancy announcement (since Jacob was announced with cinnamon rolls). But birthing a book is almost as exciting, and these look delicious enough to keep me occupied until the book comes out. :)
Lindsay — AAAh! Sorry for the tease. I totally missed that additional parallel. I guess we all know where my brain is at!
Yes, yes, yes, yes: this recipe is a perfect 10. I love pumpkin and I’m obsessed with cinnamon rolls: what possibly could I want more!
I love when you put these yummy Pinterest-sounding recipes go through the SK filter. Now I can finally try it out, and rest assured that it will be delish! There will defiinitely be pumpkin cinnamon rolls on the the breakfast table this weekend.
They look absolutely yummy!!
And as for Jacob, he’s just Adorable x
Well, I know what I’m making for brunch this weekend. Yum.
But, what I really wanted to ask: Your book tour site lists the time of the Univ of Washington bookstore event in Seattle as noon. The UW Bookstore site lists it as 10:00. Not that I would ever consider blowing off work to attend, but if I WERE: which is it? :)
Angela — I am wrong; they are right. Will fix! Started adding the new events hastily last night. Terrible idea. Check back at the end of the day and they will all be in tip-top order. :)
Deb! What are you doing to me?! These look so amazing!
Can’t wait for the 30th! See you at William Sonoma!
Yes. Yes. I want to go to there.
Hi Lara,
Have you considered making your own pumpkin puree? It’s pretty simple and make your house smell amazing! Can you get ahold of a sugar pumpkin? If not a regular pumpkin will work, but these smaller speckled pumpkins are the most flavorful. I imagine sweet potato would sub well too. Just bake and puree the flesh in a blender. I hope you get a chance to tr them. No one should be denied pumpkin!
Congrats!! Are cinnamon rolls the new “stork”? I’ve been reading for that long, yes, and remember your first reference to cinnamons…..
Congrats, congrats, congratulations!!
(also your recipes and pictures are, as always, so delicious~)
Yes, talk of organizing–I know I could use a bit more of that in my life!
I would like to cut back on sugar. You said to cut back the sugar on the dough and filling by 1/4 cup. Did you mean 1/4 cup total inclusive of dough and filling? ie. 1/8 cup from dough and 1/8 cup from filling sugar
What do you think about using whole wheat flour for this? Too dense?
What an absolutely perfect fall breakfast…or dessert. These look amazing.
Lara, you can get tinned pumpkin at Waitrose or Ocado in London.
Nevermind the organization and the pumpkin and the icing… You got a glass kitchenaid bowl! *Swoon.*
Meleyna — I can’t believe I resisted it so long. I so rarely buy new things for the kitchen but this, this had to happen. (Also, it will embarrass me less than the mirror-of-a-standard-bowl in photos, which gives away that I probably was wearing a dumpy black dress again.)
I love you. Seriously – you are my hero (heroine?).
Deb, I am pregnant, and I think the baby needs these. Like right now. And I’m trying to come up with a convincing reason to leave work so I can go home and make them.
I too have been on a fall organizing binge, though the birth of neither a baby or a cookbook is looming for me this month. I suddenly decided that all our storage containers should match, reorganized several kitchen drawers and cabinets, and am super jealous of your label maker!
Thanks for a super idea for pumpkin this weekend-it just got fall like here, so this is timely, as usual!
These look and sound wonderfully fall-ish!
I totally thought that your were announcing #2 as well…. I guess that is just where my mind is at these days. I can’t wait for your book to show up on my door step! Embrace the energy, frantic as it may seem.
Yay for fall! I bet your house smelled amazing while these were baking. Looking forward to the pumpkin puree recipe.
Someone asked about canned pumpkin substitutes – I can’t say for sure with this recipe, but for others I’ve had good success with mashed sweet potato or butternut squash instead.
Also, Deb – I thought you’d tried roasting pumpkin before and decided it was too much of a pain in the neck, no?
Nicole — Yes, you may note that I still used canned here. :) It’s a great trick to have up your sleeve when needed, however. For me, it’s not worth the bother for ooey gooey indulgent baked goods, where “wholesome” is not the focus. For pumpkin soup or other savory pumpkin dishes, I think roasting your own is a marked improvement.
Of course you have to post this the day I start a diet. well, there’s always tomorrow!! They look amazing!!! You had me at “pumpkin”. Congrats on the book! I will definitely be purchasing!
What’re your thoughts on freezing these bad boys? Is that advised? Should I do it after assembling/before the second rise?
Hi! Looks amazing! Quick question: at what stage would you recommend freezing half of the rolls for later? And how long will they stay good frozen? I want to make half for this weekend and have the rest later. Thank you!! Athena
To freeze — I’d freeze these after they are filling and before the second rise. When they come out of the freezer, you’ll want them to fully defrost and finishing puffing (the second rise) before baking them.
Make your own pumpkin puree — Finally got my advice up, over here.
Thank you for this info. I have such a horrid craving for these right now, but no one to share them with as I am in social distancing mode here in Buffalo New York! Take care!
Sorry-just saw that the woman above and I posted the same question! Sorry for the double. Best, Athena.
to replace canned pumpkin simply pop a hokkaido in the oven until soft and scoop out as much as you need. works pretty well in a similar recipe. :)
I am so looking forward to the pumpkin roasting instructions. I’m living in Bulgaria for a year, and there is no canned pumpkin to be found. I bought a whole pumpkin at the market today, and I have just been staring at it questioningly.
Apparently today I’m less interested in the recipe and more interested in the terrifying horror story your life has become. My thoughts are with you, your nascent cookbook and your Aunt Pinterest.
Wow, these look and sound super yummy. I agree, this time of year calls for pumpkin and apple recipes.
Ok. I have to try this. Your pictures have done me in! These look so very delectable! I quite literally started at the first pic for 2 minutes before going on to read the article.
Firstly, I am going to start using the phrase ‘Auntie Pinterest made me do it” whenever I go on an organization bender or a shopping spree from now on.
Secondly, I am a longtime reader, first time commenter, and I have to say that I am so excited for you and your book. You are lovely and deserve your success. I can’t wait to go out and buy a copy!
Hilary
@Lara in London – you can substitute pumpkin puree for the tinned pumpkin. Also, “tinned pumpkin” should be a band name.
Williams Sonoma just did a how-to on making your own puree: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/how-to-make-pumpkin-puree/
Naturally this came out after my epic pumpkin-around-the-web thing this morning, but I’m gonna tweet the bejeezus out of this recipe, because yum.
Must. Make. These. I’m assuming these would freeze well, but am wondering at what step the freezing should occur? After the 45min rise?
Hah.. I had typed out my question and it was sitting here for a few minutes then hit send before refreshing. Thanks for the freezing tips :)
I have a can of pumpkin waiting to be turned into these beauties!
Please come to San Diego!!! We have the loveliest weather and you must check out Chino Farms..the Gucci of farm stands. Cannot wait to get my cookbook, I received it as a present for my 40th. We have a Sur la Table in Carlsbad and a Williams Sonoma in La Jolla…pretty please
Just when I was looking at last year’s remaining can of pumpkin and wondering what to do with it, along comes your post. I know what I’ll be baking this weekend!
Waitrose sells tinned pumpkin puree in the UK…
Sure you’ve probably realised by now – but when you announced the-now-three-year-old, it was with cinnamon rolls ;) haha being not a huge fan of pumpkin and having those little bells ringing in my head I went back to check, and sure enough… Amazing post though, and really want to make the aforementioned cinnamon rolls!!
Best wishes for those final (book) pregnancy crazy-times xx
Sera
Seriously, did you have to make me feel sooooo bad about the disorganized state of my house? And at the same time make me crave pumpkin rolls in California where we simply forget there are places with seasons. It’s too cruel. Please come have dinner with my best friend and me in our restaurant TOAST in Oakland when your book tour brings you to the bay area. My friend, Kristen, is your west coast doppleganger. Her penchant for Bourbon and baked goods may only be equaled by yours.
Can you please come to Atlanta on your book tour?!?!
Deb- These look sensational! I can imagine myself with one of these, a cup of coffee and a comfy over-sized sweater. Thanks for bringing a little fall to sunny Southern California!
I have to make these! What a wonderful recipe :-)
I literally just wrote up a post about these rolls! I didn’t have the right pan size either, so I stuffed them into a pie plate. :P Love your changes, I’ll have to try the not-so-active yeast the next time I make the recipe…and there will be a next time. :D
I am sooo making these today (and I too was waiting for the baby announcement as I scrolled down). Plus, yea!! you have added a few more Chicago area stops (The BookStall in Winnetka, just awarded the Best Independent Book store by Publishers Weekly has a cookbook club and would be a great stop by the way.). Would you consider me a stalker if I show up at more than one event? ;)
What kind of glass jars did you go for? I have a whole collection of LeParfait jars which I love, but I recently discovered Fido jars. They are less than half the price of the LeParfait jars, squre, and equally wonderful. If only I had known!!
I just got this cookbook in the mail, and after your additional encouragement, I am making these asap! They look amazing… can’t wait to taste them!
Just printed this out….seems like the perfect fall treat!! Can’t wait to try them Also, just bought 3 books…two for gifts, and one for me!!!
Such a great recipe! Those rolls look fabulous!
Pumpkin is tricky. I make dog treats with canned pumpkin, well, every day. It’s my job. And one batch can come out perfect, the next will be too dry and the next too sticky. Three cans of pumpkin, three different moisture requirements. I consider moisture guidelines in pumpkin recipes to be fungible.
do you think you could fry the dough for pumpkin donuts? most pumpkin donut recipes are for cake and i’m having a hard time trying to adjust a recipe for yeast pumpkin donuts. thoughts? thanks!
Amanda — What a cool idea! I think so. And if you’re looking at a regular yeast doughnut dough, I’d consider the pumpkin puree a replacement for milk or another liquid. You cannot do a 100% replacement, or it will end up too thick, but maybe a half replacement. Hope that helps.
Bella — Ha! I’ll never show and tell. The thing is, my home is not the stuff of Pinterest dream boards; we are not decorating types. Three years ago, I simultaneously had a kid and started writing a cookbook, and that kept me pretty busy. Only now that he’s older and the book is out of my hands (until the end of the month) do I have time to take care of all of the many things that have fallen into disarray, which is, in short, everything.
I have this thing where I can’t go on vacation without the apartment being totally neat and clean. Cannot stand to come home and see some mess we hadn’t dealt with cramping our relaxed return. Seeing as I’ll be going to about 16 places this fall, you could say this is 16 times amplified. :)
Danielle — I have a whole mix but my favorite are those clamp-top jars, some the brands you mentioned, others are no-name. They’re great to keep things in the pantry airtight but easy to get to and see. I stalk them on Overstock.com. You usually have to buy 6 at at a time, but they are pretty inexpensive there.
Rosemary — Not at all. I’d be happy to see a familiar face! :)
Valerie — They look beautiful! And remind me that I wanted to share the 2-inch roll option. They really do make something gorgeous.
Making these this weekend!
I definitely thought this was working up into a pregnancy announcement because I was a nesting maniac with my second (but not my first) pregnancy. Are you sure? :)
Looks divine; definitely bookmarking for the next baking adventure. What I really want to see, however, are photos of the newly organized. If your ocd extends to house-stuff (and I strongly suspect it does), we can all learn a little something from your attention to detail. I’ve got my eye out for toy organization solutions, and I think that Deb just may have it.
All that organizing makes me a little nervous, it’s kinda creepy! Well, you’ve redeemed yourself with the rolls at least.
YAY for the cookbook, can’t wait to read it!
Deb – these look crazy good! All that pumpkin in the batter, the beautiful amber-hued dough, the icing on top, everything about them! Nothing beats a warm cinn roll (except a pumpkin one!)
This pumpkin batter could be put to so many uses…Love the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon – what better way to wake up!
Well, at least you offered a(nother) way to stall the home organizing projects that have been nagging at me all summer. Not that I need a calorie laden way to stall, though the husband will buy in if I bake. Thank goodness he doesn’t read you or he’d wonder that I can’t manage both. Don’t be annoying.
Deb,
Any thoughts on how I would go about replacing the egg in this recipe? I have used buttermilk in a couple of baked goods, but I wasn’t sure it would work here. My daughter is allergic, but lives pumpkin and cinnamon rolls.
okay – i have tried three times in the past two years to make these and they never rise!! maybe this recipe will be my bingo. next weekend though…i just pulled a pumpkin cheesecake and pie out of the oven and sunday is begging to start with pumpkin waffles. pumpkin mania around here and also canadian thanksgiving.
