Cinnamon-Swirl Pumpkin Rolls

blucoat's Note:

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour and is a delicious fall twist on cinnamon buns. And, they are somewhat healthier because they contain some whole wheat flour (and a vegetable!). The dough is very easy to handle and rises up beautifully. These would also be good with a cream cheese icing. Dough requires a total of at least 2 1/2 hour rising time (if you use liquid milk instead of dry, you may require slightly longer rising time). You can make the dough the day before. Just let them rise for about 30 minutes, wrap them up, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them rise a bit more and warm up, unwrap and then bake.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 cinnamo ...

Dough

• 1 cup canned pumpkin or 1 cup canned squash
• 2 large eggs
• 2 -4 tablespoons lukewarm water (adjust according to climate)
• ¼ cup butter , softened
• 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour (or more all-purpose flour) or 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour (or more all-purpose flour)
• ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder (or use milk instead of the water listed above) or ¼ cup Baker's Special Dry Milk (or use milk instead of the water listed above)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

Filling

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup dried cranberries (optional) or ½ cup minced crystallized ginger (optional) or ½ cup raisins (optional) or ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar or 1 cup glazing sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½ tablespoons milk (or enough to make a "drizzlable" glaze)
• chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft, fairly smooth dough.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours, until it's almost doubled in bulk.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Roll it into a 14" x 22" rectangle; the dough will be thin. Mix the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle a thin layer over the dough, leaving one short edge free of filling. Add crystallized ginger or dried fruit (or both), if desired.
4. Starting with the short end that's covered with filling, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into twelve medium rolls (or 9 very large rolls).
5. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan that's at least 2" deep. Set aside, covered, to rise for 1 hour, or until the rolls look puffy.
6. Bake the rolls in a preheated 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes, until they're lightly browned and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and set on a rack. Turn them out of the pan, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the cooling time, make the glaze.
7. To make the glaze: Heat the butter and milk together till the butter melts. Whisk into the sugar. Drizzle the warm rolls with the warm glaze. (For a glaze that stays white and remains on top of the rolls, rather than partially melting in, allow the rolls to cool completely before glazing.) Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Reviews

[CTRmom]

These were so nice on a cool November morning. My family didn't notice the whole wheat flour at all. I used the crystallized ginger for the optional add-in, and made a variation of the filling found here. (I mixed the T of cinnamon with 1 1/2 T softened butter. I added brown sugar, rather than granulated, to this mixture, and then stirred in the remaining pumpkin from my 15 oz. can - about 3/4 c. I just spread this mixture on the dough with a spatula before rolling it up.) Thanks for a yummy breakfast treat!

[msscharr]

Oh, man, these are to die for! I made them for breakfast on a family weekend get-together. The dough was easy to work with, so they came together without much fuss, the overnight method worked beautifully, and the flavor was wonderful -- everyone loved them. I think I'll have to make two pans next time.