:)
You mentioned that you prefer less moisture in your cinnamon rolls and tweaked the recipe accordingly. For those of us that favor a gooier dough, should we add more milk or pumpkin puree?
bren — I worded that wrong. The pumpkin rolls as I shared them are VERY gooey and wonderful. With the extra liquid (maybe 2/3 cup milk total in the original recipe), I found the dough reaaaaaally hard to work with. This is a very sticky dough; with the 2/3 cups I could barely get my first batch off the counter.
jen — I think the instant yeast might be the culprit. I am not sure if they’d intended for the rolls to not double (the original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon instant yeast and a 30 minute first rise) or if it was just supposed to puff slightly, but for me, that amount of yeast in this amount of flour takes a solid two hours to double. With active dry yeast (what I suggest here), you have the extra step of warming the milk, but it should easily double in an hour. Good luck!
I want to eat this NOW! Yum. I am currently trying to stay away from baked goods, but it’s really taking away from my enjoyment of life, so perhaps this recipe will help me get off the wagon, where I think I rightly belong :)
Brilliant! What a perfect fall treat. I’m going to have to make these, probably later today and bake them in the morning per your instructions, I can almost taste them already.
I have been lurking around your website for a while now at the suggestion of a friend, but it was not until I saw this recipe that I felt the immediate urge to post something. These cinnamon rolls look out of this world, and I am adding the ingredients to my shopping list as we speak so that I can bake some up this weekend!
‘Wow’ is just the first thing that comes to mind. You have such a beautiful way of weaving life and food together– I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, and I’m soooo excited for your book and book tour! Hope to meet you in San Francisco in a few weeks. :) I am pretty much obsessed with BAKED and just started my own baking blog, Stellina Sweets. I’ve been wanting to make this recipe from Baked Elements, and now I’m so intrigued about the possibilities of variations. I have to bake cookies for a cookie exchange on Monday, and I’m wondering if these would be an acceptable substitute… :)
pumpkin cinnamon rolls – yes, please!!! Nothing like a organizing spree to clear your head.
Deb,
I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls all day, so I was excited to see these pumpkin ones, in which I have the cookbook and ingredients. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!
Oh, weirdness. I just logged on to your site to see if you had a cinnamon roll recipe and, lo and behold, at the top of the page there’s a brand new one! Must be that time of year? I had been thinking apple, but maybe I’ll have to go the pumpkin route…
These look WONDERFUL. I just made (up a recipe for) pumpkin donuts for the first time, but didn’t realize how much I’d need to cut back on the moisture since the pumpkin puree adds so much on its own. Maybe I’ll model my next donut recipe version after this… or actually, maybe I’ll just scrap the donut plan altogether and make THIS. As is. It looks like pumpkin cinnamon heaven.
I cannot WAIT for your cookbook.
I’ve been nesting lately too, for some reason. (Not THAT reason!)
I’m definitely making these this weekend.
I’m 32 weeks pregnant and completely in nesting mode…not that I’m ever NOT nesting, but I seem to be out of control lately. I can’t stop baking and this is definitely now on my list for the weekend. YUM.
Deb, you are coming to Brookline in Boston near where I live. I am going to see you! So excited that you added one more location.
On another note, why or why did you have to add rolls? Delicious, sweet rolls? Just when I said I wasn’t going to make any more sugary stuff until x-mas.
Going to a party tomorrow. Definitely bringing these! I’ll let everyone know how they turned out!
Deb – thanks for adding another event to Seattle! Unfortunately I’m going to be at school!! Keeping my fingers crossed about the NYPL Mid-Manhattan event! :) Looking forward to some more details about it?
OMGOSH take me to your leader!!! To heck with weight; isn’t fall the season for layers? I think I could eat this whole batch…ugghhhh me oh my lol
I came here to print a recipe so I could start supper, but as soon as I saw this title I had to read. Now nothing can happen until I have these added to my meal plan for next week. When my husband comes home and the kids are still strapped in their high chairs entertaining themselves with what’s left of those banana peels from snack time, I’ll tell him. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. It was necessary.
These are beauties! So airy and doughy… If I were to do a morning indulgence these would be front runner… Who am I kidding.. I indulge all the time so I’m just putting them on the “to make list”
i come here a lot. i am a total sucker for pretty food websites. and recipes. but today, it was your organising madness that has me chuckling.
so excited about your book too. i love coming here and, even though i dont try ALL your recipes, i will certainly be giving this one a go.
Lara (the one at the top in London), you CAN get canned pumpkin in London! I’ve definitely bought it in the past, although probably not since last winter. Try a store that sells American stuff (Partridge’s, American Food Store between Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park, Whole Foods on Kensington High Street), or sometimes Waitrose has a can of something that’s a blend of squash and pumpkin imported from Canada, but I’ve used it in a pinch. It might help if you go to a neighborhood where more Americans live (like Notting Hill or South Ken) – the stores here apparently carry more “stuff Americans like to buy”. Or I bet you can order it online. Or make your own of course :)
Awww, Deb! I so enjoyed reading this! Go ahead, nest for a while, then tour and come home to your glorious nest! I think a cookbook deserves a shower, much like a baby shower, no? :)
I’ve been following your website for years and have made many of your recipes. This one sounds great and perfect for this time of year. I always use fresh pumpkin in my recipes. Freezes well for summertime pumpkin pies!
I’m not the hugest fan of sweet pumpkin baked goods (I’m making homemade puree this weekend, so we’ll find out if that helps!), but I have always loved the beautiful orange hue it adds to a dish. These really are easy on the eyes!
Just have to say, sounds like you are in a version of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie – perhaps, “If the Smitten Kitchen schedules a book tour then she’s going to want to redecorate…” :) Making these ASAP, by the way!
Well, hate to say it, but it sounds like you’ve finally become a grown-up, who does ALL THE THINGS, according to hyperbole and a half: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html
Anne — Oh my goodness, I love that site (and that post) more than my heart can handle. She was working on a book. I wonder if we’ll see it soon?
Nicole — Toddler book references are always a bonus. :)
“right around the time the universe runs out of pants”
This happens to other people too? I feel so relieved, I’d thought it was just me. The stores never have pants whenever my dad is in the mood to own some new ones.
Thanks for satisfying my curiousity about the new Baked cookbook, these really do sound tasty.
Hilarious and frightening at the same time, and the buns sound good too;)
What a great idea! Those boys from Baked are always good for inspiration!
Woman it is like you knew my husband’s birthday was coming!
Wow, looks delicious! Must try it out before the end of the year:)
QUESTION:
Thank you for this UH-MAY-ZING recipe, cant wait to try it!! One thing: I strongly dislike cream cheese frosting. Any advice on how to tweak the icing to be cream cheese free?
Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Maryam — You can use a simple powdered sugar + milk glaze.
Ahh I love you! <3 You're such a mind reader! You always manage to post a recipe when im in the mood for baking!
I can’t not make these! Who would have thought, but it makes perfect sense. Everything I love about fall except the butternut squash!
A creative way to combine pumpkin and spice. Looks amazing!
I just made cinnamon rolls for the first time (http://www.thedesertabode.com/2012/09/25/bun-in-the-oven/) and now I’m craving THESE!
Pumpkin is probably the only thing that could make an already perfect cinnamon roll even better.
:)
man oh man oh man THIS:
“It’s like Aunt Pinterest came to town in there”
I heart the way your brain works.
How funny – my first thought as I was reading this was “I guess Jacob is getting a sibling”. I guess in a way he is. Can’t wait for the book (or to make these cinnamon rolls)!
i’m drooling! these look so good!
From the comments, we might be the first to actually make these. from 7 PM to 9:45 (start to finish, because once started, who really wants to wait until tomorrow??). Using RapidRise yeast, and in humid SC, those babies rose just fine, and very quickly. MMMMM.
That is a great idea for morning, I had been using pumpkin spice cread taoted for pate and chevre.
Woah.
I’m still laughing about the nervous looking throw pillows! These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look yummy!!
Hi! I’m nutty and got excited and already made these..they are in the fridge to be baked tomorrow morning! Can’t wait but I had a question: when I cut mine into the rolls they started to unroll from the spiral shape. I got them back together eventually but was that because of too much flour or something? I’ve never made cinnamon buns so I wasn’t sure. Thanks! Athena
Lara – UK, Germany,… we have to make it ourselves :( I will make some today by halving a pumpkin, removing the seeds, roasting it cut side down and then spooning out the cooked pumpkin insides ad pureeing them. I used to steam it, pureeing the whole thing including the skin, but this method omits the skin for a smoother puree. Worth making quite a bit for several yummy pumpkin recipes…
Lara – Waitrose sell canned pumpkin puree
Lara – you can get tinned pumpkin in London. Waitrose usually sell it at this time of year and i’ve also seen it in specialty US food stores (for a price) and even the odd corner shop.
To Lara- Waitrose usually carries it, if not you can order from here http://www.americansweets.co.uk/tinned-vegetables-soups–fruit-121-c.asp
I thought it was YOUR book there on the counter… since you said there was one recipe left to share!
Looks like all of your changes yielded amazing results, these are calling my name!
Wow…I’m heading to the kitchen to make these right now! So….is the cookbook that’s open in the initial photos your new cookbook? Beautiful layout, stunning pictures….must be yours!
OMG…delicious! Cinnamon rolls are SO good and I bet this October variation tastes even better! Can’t wait to try it out!
xo, Elisa
I’ve got some mashed, cooked sweet potato in the fridge already begging me to incorporate it into these rolls. Thanks for the idea!
Lara from October 5…you CAN get canned pumpkin (Libby’s, in fact!) in London! You can find it at Waitrose (if not in store yet, then online), online with Ocado, at Partridge’s, Shepherd’s Foods and maybe even Whole Foods.
These look AMAZING. And congratulations on your book!
I must say I do love Pumpkin..it’s on baby! Thanks
I like the look of yours much better than the one in the cookbook. A drizzle of frosting? What’s that all about :-) Thanks for this, next on my list to make tomorrow. x Stephanie
Oh man, those look amazing! Plain cinnamon buns are great, but adding pumpkin is a wonderful idea :)
Erica DHouse –
Experienced the same problem when I was living in London, it’s impossible to find either canned pumpkin or sugar pumpkins for making your own puree. I used fresh butternut squash to make the puree, and couldn’t tell the difference in my “pumpkin” pie.
Definitely making these this weekend! I, too am in the turbo-nesting phase, Fall has a way of doing that to us. PLEASE come to Santa Fe, NM — there is a fabulous independent bookstore near the Plaza, Collected Works that would be a fabulous venue, we are such a foodie town, would love to have you!
You probably already know this, but just in case…this is a very timely recipe because in Sweden October 4 is cinnamon bun day!
I love drinking my morning coffee and reading your latest musings. Along with a good laugh I get a great recipe! I love your pumpkin bread pudding but have a feeling it’s about to be upstaged by these cinnamon rolls. Looking forward to meeting you at the book signing in Beverly Hills. Congratulations!
I love fall. I love all type of gourds. This looks like an excellent recipe to incorporate pumpkin. I’m definitely going to try this on. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for giving me the perfect brunch item to welcome Fall with!
This looks so exciting. Most exciting is that we have the same bowl!
These are, oh my, so delicious. The perfect Friday-post-work-bake-the-week’s-stress-away treat! Loved making these while hubby bounced our little 11 month old princess around the kitchen. No stand mixer here but still came out delicious by stirring with a a few minutes with my dough whisk.
I make a slightly different version from a recipe in ‘Bread for All Seasons’ by Beth Hensberger. Her version includes orange zest in the filling and the dough. The ratios of pumpkin and liquid are also a bit different but overall, very similar. They never sit around long enough to become cold :).
Those look DELICIOUS!! I’m not sure if I would want to make a whole recipie for just me and my boy…is there a way to cut it in half? I know it’s always tricky with baking…
I think this is probably the most brilliant idea I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to try them!
Hello, Deb! As a regular follower of your blog, I am so excited for your cookbook! Wishing you had a book tour stop in Denver, CO and wondering if it is possible to make that happen. I have a small shop that sells really special kitchen items…and hopefully your cookbook. We are fairly new and have never hosted a book signing, perhaps yours could be our first?
Everything pumpkin or squash is a big hit with me right now. And these rolls look fabulous. I’m so happy that you mentioned that instant yeast takes forever to rise! I had tried a new one rise challah recipe that called for instant yeast, and I thought I was going to go insane waiting for it to rise. I started wondering if I had somehow killed the yeast. I didn’t know about this phenomenon, so thank you, thank you, for solving the mystery.
Lara,
Yes, can definitely get the pumpkin at Shepherds Food, and Waitrose all over the place. You don’t want the kind that is already seasoned with spices. It’s just plain pureed stuff. Like someone else mentioned it could be a mixture of different squash, but it will be labelled pumpkin. I have a couple of cans in my cupboard right now as I buy it when I see it.
Mmmm – it is our Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I was thinking of making pumpkin pie with my puree but think I will make these instead. I’ve been thinking of changing the pie to chocolate pecan anyway so this makes the decision easier..
And the pants thing – I get all organized and buy pants in multiple sizes for when I realize that all his knees are torn or every pair is 6 inches too short suddenly but then I forget about the pants I put away and rush around trying to find them and then once I have bought new ones, find the stored extra pairs lurking in the cupboard. I think I need to be more organized – wanna come over and help me? PS can’t wait to meet you in Vancouver and get a copy of your cookbook!
I wonder how these would be with the Pioneer Woman’s maple icing? Too much? Cream cheese icing is awesome with cinnamon rolls, but I do love that maple icing…
I am taking a vacation soon with the intention of doing the kind of closet / cabinet cleaning you talked about. It’s kind of sad how much I’m looking forward to it. :)
Ohhh, the robin’s egg blue bowl reminds me of my mom’s mixing bowls she had for 50 some years or more. So many wonderful kitchen memories!
These are just brilliant!! Can’t wait to try them! I am a pumpkin fanatic at the moment :)
These just came out of our oven and we attacked them…my boyfriend is now eating his second one. His review “I’m being completely serious, and this is the by far the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had in my entire life.” And he’s not pumpkin obsessed like me. We’ve got the other pan sitting in the fridge for tomorrow but the sudden cold snap demanded I take a break from school work and bake these.
THANK YOU! They are AMAZING!
Oh my I had to stop myself from licking the computer screen!!!! These look so yummy and are perfectly timed for our Thanksgiving this weekend : )
Also Congrats on the book – cannot wait to see it.
I came to your site looking for a pumpkin soup and ended up making these! They’re in the oven now and they smell delicious!
Haha, too funny! Thanks for the laughs (oh, and for the yummy recipe). ;)
Just made these. I only had pumpkin cream cheese in the house, and it worked fabulously. I also didn’t have any eggs, but I added in more canned pumpkin so I didn’t lose moisture.
I have just thrown my pumpkin muffins under the bus.. These look amazing! also, just watched the QVC video. The host towered over you ! When he took a bite of the breakfast buns, I was afraid he would take a bite out of you next. happy you are still with us. question about Williams Sonoma? understand I will need to buy another copy of the book, but will they also require an advance reservation? this is the location closest to me, andI want to make sure I have a seat! Cheers to you ..you must be the most organized person on the planet.
AMAZON HAS A PREVIEW OF YOUR BOOK NOW!!!! It looks fantastic! I cannot wait to hold it in my hands! Hope to catch you in Boston. For now, I shall make these incredible rolls.
Hi,
Can you do a recipe of pumpkin ravioli? I went to this place a few years ago http://omrestaurant.com/ and they had really good ones. I asked them for the recipe for the filling and they gave it to me but they did not give any measurements. It was something like sage, brown butter pumpkin and maybe nutmeg. I no longer have that piece of paper.
It was brown butter and not brown sugar. Just in case you are looking into this.
:)
Beautiful! I noticed the perfectly-labeled spice jars in Jacob’s birthday cake post, I spy them in the second picture above and you talk about the label-maker and redoing the contents of the kitchen cabinets.
Would you mind sharing your source for the spice jars? I reviewed all of your comments on both of these posts to see if you already mentioned it. (I also loved seeing the source for the drink jars from the birthday party. Thank you!)
p.s. I was thrilled to see an email from Amazon informing me your cookbook would be shipping to me a bit earlier than promised. Squee!
With all due respect, the first event in Seattle (at Book Larder) sold out so quickly because the place is tiny–more of a generously sized living room/kitchen than an actual event space.
Well, smitten kitchen, the day has come: you’ve disappointed me. I’ve been making cinnamon rolls for years; every time there is a holiday or event they’re requested. I also adore pumpkin anything. So, when this recipe went up, I knew I had to make it (especially since it’s my boyfriend’s birthday). Well, it was a big waste of ingredients and time. These were nothing like my usually fluffy rolls. And now we are left with only dry cereal for breakfast. Happy freaking birthday.
Wow! Sweet and fluffy. I didnt think the pumpkin flavor was strong enough though. I added some pumpkin (made fresh from our pumpkins) to the filling, but it still didnt boost the flavor enough. They’re really easy to make though and I’ll definitely try making Cinn Rolls again, probably not these though. Thanks!
These turned out great!! How long do they last in the freezer?? (Before baking). Thanks for this awesome recipe
I made these for breakfast this morning, and they were amazing. I did make one small change though–I didn’t bother without the glaze. While I’m sure the glaze is delicious, I didn’t have cream cheese on hand and I also figured we could do without the extra sugar. As it turns out, these stand up very very well on their own. Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Oh, I should add that I did need to let it rise for about an hour and a half before the dough doubled in size, but the final product was nice and fluffy.
I am adoring these rolls–sitting down to eat some right now. They turned out wonderfully–even considering I substituted dairy-free ingredients right down to the tofutti faux-cream cheese. I am definitely serving these at an upcoming baby shower I’m hosting!
oh maaan! I mis read the part about the amount of pumpkin (long story I wont go into) but I added 2 cups! I added loads more flour on the board when I rolled them. SO I didnt get much of a good rise. But I soldiered through. They came out ok, the taste is good, texture a little off. NEXT time I will be more aware of what Im doing.. and I am going to add some chopped pecans in the filling.
Time Magazine! Congratulations!! The magazine just arrived in the mail yesterday and your book is one of six cookbooks they have featured. (Of course you know this.. but everyone reading your blog should.) And that blue Pyrex bowl is a real retro find. And I will make the rolls – fabulous recipe as always.
Deb, you’re such a tease!
p.s. I find the best intervention with bookshelves is to get more of them.
p.s.s. The book interior is gorgeous!
would it be possible to make this without an electric mixer, as long as i mix really well with a wooden spoon??
Made these last night and cooked today! My two daughters are devouring now. They are not overly sweet and the pumpkin makes the dough more challah
bread-like in texture. I always have regular yeast on hand but lately recipes call for rapid rise so I used it. Seemed to work the same in time and flavor- did not foam as much as regular yeast- I used second envelope to be sure. I am going to buy your cookbook. FYI Besides being original and of course the great directions and pictures… Every recipe I have make from SK is amazingly delicious!!! When are you going on television?
As usual, these look fricking delicious and totally worth the time! Pumpkin (and apple!) flavored everything, with some serious nesting on the side=best of Fall.
I have just put these in the oven. They smell is divine. I used a loop of dental floss to cut them instead of the knife trick, and I barely lost a drop do the filling and kept the round shape. I have given up cutting dough with anything but dental floss. Just slide a strand under the roll, bring the two ends together, cutting through the dough, and voila, nicely sliced rounds!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Should the dough for these be pretty sticky? I usually make PW’s cinnamon rolls, and that dough is soft, but easy to work with, I just made this dough and it is really sticky. I added some flour just to be able to get it out of the pan, but I’m worried. It’s been about 45 minutes and it hasn’t risen much yet, but I’m trying to be patient. Just wondering if the dough should really sticky?
Haha, I have phases like that too – weeks where I find spurts of energy to overhaul the house an dthe kitchen, and make it all healthy too! But it never lasts. And I’m glad it doesn’t because what fun is life without cinnamon buns? Although with the pumpkin these might just qualify as healthy!
I made these this morning as the sweet accompaniment to a big brunch for my friends. They were absolutely DELICIOUS – decadent, without being too heavy, they looked impressive as they came out of the oven, and they made the house smell heavenly. This recipe’s a winner and I definitely recommend taking the time to make it. Well worth the wait that accompanies making something that requires time to rest and rise.
These look so amazing! I love Fall and everything about it. Congrats on your book and Good luck on your tour. I can’t wait to get my very own copy!
Made these this morning to go watch the Chicago Marathon. So good! I was proud of myself! Also, my boyfriend’s rommate said he’d beat him up if he ever broke up with me because the cinnamon rolls were so good. I’ll take it!
I’m making these fabulous-looking rolls as we speak but my dough is inexplicably dry? I feel like I should have added way more moisture at some point or less flour or something. It’s also been 45 minutes for me and I’m not seeing much rising…What am I missing here? I don’t have a stand mixer and just used my hand mixer to combine for awhile but didn’t know what the equivalent of the “dough hook for 5 minutes” would be for those of us without a stand mixer? Help!
I JUST finished making these and im only in high school so its my first time with yeast. Sadly, as I’m looking at them now, the yeast failed me. I couldnt be sure of the yeast if it was working correctly. To check the yeast, tried the milk and yeast 3 times before using the last one (which fizzed a slight bit). Oh well. I love this article and will still try more deserts! ;)
off-topic alert!
just finished watching your QVC video – this guy was so dorky! it’s hilarious :) you handled it really well.
can’t wait to read the book, debs. gonna be LEGENDARY!!
Has my math gone sour? 8″ square is quite a bit different from
8″ round ? Doesn’t matter? Look delicious!
sweetpea — It’s a little different but it won’t matter terribly here. Of course, the 8-inch round would make for rolls that grow more up than out, but only a little.
Kelley G. — Yes, it’s a sticky dough.
katie — Would love to hear more about what went wrong so maybe I can help troubleshoot. I did make them a few times so that I was confident they worked before I shared them.
Kabe — Thank you. I talk about my weird spice jar obsession over here.
Sue — Thank you! I saw it too and it kind of blew my mind. I guess it’s really happening now, huh? :)
Marcia — Ha! David was very nice and I don’t think he eats guests. Or maybe none that I’ve heard about? Heh. I spend a few hours today adding a ton of extra details to each events about which ones will require purchases or not. W-S would require that one book is purchased in store (but in case you were someone who bought more than one and wanted both signed, just one in-store purchase will suffice). There are no advance registrations for the Williams-Sonoma events; just show up! Thank you.
Jenna — Would love to! Sadly, the book is coming out so late in the fall, we are completely out of days that I can travel in 2012. However, there’s a very real chance that they will add additional dates in January/February. If you get in touch with Sara Eagle, the book’s godsend of a publicist (seagle@randomhouse.com), I am sure she’d be happy to learn more about your store. Thank you.
Cherilyn — I love the term “turbo-nesting” and I would love to come to Santa Fe!
Doll, you rock.
I get into unexpected throwing-things-out moods, too!
Ain’t it great?
I made these rolls this evening (for tomorrow) before I read these comments. Glad to know it was not my old house and its lack of warm, draft-free places that made that first rise – with active yeast – so slow. After an hour I finally turned the oven to “warm”, turned it off when it hit the mark, and put the bowl in the oven with the door ajar. It was double in another 20 minutes. I found the recipe gave a dough that was soft but very very manageable. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lara (comments 1& 2)
Waitrose sell it, the central London branches are Marylebone road, Brunswick centre and Canary Wharf.
You should find it stocked amongst the baking goods/canned fruit. Isn’t too bad of a price — £1.20/can.
Uh, I just made these. And I ate 5. I think they’re really good. Maybe one more will convince me…
Made these for breakfast this morning and they were beyond wonderfully yummy! My family inhaled these and are already clamboring for another go around. Took the second pan straight from the oven over to a neighbor’s to celebrate the arrival of a new baby and they were inhaled there as well. Wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe. The dough was a bit tough to work with due to stickiness but nothing extra flour on the rolling pin can’t fix.
Ok – this is Erin from comment 203 here again. I should have waited to comment because it turns out I just needed to be patient! My dough did rise – it just took about 2 hours to get the dough to double. In the meantime, I went for a run. Probably not the worst thing I could have done prior to eating what I’m certain will be multiples of these for dinner. Also, in regards to consistency, as it turns out it was perfect and I had no stickiness whatsoever in rolling them out. Utterly manageable!
Just made these and the pumpkin muffins as well. Since I am not the best of bakers, I was really super impressed with both recipes! Both turned out for me YEAH!
Thank you so much!
P.S. Hubby also gave them both a two thumbs up!!
hugs ~K
I just made two batches for Thanksgiving Day (Canadian) “elevensies” -one as per the recipe and one with run-soaked raisins in the filling.YUM!
Nearly passed out when I found this recipe. Sooooooo delicious looking, pumpkin, cinnamon, cream cheese, oh my!
I am in Australia, in the Southern hemisphere and we are in the midst of Spring, however, there are still plenty of gorgeous pumpkins and this recipe sounds perfect for the cooler mornings we still have.
Thank you and YUM!
Lara – you can get tinned pumpkin in most larger Waitrose in the UK. Last bought some in the foodcourt of Oxford Street John Lewis in London. Its usually near baking ingredients but you do sometimes have to search as can be near tinned fruit or veggies depending on the store.
I always buy some if I see it and this recipe sounds like a perfect way to use a precious tin!
Hi Deb,
I just had my first bite, and thank goodness I was alone in the kitchen: I might have been embarrassed by my David from QVC impersonation. :) This recipe is divine. Thank you so much for doing what you do!
Oh wow, they sound amazing (and look it too!!) Have a great day!!
These are way too good looking, going to need these for next weekend! Also, why is it that when you start organizing, you can’t stop?!
As usual your recipes are spot on! I made these this weekend and they were amazing!!! I froze half for another weekend and I can’t wait to bake those up. Thanks, Deb. A perfect fall treat!
I was reading my October issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine and happened upon your article. It was a “hey! I know this person moment.” Lovely, so proud and happy for you.
These. Are. So. Good. THANK YOU DEB! Completely easy to make as well.
If one wants to freeze half the batch, at what point is it best to do so?
Also, these are in the oven right now! I hope the fact that they were still really doughy after 25 minutes doesn’t mean I failed!
omgawwwwww. i was going to make these this weekend but when i took the flour out of the pantry, i noticed dust-sized creepy crawlies marching all around the bag. after properly freaking out, i cleaned out my pantry and threw out any and all open bags of anything. i’m now terrified of buying more flour. so sad as i really wanted to make these. at some point, i will. i willlllllll. xx
wmbg — I swear by airtight clamp-top canisters for such things.
Sara — I’d probably freeze them after the first rise. When you’re ready for them, let them fully defrost and puff a bit before baking them.
If I dont have a stand mixer with a dough hook OR bread machine, do I just knead the heck out of this dough?
I’m due in 7 weeks and currently in the mid-frenzied-nesting stage. You lost me after matching hangers, color sorted clothes, colored toy baskets, glass containers, and labels!!! oh my! :) Sounds like heaven to me!! I was disappointed to not see pictures. Oh yeah, right, this IS a food blog. (Oh, there’s probably a recipe up there. Maybe something with pumpkin and cinnamon? Need to scroll back up to look.) But your post did remind me to preorder my cookbook (and two more for holiday gifts). Can’t wait for them to arrive just in time for my maternity leave
Any suggestions for the best way to make these Thursday evening for Saturday morning devouring? Bake Thursday and reheat? Assemble, refrigerate until Saturday? Freeze dough? Any thoughts greatly appreaciated; thanks!
I made these today and they turned out fantastic! I find the pumpkin to be very subtle (apart from bright orange colouring!) but that’s ok. I was expecting a lot more mess when rolling up the dough but barely lost any filling at all – I think this is because my butter had already begun to solidify and probably held onto the filling better. And now I need to find some friends to share these with before we eat them all ourselves.
Wow these look beyond sinful! This would definitely be a great recipe to host a brunch with!
Those look amazing, and I”ll bet they smell even better!
But on another subject, I have to tell you the other day I was making Swiss Meringue Buttercream for a wedding cake, and it was all soupy in the mixer bowl. But I told myself “Deb says keep on beating and it will work!”, and of course it did! So thank you!!!!
Thanks so much Deb!!!
This recipe didn’t work for me. I have baked successfully for almost 20 years and so I’m pretty confident about my ability to follow recipes accurately. I had a strip of 3 pkgs of yeast, and had used one of them last night to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving, it worked out great. Today the yeast didn’t foam, so I tried the last pkg and it didn’t foam, either. Is it the milk? I used water for the yeast yesterday. Anyway, so I thought maybe it will rise anyway, but within the hour of having the dough ball in the bowl, it did not rise. I was still hopeful that maybe it would be okay baked anyway, so I kept going… and it was horrible. I baked them and they were still dense dough, not risen or fluffy at all. I read someone’s comment who said they’d tried a recipe like it and never had it rise and so were hopeful this one worked. Has this happened to anyone else? If I hadn’t successfully used the yeast yesterday I would have been skeptical, but that is not the case! Anyway, wasted money, time and resources.
YUM Just made these with butternut squash instead of pumpkin. My brother walked up to them while they were cooling and was like “what are these?” and im like “Cinnamon buns.. why?” and hes like “they look good.” This is the first time ive ever heard him say that (Hes such a critic with what I bake) so it feels good :D Thanks!!!
girl you really just about outdid yourself with these…so scrumptious!
i’m sure you’ve addressed this many times before, but could you tell me which mixer you use? i’ve been on the hunt for one and have read mixed reviews on nearly all of them, but this recipe right here sealed the deal that i need one, LIKE RIGHT NOW.
mahalo!
kanani — Thanks. I have a KitchenAid 5-quart Stand Mixer. After 7+ years of metal, I just picked up a glass bowl for it, too, and was trying it out here.
marsyb — Was it definitely active dry yeast? If the other kind that comes in packets (instant/rapid-rise), it actually takes a lot longer for the same amount to rise.
Chrissy — I’d assemble and refrigerate until two hours before needed on Sunday.
Your rolls look so good on picture that I simply have to do it.
Thank you for this divine recipe! I can’t wait to make this.
Lara – check Ocado, they have it there, saw it yesterday. Or at worst Selfridges. When I lived in London I could always find pumpkin filling at one of those two places.
I made these as written except I added some brown sugar caramel to the cream cheese icing. They are delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to get my book. :-)
These look so delicious! My three year old, Adelaide, loves to make cinnamon rolls with me lately- I’m sure she will be delighted when I let her know our next batch will be orange :)
PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!! These look like the best idea ever… I so want to try!
I laughed out loud to myself about the “Aunt Pinterest” comment… Ha!
Thanks for the yummy idea!
I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve been craving exactly this, so I can’t wait to make them!
Made these on Saturday – first time making cinnamon rolls and they turned put perfectly – delicious! Will absolutely make these again
I’m sorry… but this post had me laughing so hard I had to read it aloud to my fiancee as I wiped tears from eyes. Too freaking funny lady :D
Done and done (I cheated a little by using my beloved Thermomix) – have put a picture up on my blog and linked back to you- hopefully it will bring some further blog reading love your way!
Deb, these look amazing! I’m definitely going to have to try this recipe.
Also, I cannot wait to get my hands on your cookbook! I was so excited to see that you’re coming here to SF on your tour… until I realized that it’s right after I have my baby and I probably won’t be going out that soon. How do you feel about making house calls along your tour? :)
These look great. What a wonderful fall treat. My kitchen is lacking many of the tools called upon to make the recipe, but I’ll be at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, so I’ll attempt to make a few batches then since I’ll likely be doing a lot of the cooking anyway.
that looks really delicious!
Hi Lara,
Canned Pumpkin = London = Whole Foods (Kensington High Street)
Enjoy!!
val
Yum…I am all about the pumpkin right now!
That photo of Jacob is adorable, Deb!
These look amazing! I love pumpkin spiced anything, so I can only imagine the happiness these would bring! YUM!
Wow, this looks amazing!
Yum! I want one with my coffee right now!!!
I absolutely love your blog! Every recipe that I’ve tried has turned out so well and everyone begs me to make it again. But I just tell them there are too many other recipes to try! These are definitely next up on my list but one question: do they really need to be eaten hot and fresh out of the oven or are they still good later in the day too? Thanks for all the great recipes!
How long will these rolls keep in the refrigerator after the first rise?
PRM — Probably just one day. Two, tops. I had one pan in there for three days before baking it and it only halfway rose.
Sara — I think they’re still good (nobody will be made you brought them some!) but they get a little stale. Rewarming them helps.
You have closets!!!?
these look gorgeous! Love anything from the Baked books.
First off, I think I may need a towel to wipe off the drool. I’m totally making this recipe this week. (Thank you!)
Second, a very (probably won’t be read, but might as well try) response to Lara’s question about a substitute for canned pumpkin: Do you have access to either powdered pumpkin or fresh acorn squash? Neither is a perfect swap – but the fresh acorn squash can be easier to work with than trying to roast and mash down a small pie/cooking pumpkin. The squash and field pumpkins are of the same species, so they can often be interchangeable in cooking. (The flavors aren’t exactly the same, though, which is why I would suggest adding in powdered pumpkin, if you can get it.)
wow.. your site is really..really fantastic..
I’ll follow you and your recipes!!
kisses from Italy!
Paola
Wow those look awesome..what a way to celebrate fall!
I made these on Sunday. They were delicious! I thought the pumpkin flavor was even better the next day. Next time, I’ll add nuts and dried cranberries to the filling, I think that would punch up the “fall” flavor of the pumpkin. And maybe try a brown butter frosting instead of the cream cheese, although the cream cheese frosting was great.
This post is a visual feast….they look beyond delicious. Inspiration…check!
These were delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Also, I am super pumped that I get to meet you at the book signing in Vancouver in less than a month!! :)
Wow! I love all things pumpkin. I have to try this!
Are you kidding me? Pumpkin cinnamon rolls, these look awesome. What could be better to start a crisp fall day off with. YUM!!!
I just made these for a crowd and they were a huge success! Sooo utterly delicious! Thanks Deb!!
I’m going to try to make these gluten-free. I’ll let you know how they come out. Looks delicious!
Can’t get tinned pumpkin in Edinburgh. I’ll have to adapt this a little.
Why are you doing this to me!? Weight Watchers be damned! I can’t wait to see you next month at the National Press Building!
YUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
Can we see pictures of all your newly organized areas? I need some inspiration to have a fall cleaning fest myself!!
DEB. Is there a chance you will have another book signing in LA other than on the 2nd of November? Us LA Fans would appreciate it so much!!
Mmm. I made these and, instead of the brown sugar filling, I spread your pumpkin butter on half the rolls. Gooey!
Hi. These look delicious! I’d like to give them to teachers this year. Can they be frozen in a pan (unbaked)? I’d attach baking instructions later. Thanks.
Hello Deb, that looks scrumptious – as so much of your food always does! Yum! I also chuckled as I read the bit where you liken writing a book to having a baby. I’ve never had either, but I’m now working on a book due next year. Earlier this year I found myself, for no apparent reason, chewing through pregnancy books… and freaking out at what I read whilst feeling more prepared for insanity too. Friends / family who saw me with those books asked me to spill the beans, before asking if I was okay when they found that I did not contain a little person. :P Now I don’t feel as crazy…!
On that note, I now have even more respect and admiration for all mothers in the world… pregnancy and child birth are for strong warrior princesses.
May the book-birthing continue to be adventurous and mad and wonderful for you :-)
Deb,
Made these today for the fam and we all loved them! So fluffy and perfect; the best way to transition into “fall” here in south FL where the temp is still in the high 80’s. the smell alone truly had me believing that despite the weather reports it was chilly outside. BTW: hand mixed these using a wooden paddle/spoon for 3 mins. and had no problems at all. Thanks so much!
Oh, yum! This is one of the best things about Fall!
I baked these yesterday to warm up this crisp Fall weather. I added a cup of toasted walnuts. Every bit a delicious as your recipe looked! Thank you!!!
Such a perfect recipe for Fall! I really like chicken and soups are a must-have here during cold months, so I can’t wait to try out this recipe and combine together two of my favorite Fall foods!
Thanks, Deb :)
xo, Elisa
Thanks for these! Can’t wait to try them (going to leave them for my cousin who is dogsitting this weekend). Quick Q (I read through the comments but I don’t think anyone asked!) regarding the milk. Can I use low-fat or 2%? Lame, I know, but I don’t have whole milk right now.
I baked those brownies too! I baked those and your pear bread (minus 1/2 cup sugar) twice each these holidays. They went over sooo well with everyone!
These were incredible. I found that my yeast activated a lot quicker and foamier with milk than with water. And I should’ve taken your advice to cut the sugar in half (I also considered adding unsweetened applesauce, but didn’t want the added moisture). They were delicious nonetheless! Thanks for another great recipe. I look forward to seeing you in December when you come to The Free Library in Philadelphia.
Can I substitute 1% or 2% milk for the whole milk?
Maybe I’m not reading it right but it says butter and then to be divided. Then in the how to make the dough it doesn’t say how much is it all of the butter.
For the Londoners: You can get canned pumpkin here. Waitrose has it (as does Ocado online) and specialty stores like Fortnum and Mason…
Made one pan last night and refrigerated the other pan for this morning – Loved this recipe! I appreciate your comments on sweetness/ ideas for adjusting. We don’t like our sweets too sweet so I dropped the sugar in the dough and the filling back by 1/4 c. each and halved the glaze, and they were wonderful! Thank you for helping me spoil my family. I can’t wait for your cookbook to arrive!
This looks amazing! Do you think another kind of fruit could be substituted? I’m thinking of something like persimmons (I love persimmon bread in December).
holy. smokes.
why has this not been brought to my attention ever?
pumpkin. cinnamon. rolls.
i love the colour of them!
Ack mine didn’t fluff-out! They’re chewy and nearly the same size they were when I put them in the oven. I followed your recipe but I don’t own a stand mixer so I just kneaded the dough myself. I also used organic brown sugar (maybe this doesn’t matter, but I’ve had recipes go wrong when I use turbinado or cane sugar instead of granulated white). Would you have any thoughts on when things could have gone wrong?
(Also, from one Deb to another, HELLO)
Debbie — Fluffing is mostly about yeast. Did yours proof? Did you definitely use Active Dry Yeast (and not another variety)? Is your kitchen particularly cool? All of these things could lead to the buns not rising (or not in the allotted time). Thanks — hope that helps.
Trisha — In the first paragraph, I tell you to melt (or melt and brown) the whole amount of butter. In the third, I tell you to add “just 1/4 cup (or two-thirds of; leave the rest for assembly) of your melted/browned butter” to the dough. In the assembly part, I say to use the remaining, reserved browned/melted butter. Hope that clarifies it.
Rachel — Probably won’t be an issue. I do prefer whole milk for baking; you want the richest ingredients you can get. But here, since there is so little, I wouldn’t sweat it.
Lara – try Waitrose – they normally stock tins of pumpkin at this time of year. I can’t wait to try these.
These. Are. Awesome.
So I had prepared these last night (didn’t even bother using a rolling pin…MAN that was some sticky dough!) and as I only have one circle pan, there were some left over. I decided to cook them in a cupcake pan (with silicone bottoms) just to give it a try and see how they turned out…AMAZING! Didn’t even NEED the icing! Followed same temp but for 20 minutes instead of the 25.
Made them this morning (same fabulous batch as last night! Just it was in the fridge – I did let them sit out for an hour, and it was in a circle pan) and…my heart broke a bit. Ooey, gooey mess. The outer “ring” turned out pretty on spot, but once you got to the center…oozed everywhere. I even left them in for the full 25 minutes. What went wrong!?
Luckily, about four or five of them survived for my husband’s work meeting but the rest are just sitting on a plate…oozeing out.
We thoroughly enjoyed these this morning . . . the browned butter and cardamom are the best parts! The smell lingering in the house may even be better than eating them. I appreciate how you take anyone’s recipe and make it your own. FYI on sugar use, I used just the 1/4 c. organic cane sugar in the dough and a combination of 1/2 c. rapadura and 1/4 c. cane sugar in the filling with no problems. I also used part whole grain flour in the dough; they still came out great. Thanks for the fall inspiration.
I just made these, and the moment they popped out of the oven, my boyfriend wolfed down two. Delicious! I was a little worried at first, as my dough wasn’t nearly as sticky as you or the other commenters described…actually it was a little too dry, and I used the exact amounts above. I think it may have had something to do with the kind of canned pumpkin I used (Libby’s)? Anyway, I added a little extra pumpkin to make them softer (but still the dough barely stuck my hands or the table at all). Kneaded by hand for 7 min or so until it was smooth and elastic, and even though they were still not very sticky, they came out wonderfully! I think for those people who had drier dough, add more milk//pumpkin until it is just sticking to your fingers, and then continue kneading.
thanks deb!
Yup, these were AMAZING! I thought the dough was super easy to work with, and ended up with tender yummy chewy amazing cinnamon rolls! I used a whole stick of butter and donated the extra to my filling – fantastic! Thank god for the pumpkin, otherwise they wouldn’t be healthy! ;)
Thanks! I can’t wait to try these! Love your mixing turquoise mixing bowl…I have the same one from my Grandma. So fun to have pretty things to keep you company in the kitchen!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! The dough was perfect; tender and flaky! I used sweet potato instead of pumpkin and they turned out fantastic!
This is my first time posting but I have been making lots of your recipes for the last couple years. My friends and I are big fans of yours.
I wanted to make these cinnamon rolls pareve (dairy-free) so I replaced the butter with olive oil, the milk with vanilla soy milk (the yeast proofed extremely well in the soy milk) and I used soy cream cheese.
I think next time I make them I will definitely cut back on the sugar but these were a huge hit! I was proud that aside from the egg, the buns were cholesterol free. I’m planning on making another batch soon – and I’ll test the bounds of how much sugar I can cut out.
Thanks!
As soon as you posted these, I started looking for an excuse to make them! A friend’s belated birthday? Heck, yeah! Just had them for brunch. Oh so wonderful. And with browned butter?! Mmmm….I’m shocked the smell hasn’t woken my husband up from his post-30-hour-call sleep, but he’s going to have a fantastic surprise later on. Was thinking about gilding the lily by adding in a drip of fresh OJ and some orange zest next time. Thanks for another phenomenal recipe!
My Aunt loved making breads of all kinds, and especially cinnamon rolls. She passed away recently, and so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it (even though yeast intimidates the heck out of me). Despite my doubts throughout the process (will it rise?), the rolls turned out great. Sweet and oh so delicious. I know my Aunt would have loved them too. Thanks Deb!
First of all, I loved your reference to “Aunt Pinterest.” :D Second of all, those cinnamon rolls look amazing! I think they just may need to be the first pumpkin-y dish I make this fall. Yum!!
Delicious! Finally got around to making them, and while thought I was having some rising issues, I solved that by putting it in the oven and putting a bowl of boiling water under the dough. Worked like a charm. Now I’m just trying to figure out how to not eat them all myself! What’s the best way to get them to keep for a few days?
Deb, will you be my best friend?
These cinnamon rolls are amazing. My mother invaded our tiny Brooklyn apartment, said, “pumpkin?” with her nose wrinkled and then proceeded to eat half a pan. I had leftover maple cream cheese frosting (from your to-die-for carrot cupcakes) and so decided to use that Nostrand of the glaze… It worked. It worked very very well.
Thank you for inspiring me to keep having fun in the kitchen. Can’t wait for the cookbook!
You are AMAZING! I just made these and oh my goodness, they are soooo delicious! I started to really get into cooking and baking after I finished college about 4 years ago and someone recommended your blog back then and I fell in love. I have been following it ever since. Everything I have made from here has turned out wonderfully! Thank you for all the inspiration and for making me a better cook!
I made these for a pumpkin party this weekend and literally had people standing over the pan eating them–before I had even remembered to ice them. Thanks for such a yummy recipe!
Side note to those who had trouble getting the dough to rise: Every year, when cooler weather comes, I forget that I can’t just leave the bowl of dough out on the counter and have the surrounding air be warm enough to stimulate (not sure if that’s the right term) the yeast. Even though I proofed the yeast and knew it was good, I had trouble getting these to rise until I warmed up the oven a bit more. One of these years, I’ll remember that the weather has changed and won’t have that problem.
I hope that explanation makes sense.
1. I made these over the weekend and they were SUPER TOTALLY COMPLETELY AMAZING!
2. I’ve been reading your blog for a long time and it has brought me so much joy and yumminess I can hardly stand it. Also, can’t wait to get a copy of your cookbook!
I made these last week and they were SO amazing and such a hit that I am making them again today!
Thank you so much for sharing!!
I made these this weekend with fresh pumpkin. I added a little fresh ground allspice and clove (because I love any excuse to use those spices) and just a touch of maple flavoring to the glaze. They were delicious – excellent texture!! The only criticism is that I thought the pumpkin flavor was a little mild; I’m guessing it was the fresh pumpkin – next time I will use canned.
After I couldn’t stop thinking about these, I made a batch on Saturday so we could bake and eat on Sunday morning (thank you Deb for that part of the instructions!). They were a huge hit…so delicious! My only regret is that we couldn’t taste “pumpkin” (I used Libby’s). Any ideas on how to really taste the pumpkin? Nevertheless, we loved them and they were gone in minutes ;) Thank you for sharing.
Ok. I’m making these. Like tomorrow.
I’m living in Uganda for awhile right now, and it’s hard to get in the fall spirit when it’s 80 degrees and banana trees outside. We do have pumpkins, though, in abundance, so my heart leapt when I saw this. I doubled the recipe and made these last night for a crowd of 25, and there was not a single one left. Even with no marked oven temperatures (we just have on and off) and the altitude, they turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Looking forward to making these! To echo Leslie’s question– can these be made with a food processor or bread machine?
Hi Rachel — I haven’t tried it in either. It can definitely be mixed by hand (vigorously, in a wooden bowl, then kneaded on a well-floured counter). If your FP has a dough blade, it’s worth trying. I don’t know if this would work in a bread machine because I have no experience with them. Sorry I cannot be more help.
Deb, can you TALK to me about your Turquoise baking bowls. I heart them- I assume they’re vintage…but can you share some more deets.
ps. Looking forward to meeting you in TORONTO!
Hi NicD — I just have one. It’s an old Pyrex from my mom. She was going to throw it away. I rescued it. Love it; it’s very lightweight and has little spouts. It’s perfect.
Ok, so I just made these, had no problems with the yeast, and they are very good. However, there is NOT a lot (if any) pumpkin taste, which is what I was worried about. They’re still cool though in that they have a nice pumpkin-orange color and it’s fun to say that they are pumpkin, but you just can’t really taste it. Maybe more “pumpkin” spices in the dough would help? I added 2Tbsp extra butter to the filling (I like gooeyness). I also put dried cranberries in my dough (could also work well in the filling I think) and did one pan with the cream cheese frosting and the other pan with a caramel pecan “sticky-bun” topping per my husband’s request. Both are delish and I’m not sure which I like better. Thanks for the recipe! Hope you stay sane and healthy while on you book tour!
Hi! I made these last week and they were great! I used instant yeast (not rapid-rise) because is what I had at home, just used a little less (80%) and it worked great.
I want to make them again this weekend for some friends but mini rolls this time, at least half the size of these, and I’d like to know what changes do I have to make to the recipe, if any. I guess less time in the oven? I’d appreciate any advice :)
Those pumpkin rolls look like the ultimate comfort food. What a great weekend recipe project.
I am so excited to make these tonight! I had to comment because my mom had the entire set of bowls too. I don’t have them anymore, but love that you rescued one. It’s what we used everytime we baked anything.
these turned out great. Just used almond milk and it worked great. Thanks I love your blog and am a big fan of all your food.
Just wondering is it possible to replace tinned pumpkin with mashed banana?
Hi Kaira — I haven’t tried it, but it’s definitely worth finding out (and reporting back with your results — I’m sure others would love to know).
I make a different version of a pumpkin cinnamon roll using shredded pie pumpkin that has been blanched, but what really makes them pop is adding a tablespoon or two of PURE maple syrup to the frosting. Yummy!!
What a great idea. I have always made “regular” cinnamon rolls. I saw this recipe and had to try it. These cinnamon rolls were amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I just made these for breakfast tomorrow. Somehow missed the comment about 2 9×9 pans, so 12 very thick rolls are currently jammed in a 9×10 pan. I’m planning on a funny rise and great taste in the morning!
I made these a couple weeks ago, even though I was a little intimidated by the recipe. They turned out very well, at least for my first time making cinnamon rolls. I made the rolls in the evening, and baked them the next morning. I am a little suspicious of the yeast, as I didn’t get much foam or rising, but I was happy enough with the end results. I do have to agree with the previous comments about the mild pumpkin flavor. I didn’t exactly taste pumpkin. They did taste great, though, and I’ll probably be making these again for Christmas morning! Thanks for a yummy recipe.
These cinnamon rolls encompass everything that is good and wonderful about the world. Thank you, Deb, for providing the perfect recipe to satisfy my crazy fall-induced pumpkin cravings!
These were amazing Deb! I made the lower sugar version with brown butter. For the glaze I blended a scoop of pumpkin spice cream cheese (which I sort of regret but couldn’t resist), vanilla soy milk, powdered sugar and a wee drop of almond extract.
I made these today and they are to die for!!! (even though here in australia we are going into spring so pumpkin is not exactly seasonal!) I have frozen the second batch after cooking and icing them and hope that they will defrost okay.
Just pulled these out of the oven, took a few bites, and they are incredible! The photos are very helpful as well, and something of an eye-opener for me; I saw that the dough really does need to be very soft. Up until now, I’ve always added extra flour to typical sweet roll recipes, because I was nervous about working with a sticky soft dough. This recipe is actually easier to roll out, and handled beautifully.
Thanks!
Drooling. This rolls look like everything to love about fall.
I just made these and they are divine. My parents and brother raved about them. They melt in your mouth. I was nervous at first with the yeast as it didn’t foam, but I went ahead with it anyway on my 2nd attempt and I had NO PROBLEMS! They were a process, but very much worth it. I added a bit more pumpkin to the recipe. I put a bit more puree in along with Pumpkin spice in the dough. I brushed them with butter and sprinkled some extra cinnamon on top and popped those babies into the oven. Then I used pumpkin spice in the icing, along with a pinch of the cinnamon mixture,and pumpkin coffee creamer. I also used half cream cheese,half mascarpone,,egg white, bourbon vanilla and it came out very fluffy and delicious. So Good! I had 3 rolls!!! They were moist and baked perfectly. Crisp on the outside edges and a warm gooey soft center. Just amazing. I had to stop myself and I am contemplating eating another one before bed.
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them. I have had cinnamon rolls on my mind lately. I want to make batches for my neighbors Christmas. Perhaps I will indulge them at Thanksgiving too! I would love to see your take on an orange cinnamon roll. I have the press club DC event marked on my calendar. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
Reading through the comments I think I now know where it went wrong for me: I use instant yeast (I think). The dough did rise, but it didn’t double, and the result wasn’t fluffy at all, but a bit stodgy. On the package it said it could be added directly to the dry ingredients; should I try that next time and double the rising time? Or should I still add the milk (it did foam slightly) and double the rising time? I LOVE cinnamon rolls but – aside from Starbucks – they’re not easily available in the Netherlands. I’ve tried a few times and have not found a way to make them that they’re really good.
I hope you’ll be able to help me!
Emmi — It can be added directly to the dough but I find it takes (at least) double the rising time.
I made these yesterday and substituted gluten-free flour as my father is on the “Wheat Belly” kick. I used Active Dry Yeast and it did foam in the milk, but my dough didn’t rise as much as expected and was SO DIFFICULT to work with – it was cracking all over the place! I also found that the dough was a little denser than I would have liked. Could the flour substitution have caused my less-than-perfect outcome? Also, do you have any suggestions for kicking the pumpkin flavour up a notch?
Hi Laurel — It was definitely the fault of the flour. Gluten plays a big part in bread. However, if you Google around, you will find that many gluten-free bloggers have tackled cinnamon rolls. One of their recipes may be a better place to start.
I had been dying to try these, which I finally did yesterday and they came out looking very beautiful.. although not quite so orange. They smelled delicious out of the oven, but I felt the dough was a little bland with far too much sugar all around. I used 1 cup of sugar in the icing, which was still too sweet. Overall, a little disappointing for a lot of effort.
Oh my gosh. What a deadly recipe. THANKS! :D
I made these last night and they tasted heavenly (not to mention, they were surprisingly easy to make). I am a fan of raisins in my cinnamon rolls but since they were pumpkin, I decided to venture out and try dried cranberries instead. It turned out to be the perfect combination!
I just made these and they are awesome. I found I only needed about half the icing called for, as it overwhelmed the flavor of the buns. I will use the remaining icing for when I make the next batch. I found I didn’t really taste the pumpkin very much; maybe I’ll try more next time.
About quick rise yeast, I use it all the time and have no issues with the rise time. My buns took under an hour to rise until almost double. I often warm my oven and let them rise in there if the house is a bit chilly. It took me maybe 2 1/2 hours to make these from start to finish.
I will probably use less sugar in the filling and dough next time – these are very rich!
This looks like a great recipe, and I am sure your slight changes made it even better. This is my favorite time of year, I love pumpkin everything, even pumpkin eggnog. I wonder if this recipe could take a little pumpkin in the glaze, that might be too much, but like I said I love pumpkin. I am not this would fit our Salvadorian menu at the restaurant, but my kids will love it none the less. thank you
Strangely I pulled out left over pumpkin puree from the freezer this evening I had used partially for a Thanksgiving Pumpkin Praline pie (Canadian Thanksgiving was October 8th). I was going to make another pie but my daughter just sent me your blog so the pie is out the window and we’ll have Pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast Saturday morning. I wonder if I can make them up to a certain point tomorrow and pop them in the oven Saturday am? I’ll have to re-read the recipe. Thanks…can’t wait!
I made these today and they were AWESOME!
Okay maybe I should have read the recipe before commenting. Easy to make ahead and finish in the morning! Which I did not do because I had such a craving. Made this this afternoon and just had one around 3:30. Delicious!
I just tried making these but using a gluten-free flour mix! What a success!!! Thank you for the inspiration and wonderful recipe.
These were excellent, though they weren’t as prominently pumpkiny as I expected. The cream cheese frosting really takes it over the top for me. I always use floss to cut cinnamon rolls (as someone else detailed in a previous comment). Always works like a charm!
On the homemade pumpkin puree front, this may not be the exact same flavor of roasted, but is easier: I put the pumpkin chunks in my crockpot for about 3 hours instead of roasting in the oven. Partly because I’m adverse to using my oven when I don’t need to, cause it heats up my tiny kitchen and offends my electric bill. Also, in the crockpot, the pumpkin meat stays really moist and is really easy to peel! I have yet to use said puree, though (it’s in the freezer). So do not take this as a testament to its quality, but the spoonful that made its way directly to my mouth was delicious!
Thanks for the inspiration!! I made something similar, but I used a pumpkin spice nut filling instead and a slightly different dough and topping. See http://www.thefoodmethod.com/2012/10/spicy-cinnamon-buns-with-pumpkin.html What do you think?
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look delicious.. when i get home I’m making them as soon as possible!I love these so much, its such a simple recipe Thank you!!!!
I made these two days ago when Sandy blew into town. My daughter was off from school so perfect day for baking. They turned out lovely! So delicious. Will post a blog post and link to you for credits. Thanks!
Just a tip for cutting the rolls – take a thread, put it under the roll of dough and pull both ends of the thread together. This technique slices the rolls perfectly and is fun to do!
Hi Deb!
I love your blog and usually am able to tackle the recipes successfully, making myself look like a great baker and getting all kinds of great comments which I of course always attribute to your blog!
BUT this recipe didn’t come out for me. I tried 3 different packets of yeast but they never foamed/ bubbled. Also I don’t have a kitchen aid so I had to manually mix the dough. The frosting came out so tasty but the rolls didn’t rise and are super dense and doughy. Is this a dead yeast problem? I’d really like to try this one again!
Thanks !
Lolly — If they didn’t rise, it’s definitely a yeast problem. Did you definitely use Active Dry yeast? (Not all varieties foam, or need to be proofed, or work as quickly.)
Deb!!!! I made these for my grad program cohort of elementary school teachers (who have definitely had their fair share of sweet goodies over the years) and they fell in love with them! Thank you so much!!! They’re all asking for the recipe! I’m looking forward to your book signing!
For anyone in the UK, Waitrose sells tinned pumpkin. I think it was about £1.40 for a 425 gram tin (Cardiff area)
Lara, you can get tinned pumpkin in London…I consistently purchase it at Waitrose.
These look pretty amazing! I can’t wait to try them!
I do miss gluten when I see recipes like this:)
hi! i made these recently entirely with white whole wheat flour (maybe not finely ground enough or too high a gluten content, it was from trader joe’s), and i got a very dense, very dry dough.
do you think reducing the flour content, or adding another 1/4c of milk or so would make the dough more pliable?
thank you!
Nina — I don’t usually advise a full swap of whole wheat flour for this reason. It can be dry and dense. It’s best to start with a partial swap. As you use a higher proportion, the dough may “need” other things to still work well and it would have to be tested as a different recipe.
I have made these twice and have half of the second batch waiting for Thanksgiving in the freezer right now. They are fantastic!
I used two brands of organic pumpkin, and the dough was not so hard to work with. I think the Libby’s pumpkin is wetter and makes a wetter dough. My rolls were very pleasantly gooey and pumpkin-y anyway, though.
Nina — I made the recipe this weekend using 2 cups of white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of bread flour. Also, rather than using the dough hook for five minutes, I kneaded by hand for about 8 minutes. (I don’t know if this step made a difference or not — kneading for me is cheaper than therapy.) After kneading, the dough will be a bit drier than pictured, but be careful not to knead in too much extra flour. Other than that, I followed the recipe. Ridiculously delicious, with no hint of whole-wheaty flavor.
These look incredibly delicious, only just really started cooking with pumpkin and it’s lovely to come across new recipes.
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look delicious, They will look great on my table for Thanksgiving as a non traditional dessert.
i made these this morning…delish!!!
as for rising, I got little rise beforr shaping. Then I stuck yhe rolls in my oven that was warm by the light. rose some. Then in oven while they baked theu rose quite a bit.
I have to find someone to share them, the pan is screaming at me to eat more! so good
This recipe is amazing….I just tested it out for the holidays and it came out absolutely stunning…I cannot wait to make for my family over the holidays.
one note when I tried to get the active dry yeast to rise with warmed milk it would NOT. I went thru 3 packets, before I decided to use the directions on the back of the yeast packets..warmed WATER, and sugar sit for 10 min and it became totally active.
Thank you so much for such and amazingly YUMMY breakfast/dessert.
@ Lara – I’ve seen Libby’s Pumpkin in cans at Waitrose in Bloomsbury. It was a couple years ago that I looked for it though.
Last minute Thanksgiving breakfast panic– in the absence of two smaller pans (tiny kitchen and holiday pan shortage), could I use a 9×13 pan for all the buns?! Thanks!
Hi Carrie — Absolutely.
Ok, this is a massive list of comments once again, congratulations. Personly i have tried this fantastic recipe twice now and my husband, parents and I are all addicted.
To those people who were considering a simple icing sugar and water, or others from the UK who find the concept of cream cheese frosting a bit much (or just odd) i encorage you to try a splash of lime juice in there too. Pumpkin and lime are an epic combiation and I just couldnt resist…mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
To those of you who want tinned pumpkin, just get a good squash (do not use a carving pumpkin unless you are desperate) boil it up, drain well and then push through the sieve. With practise it is quick and the smell that surrounds you more than makes up for the effort. I dont roast because however much i appreciate that the flavour would be nice I cant cope with the concept of the extra time, oil and scraping the skins.
Thanks again Deb for another fantastic recipe and for fueling my pumpkin passion.
Oh and a touch of honey in the milk did wonders for my dried yeast…
Yummmmmm. Only negative s that the bubbling yeast thing isn’t acurate or all brands. I went thru a couple pack before finding this in the comment section.
Damn iPad. Isn’t accurate on all brands.
This was the best thing I ever made in the kitchen. Thank you!
My 7 year old daughter and I made these last night… without a stand mixer… she did the 5 minutes of stirring! We baked them this morning… divine! Thank you for your wonderful recipes and, of course, I’m loving the cookbook!
thought you may want to know I just saw your recipe and photos here http://stagetecture.com/2012/10/autumn-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/#sthash.YfjNPzLy.dpbs
Nicole — Thanks for letting me know.
THANK YOU!! My kids think I’m a baking genius after I made these on Thanksgiving morning.
I just made the dough, but it had small pebbles inside unmixed and floury dough scattered inside it. I just have to hope I didn’t overknead it when I was removing the pebbles one by one!
These are in the fridge for baking tomorrow morning – a scrumptious Christmas breakfast awaits!
I found a leftover can of pumpkin in my pantry and decided to make these last night. Had them this morning. So yummy. It was my first attempt ever at cinnamon rolls. Thanks to you, they are fabulous.
I’ve made these twice now and they are just heavenly. My dad was floored when he came into the kitchen on Christmas morning to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Needless to say, my baking skills have gone up a notch since I moved out six years ago and my parents are now regretting that I left! But now they’re also expecting them every time I visit. Sigh. Oh well, they’re so much fun to make, I doubt I’ll mind. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’ve had the same problem as others with the yeast not foaming. So, read the packet instructions and it says to throw the yeast straight into the dough – it works!
Now I remember seeing Paul Hollywood doing the same in the Great British Bake off as well. If he does, it must be right.
I’ve found that adding sugar to the warm water/milk also works but it’s easier if you can skip that step.
I didn’t know Waitrose sells canned pumpkin so made my own. I used butternut squash and even didn’t have to put it thru a food processor after roasting.
It’s quite sweet too, even though I didn’t add the glazing. Next time will use less sugar in the filling.
Overall, great recipe Deb. Many thanks.
@Sarah I’m allergic to eggs and I made these with a heaping 3/4 cup of pumpkin instead of an egg. You could probably also use an egg replacer, but this turned out deliciously, so why bother.
@Rachel (and anyone else that asked) I made these in a food processor. I don’t have a mixer and was too lazy to do it by hand. I did it with the dough blade and made sure to stir my ingredients while getting everything together, since it was my first time using the dough blade and I wasn’t sure it would work. I didn’t process it for the 5 minutes listed in the recipe for the mixer, I did it for maybe a minute or so. The dough had all come together and felt almost tough when I touched it, so I was worried I overdid it and decided to stop. Mine turned out fantastic, light and fluffy and delicious.
So I had a slice of pumpkin & made these amazing rolls, but I added slivered almonds and then smothered home made dulche de leche on top!! So delicious
Pumpkin with caramel anything is always my fave. So, I made these amaaaaazing rolls and put a caramel twist to it. I won’t get into detail about the dough or the recipe, because its amazing, enough said. But I did make a cool caramel sauce on the stovetop, threw it into the kitchen aid with a half a brick of cream cheese. Hello caramelly pumpkiny cheesecakey-goodness!!!!! Not ashamed to say I’m on my fourth roll in as many hours and I am doubtful the pan will last the night. I bet this would be stellar with apple chunks in the filling too. I threw in raisins and pecans. Perhaps all three? I’m not even going to apologize for my greed :)
I just made these today and they turned out delicious! These actually my first recipe I’ve tried from your blog(since I just started doing home cooking). I’m looking forward making more of your recipes.
I made these yesterday and the were ahhhhmazing! They ended up being more of a morning bun because I realized that I didnt have powdered sugar and my cream cheese had expired >.<… i also omitted the sugar in the filling just to try a less sweet version, but will definitely be making these again!!! Thank you smitten kitchen for channeling my inner pumpkin loving self and never disappointing, everyone really does come running when the kitchen starts smelling of SK.
I’ve made these twice this week for different events, and both times they turned out very well. I measured using weights. They turned out very moist and fluffy and were very tasty. There admittedly wasn’t a lot of pumpkin flavor, and I will probably try to cut down on the sugar next time (but that’s my personal preference).
I made these today and agree with other commentors that they were not overly pumpkin flavored but they were still really delicious and perfect for fall. After the first rise, I placed the dough in the fridge for 24 hours (schedule conflicts). This made the dough super easy to roll, shape, and cut. Then I let them rise for about 1 1/2 hours on the counter before baking. A keeper for sure!
Made these this past weekend and they were great. Thank you, they got loads of compliments.
Hi, (after a long day in the kitchen) they are in the oven right now! Thank you for making these Deb. I measured using weights and nothing went wrong. I mixed the dough by hand and used whatever baking pan I had that would fit them (like I usually do, heehee). Let’s see, fingers crossed!
I was nervous to make these at high altitude (5000 feet) in Ethiopia, but I didn’t change anything and it was fine. I also mixed them by hand and except for a sore arm, it was no problem. They turned out amazing! My husband ate 4 of them, and my daughters each ate 2. I think I stopped at 3… :) Thanks for the recipe!
how do you feel about the rise on these? how would you make them puffier?
You can make them taller, if you wish, by cutting them into 1.5-inch sections. For the best rise, go by appearance, not just schedule. If your kitchen runs cold, it might need more than 1 hour to double.
Made these this weekend and they were delicious, moist and sweet. I let it rise a little longer, as my yeast seemed slower acting. I then put them in the fridge overnight before baking as suggested and that worked well as well. I added about a cup of finely chopped pecans to the filling and I love spices, so I think next time I would add more cinnamon to the filling and more spiced to the dough. I did find the icing too sweet (with the already sweet buns), and would cut back the icing sugar next time to get more of the cream cheese flavour. These were a real hit and will definitely be making again!
I love this recipe. One way to have these even more quickly is to use quick rise yeast. The dough only rises for 10 minutes after it’s mixed, then you do the shaping. It saves about an hour. I use quick rise yeast with all my yeast baking and can have things done in about 2 hours normally. Can’t say enough about this yeast, yet I never see recipes calling for it. The yeast is added to the dry ingredients, then the liquid is added.
Just made these last night using my breadmaker for prepping the dough. I used the recipe list as is (the reduced sweetness option since they were for a weekday breakfast), but just combined the milk and yeast for a few minutes first before throwing in unmelted butter and the rest of the wet ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients. Turned out wonderful. Only change I would maybe make next time is to toast the pecans first. Now on to the orange-cranberry breakfast buns!
Eyeing these for a Thanksgiving brunch, but we’re a sugar light family. Do you recommend a 1/4 cup less sugar in the filling AND the dough, or just 1/4 less total?
Both, or you could do one or the other, if you’re nervous.
I got a sugar pie pumpkin in my CSA box and made pumpkin puree with your tips recipe. I had exactly enough puree for pumpkin cinnamon rolls and pumpkin muffins (except I used the batter in a loaf pan). Highly recommend that combination
These were simply amazing, and really enlightened me about the glorious splendor of brown butter. That is my new favorite smell. Tonight I am making your cinnamon swirl buns with brown butter as well. So exciting!
Oh my, such goodness! Just made these this morning for New Year’s Day breakfast and they are glorious (and gone!). I took a still warm pan to my neighbor as a thank you for hosting NY’s Eve at her house, best hostess gift ever! Next time I will go a bit heavier on all the spices, especially the cinnamon.
I think these will end up tasting great, but I experienced the same yeast/rising problems that so many others did. When I make bread (and cinnamon rolls) using my own recipe, I always add the hot milk to the dry ingredients + yeast, not mix the milk and yeast right away.
I made these this afternoon for a backup breakfast (I usually do a healthy oatmeal but sometimes feel like splurging), and they turned out pretty good. I was hoping for a bit more prominent pumpkin flavor, but I still enjoyed it. The yeast didn’t really foam with the milk, but from skimming some comments here, it seems to be a common thing. I just made pizza a week or so ago with the same batch of yeast, so I’m fairly certain it’s fresh. And I just realized I used the paddle attachment instead of a dough hook on my mixer. Oh well!
For those using instant (or ‘fast acting’ over here) yeast, try adding the yeast to the dry ingredients, then incorporating the egg, followed by the warm pumpkin/milk/butter. Instant yeast doesn’t need a wet activation, so this method should keep your yeast happy and ready to rise. :) Worked a treat for me (after an absolute disaster of sad, shrunken little rolls the first time!).
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and always had trouble getting the yeast to activate. Today I tried subbing hot water in for milk and it turned out just fine. They tasted just as wonderful as they always do. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
These were amazing–and my first attempt at any kind of cinnamon bun! Used some mashed, roasted sweet potato in place of the pumpkin with beautiful effect, and they rose well, though I was worried after reading all the comments. I made a quick glaze with confectioner’s sugar and apple cider instead of milk, which added a nice dimension. Thanks for your lovely and amazing blog, which I have followed for years.
Just made these, as my first attempt at anything yeasted! It rose well (it was a little cold in my kitchen, and I think is was affecting the speed of rising– but after making the rolls, i turned the oven on and placed the tins on the stove top to get some of that heatand- poof! beautiful puffs!)
I followed the directions to a tee, but used the suggested 1/2 quantity of sugar (as suggested) since I’m not a huge sweets person. Also whipped up a simple ‘glaze’ using greek yogurt, confectioners sugar, butter, cinnamon, and a spoonful of the leftover pumpkin. Came out great! ate one (or two or three) with some coffee flavored yogurt for a delicious and comforting dessert (:
I know this recipe is from ages ago, but I only just got around to making them. I just moved to a high altitude (8700 feet) several months ago, and this was the first time I’d tried anything involving yeast here. They came out quite well! I made some of my usual adjustments here (less moisture, more heat), though I would say that I didn’t need to do either. They ended up being slightly drier than I would have liked (I like really moist baked goods), though still totally delicious. Thank you!
To those asking if this can be made with a bread machine… yes, yes it can! I followed the recipe exactly, just used bread machine yeast. I added a few tablespoons of pumpkin to the glaze which gave it a pretty orange colour and a slight pumpkin-y taste, and added toasted pecans to the middle. I had friends over for brunch and we ate these with our first cup of coffee while catching up before sitting down for a zucchini frittata and fruit salad. Will absolutely make again.
These are amazing. I didn’t have cream cheese, but obviously couldn’t wait to acquire some. Instead I brushed them with maple syrup when they were fresh from the oven. Excellent substitution!
So mine didn’t rise very well (I double checked that my yeast was still good so maybe the milk was either too cold or too hot?) and using a serrated knife didn’t cut it. I ended up using thread to cut the loaf and that worked perfectly! These are smelling up my kitchen now and I’m sure will be perfect despite the minimal rise. Thanks so much!
Made these, your spinach & cheese strata, and the winter fruit salad for a brunch with friends. Amazing!!! The rolls didn’t rise as much this time, similar to comments above, but I think also due to yeast that’s past it’s prime. Oops! They might have been squat, but they were damn good!!
good man but I think also due to yeast that’s past it’s prime. Oops! They might have been squat, but they were damn good!!
So mine didn’t rise very well (I double checked that my yeast was still good so maybe the milk was either too cold or too hot?) and using a serrated knife didn’t cut it.
Would this work with white whole wheat flour?
I have been looking king for a pumpkin baked goods for w hike, and this is perfect! I am going to try today. One small tip, that I picked up a long time ago, instead of cutting the rolled up dough with a knife, you can use floss to cut it. Slip the string under the roll and pull the opposite direction.
I’m so glad you changed this recipe (for me). I consider myself a good baker, and I’ve rarely had one of their recipes come out the way it looks in the photos, or heck, even come out tasting like something I’d want to bake again. These cinnamon rolls fell into that pit, too. I can’t wait to try them with your adaptations!
Can you freeze these at any point? We are just two, and 16-18 is a lot!
Absolutely.
I made these and thought the recipe was really easy to follow. Unfortunately me and my pregnant belly had a hard time not eating the ENTIRE pan of rolls when they came out, they were that delicious. I also added a bit of nutmeg to the frosting and it was deeee-lightful.
I just made these last night! Super tasty, but never rose, so I had rather dense rolls. I had fresh yeast and made sure the milk was not too hot and it did appear foamy.
I did make these by hand without a mixer – is it possible something other than the yeast went wrong? Something to do with how I stirred it together? Seems crazy, but I am amiss!
I had the same problem, even with a thermometer to ensure the milk was exactly the right temperature. Maybe my yeast was too old (it was still far from its expiry date)?
I found 116 degrees to be too hot. I had to toss the first 1/2 cup of milk. Let the second round heat to 99 degrees and it was all fine.
I found this dough quite stiff, not at all sticky, which was not surprising given the low hydration percentage of this dough. I would definitely use more liquid. I used instant yeast and had to let the dough rise in a warm oven over 2 hours both times. There was no pop in the oven. The rolls were adequate, orange but no pumpkin flavor.
I found these rather disappointing, to be honest. They were very dry upon cooling, and the pumpkin flavor wasn’t as assertive as I would have liked. Probably wouldn’t make again, which is a bummer – I really wanted to love them.
Are there hand-mixing instructions for these? They look AMAZING! Thank you!! :)
I decided to try out the “slap and roll” method mentioned around 4:50 in the following video. Just did it right in the big bowl I used to mix the ingredients for about 5 minutes, until all the dry ingredients seemed evenly incorporated and the dough appeared a little smoother, and everything turned out great for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlFgc0ETNn8
Made these for a party over the weekend and they were a total hit. Not one left by the end of the night… which was a little disappointing only because I would’ve enjoyed some leftovers. If you want to be slapped in the face with pumpkin flavor, this may not be the recipe you’re looking for. Just a hint of pumpkin and a really nice, warm spice flavor. So as to avoid problems with the first rising, I positioned the bowl of dough a few inches away from my space heater and rotated it every so often. Worked like a charm.
I am a full time baker and I L.O.V.E. your blog. Your posts(baking and otherwise) are always delicious, easy to follow and funny. Thanks for being awesome and sharing your ideas/knowledge! Can’t wait to try these tonight.
These look heavenly! What do you think about freezing these if you had to do much in advance? And at what point in the process would you freeze them?
Thanks
I’d freeze them in the pan, before their last rise.
Hi! I was wondering the same thing as you, so I tried it. I put one of the pans in the freezer, after assembly, on Friday night. Then took them out Sunday (and let them sit on the counter for 30-45 mins) and baked them…I did not notice a big difference between the frozen/non-frozen pans! It may have been even better if I had more time for them to ‘thaw’; but they were still very much enjoyed!
Everyone loves it when I make these (with homemade pumpkin puree), except that they say they are too sweet.
I leave the frosting off and I’ve been cutting back on the sugar in the filling and more people like them.
I’ve made these twice & they’re really fun, but I have one little inquiry … perhaps since it’s a bit of a sticky dough, when I roll it out there’s a lot of flour left clinging to the each side even when i do my best to brush it all off. There’s enough that there’s areas with white flour-y splotches on the sides of the rolls after baking, which I mostly mind for aesthetic reasons, since I don’t actually notice any unpleasant flour-y taste. Any advice for preventing this? Thx!
One pan rose and one didn’t. Any suggestions.
To solve the “not enough pumpkin” dilemma, at the part where you roll out the dough and spread softened butter over it, I also spread about 1/2 c. of pumpkin on it as well, then sprinkled the brown sugar and cinnamon over it and rolled it up as normal.
I just finished making these. Delicious!!! Moist, just enough spice, and added richness from the pumpkin. I hand kneaded the dough (no mixer). Will DEFINITELY be repeating this recipe throughout the fall. Love your website, your photos, recipes and stories.
Awesome awesome dough and icing. I might add more cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin to the dough to get a little bit more of that fall flavor but otherwise phenomenal. Tried to make my icing like Cinnabon’s so I rolled with a cup and a half of the powdered sugar and more vanilla, tasted spot on!
First time commenting, but I’m long time fan! Made this exactly as described except for reducing the brown sugar in the filling slightly to our preference and substituting a flax egg for the egg in the dough (allergy in the family :( ) and they were amazing. Husband says they’re the best ones I’ve made and kids asked for seconds. Not overly sweet – perfect with the glaze and a cup of coffee. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
These came out fantastic! I thought the dough would be sticky but after the first rise, it was just right. My 10 yr old rolled and cut them and they rose nicely. Love the pumpkin flavor, seemed to give them an extra boost of moisture and yumminess….definitely a keeper!
Idea to help cut the dough without squishing – sewing thread or fishing line. Slide thread under dough, wrap over top and pull. Neatly cuts thru the dough without squishing.
Mine were a little dry. Next time I will use more butter!
Also I struck out with the dry active yeast so used instant instead.
Thanks to Deb for another fantastic recipe, but it is SO SWEET. I put a light layer of the remaining [canned] pumpkin puree in the filling for a little extra pumpkin flavor – this was nice, but the rolls are crazy sweet. This coming from someone who can eat teaspoons of sugar. I would definitely suggest that the sugar be cut by 25%.
Also, I froze the second pan following the comments above. I later put it out on the counter about 60 minutes before I started preheating the oven. It tasted essentially the same as the “fresh” first pan.
I’ve made these about 6 times now. So soft and pillowy. My favorite annual fall recipe. Thanks Deb!
Would it be OK to make the rolls double the size? So 2 inches instead of 1 for 8 rolls?
I made these today with some changes: used half AP flour, half white whole wheat; used less sugar in the dough (50g brown sugar) and filling (100g brown sugar); used buttermilk because that’s what I had on hand. Baked the first pan in 8×8 square pan with 9 buns. A second pan of 6 un-baked buns is in the fridge for tomorrow. Didn’t make icing/glaze. Overall I enjoyed it. It was relatively easy to make. Wasn’t dry despite subbing half for wheat flour but could use more liquid if using more whole wheat flour. Unlike other comments, I could taste the pumpkin (maybe it’s because I used less sugar). If I had more pumpkin, I would’ve added more to the filling. For those who are sensitive to sugar, I cannot imagine using the amount of sugar as called for (but generally I find a lot of recipes on here to be very sweet).
Oh my goodness! I’m embarrassed to say how long I have been waiting to make these. But finally, this morning,… and they were worth the wait and we will be making them again and again! So amazingly delicious!! Never disappointed by any of your recipes!!
Not a fave recipe. They took FOREVER to rise (second rise). Like no rise overnight in fridge, plus an hour not rising on counter, plus another over 30min in a warm oven. First batch was a little dense from not rising enough, but second pan baked up well.
Flavor-wise they were fine. I mean, they are pretty tasty, just not popping with flavor and I even went heavy on the spice and included the cardamom. I used a sour cream glaze that I liked as a compliment to the buns.
Gonna give the chocolate-tahini buns a whirl next time, and stick to other favorite pumpkin recipes.
These were phenomenal! When I browned the butter, it reduced the amount to 1/4 cup, so I ended up using all of that in the dough and melting another 2 Tbsps for the filling. I topped the frosted rolls with chopped candied pecans and oh my GOD it was delicious. I will be adding these to my fall rotation for sure!
These were delightful! I did find that after overnight refrigeration, I had to let them warm up on the counter for an hour then another 1/2 hour in a warm oven (door open). They puffed up perfectly and the texture was wonderful. Made the icing with mascarpone… Not as sharp, so delicious! Thanks Deb!
The best way I have found to cut a log of cinnamon rolls is with floss. Wrap it underneath then cross the two ends and pull. Keeps the shape perfectly!
Made these yesterday after seeing the Instagram post. They turned out great! Easy to follow recipe. I used the tip to cut the sugar just a little. I’ve never been very good at cinnamon rolls but these were pretty and delicious! Great recipe!
Just made these last night and baked them off This morning for breakfast today. Holy cow! They were amazing! So far everyone has loved them! Will definitely make again!
Yum! The bread turned out very yummy and tender. I didn’t have cardamom on hand, but I added some cloves and a little Chinese Five Spice and it worked out great. The filling leaked out a bit on the second rise (which…it didn’t rise much on the second rise, and I’m not sure why) and turned into a holy, delicious caramel situation at the bottom of the rolls.
I didn’t like the frosting much – ended up adding another 4 oz of cream cheese, which cut the sweetness quite a bit and made it more…full bodied.
Can I leave them in the fridge for 24 hours before baking? Or is that too long?
It should be fine.
Just made this recipe to get into the fall spirit and it is already topping the list of my favorite goodies I have made from Smitten Kitchen (tied for first with the blackberry cheesecake galette). I had a bunch of sweet potatoes and apples that needed to go, so instead of using the pumpkin puree, I roasted the sweet potatoes and apples, smashed them with a fork, and added to the dough. I was nervous the dough looked a bit dry, but it ended up coming out perfect!
Anyone yet try this successfully with sourdough starter? Looking for a proven process. Will wing it if not! Thanks!
I just made these this weekend and they turned out great – what a delicious fall breakfast!
It says 6tbs of butter to be divided but then it doesn’t say how much of the 6tbs to melt in the first step?? I’m going to try it with all 6tbs but the “to be divided” is throwing me off
Can you freeze the unbaked rolls to bake at a later date?
Have you made these using the tang zhong method?
What suggestions do you have for an alternative glaze that isn’t sugary? I could eat them plain but they need something…the sugar in the glaze is a distraction for me. Love your mixing bowls! I have the exact same ones…
I often leave it on the side and then you can add just a smidge if you want.
I saw this in today’s email about unboring pumpkin recipes and they look amazing. However I am lactose intolerant and so many recipes don’t translate well to nondairy. I am wondering whether to even bother trying with oat milk and either nondairy butter or coconut oil. Any thoughts? Thanks!
I did try with non-dairy butter and oatmilk in 2021 and it worked ok. It was a little dense but that might have been the yeast.
I learned some years ago to use non-waxed, non-flavored dental floss to cut my raw rolled up dough into rolls. It’s fast and you won’t flatten/slightly disfigure your rolls by using a knife. I looked for a youtube video which would demonstrate how to use this method so you’d get a visual instruction. And… this method is faster than using a knife!
Sorry, I forgot to include the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhT3W9nj5vY
Can I freeze the rolls before they rise?
Aha. Just saw the answer in the comments. Thanks
One pan of these is rising in the fridge now and I have put the other one in the freezer. I really enjoyed making these. As ever the dough started out as a bit of a puddle and I added a couple of spoonfuls of flour. One of these days I’ll have the courage to just leave the puddle to rise and see what happens but I’ve chickened out every time so far as I can’t bear binning a whole batch of dough. It doubled beautifully in an hour – I use my microwave oven with a pan of just boiled water under the shelf the dough is on; it keeps it warm and damp which the yeast seems to like. I really floured the surface well and found it very easy to roll out and shape although slicing the rolls was a bit of a nightmare. Next time I’ll freeze the roll for a few minutes. I would do about half as much butter again next time as there wasn’t enough to cover the whole of the dough, maybe because browning really reduces the volume of butter?
Can’t wait to see how they turn out. I read somewhere that Martha Stewart puts mashed potatoes in her cinnamon buns to make them tender so root veg in dough is obviously a Thing.
The dough puddle thing is what happens to me with all brioche, not a complaint about this recipe!
I think these are fabulous. The texture of the bun is so soft and tender. I think I probably would reduce the sugar in the dough by a quarter cup next time to get more of a contrast between the dough and the sweet filling, and I also think that I would take the granulated sugar from the filling and sprinkle demerara sugar over the buns instead, just before they went in the oven. But these are all just fairly minor tweaks because they are by far the best buns I have made at home.
These sound so delicious! I only have a hand-mixer (no paddle or dough hook) can these still work? Also any suggestions on how small to cut if I want to make them mini? Thanks so much!!
I mixed everything by hand and they turned out well. Instead of using a dough hook I “kneaded” the dough in the mixing bowl for five minutes and that did the trick. The dough is so sticky that kneading on a countertop didn’t seem possible so I just sort of squished the dough with both hands over and over.
AMAZING! We loved these. I dont think the pumpkin flavor is prominent at all so that made them easy for the picky kid to like. I made them with our own squash and a reduced amount of the drizzle. They had an overnight rest in the fridge and took forever to come to temp (maybe close to 2 hours by the fire) so that’s probably good timing for brunch. I froze one pan so we will see how they are in a few weeks. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this for Christmas breakfast today and it was absolutely perfect. Thank you for this recipe.
OMG!! These are just ridiculous. Gorgeous texture, the bun is not overly sweet. I did use the whole brick of cream cheese, ours are in 250 gram pkgs
I’ve made these about 6 times now. So soft and pillowy. My favorite annual fall recipe. Thanks Deb!
Can this dough be made ahead? If so how do I store it and thaw it? We’ve booked a giant chalet for two families in southern Ohio and I’d love to bring this to make there! So festive. Also, I might like to make mini’s. Anything I should be concerned about? Thanks for all of the culinary wonderfulness. sg
Can this dough be made ahead? If so, how do I best thaw it? Also, I’d like to make small/mini versions for a baby shower dessert. Anything I should watch out for doing that? tia. And thank you for the wonderfulness you bring into all of our lives and meals.
It could be frozen or just chilled in the fridge a day. I think smaller would be fine, would just bake a little faster.
Can these be made ahead and frozen? How would you cook from frozen?
Made these tonight! Super yummy. Not very pumpkin-y tasting, but that’s fine by me as I’m not a huge pumpkin fan. Very good and not overly complicated.
Just made these with some Moranga pumpkins my friend grew. The dough is very sticky after mixing but I found that once I dumped it onto the counter and dusted it with a lot of flour it was very easy to roll out. You end up with the softest, most deliciously spiced dough that it is so worth the challenge!