I played flute in the marching band throughout all of high school. Every Saturday in October, plus another two in November, we arrived to campus before 5 am, groggily climbed onto the five charter buses, and drove to an all-day band review. Those competitions consisted of a parade in the morning, a field show at night, and lots of down time in between.
For the second weekend in October, we always traveled to a high school about an hour south, located pretty close to their downtown area with a mall and empty field nearby. We usually walked to the restaurants at the shopping center for lunch, and on the way back to the buses, we stopped at the field because the city set up a pumpkin patch there.
We wandered up and down the rows, posing with pumpkins for pictures. They were normally fairly small, or at least of a manageable size for carrying, but there were always a few gigantic ones where I couldn’t even wrap my arms around them!
Of course, we never actually bought any. There was some sort of unwritten rule about not bringing pumpkins back on the bus, probably because they’d get squashed by the huge sousaphones and splatter into one humongous mess… But it was still fun to go look around!
When I recently started thinking about those band reviews, the memory resurfaced of a few friends bringing big Cinnabon rolls from the mall to the pumpkin patch one year, and I decided to combine the two flavors to make these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!
Like many typical cinnamon roll recipes, yeast is what makes these so light and fluffy. Have you worked with yeast before? If not, there’s nothing to be afraid of! I promise. It’s just another leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda, all of which create air bubbles to make your baked goods rise.
Yeast makes the best bubbles when you let it sit in warm liquids with a little bit of sugar. This is called proofing, and it’s how the recipe starts. After about 10-15 minutes, it’ll look like a bubble bath took over your bowl. That’s good—it means the yeast is alive and thriving!
Note: Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast is my favorite! I’ve been baking bread since I was 8 years old, and it’s been the fastest to rise and most dependable brand I’ve used.
After mixing in the flour, it’s time to knead, which is just a fancy way of saying, “Fold the dough and push your palm into it over and over again.” Make sure your work surface and hands are completely covered in flour to prevent the dough from sticking to them!
You’re done kneading once the dough is no longer sticky and begins to feel taught. Press your finger into it, and if it starts to spring most of the way back, the dough is ready to rest. To make this recipe simpler, just let it rest for a few minutes while preparing the filling. No need to let it double in size and punch it down again. I’m impatient and don’t want to wait an extra hour for my cinnamon rolls!
After flattening out the dough, spreading the filling on top, and rolling it up, I prefer to cut my cinnamon rolls with dental floss. A knife tends to squash the round log while slicing through it, and you’ll end up with misshapen rolls instead of perfectly round ones. Try to use unflavored floss, but if mint is all you have, that’s fine too. It’s a faint enough taste that you won’t detect it in the pastries.
Then let them rise, let them bake, and {impatiently} let them cool just enough before snatching one from the pan (so you don’t burn yourself on the hot filling!). The cinnamon roll dough is faintly flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon, more of a subtle backdrop that tints them pale orange and helps keep them extra soft and tender. The warm brown sugar and cinnamon filling is what really shines through!
If you have any leftovers, seal them in a plastic bag. When you come back the next day, the filling will have turned slightly sweeter and gooey—it’s absolutely irresistible!
So… Who’s ready for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast?
These cozy fall-flavored cinnamon rolls are a lovely breakfast treat! The recipe makes a lot, but you can easily halve it. Alternatively, store any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up a week. Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for 10-15 seconds each.
- To prepare the dough, combine the milk, butter, salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute after each one, until the butter melts. The mixture should feel warm but not hot (about 110°F). Add the yeast, and let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes or until frothy.
- Stir in the remaining sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, about ½ cup at a time, until it forms a dough and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (generally around 3 cups total). Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for a few minutes, or until the dough mostly springs back when you gently press your index finger into it. Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
- To prepare the filling, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Lightly coat a 9”-round pan and mini loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- On a clean, well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16x10” rectangle. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a ½” border on the two longer edges. Gently pat the cinnamon sugar into the dough with your palms. Carefully roll up into a log from one long edge to the other. Slice into 16 rolls using unscented dental floss (as described [here|https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/06/23/overnight-whole-wheat-blueberry-rolls. Arrange 13 rolls into the 9”-round pan and 3 rolls into the mini loaf pan. Cover the pans with a clean towel, and place in a warm draft-free place for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the rolls have risen, bake them at 350°F for 17-20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the sides feel firm. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes: For the yeast, I used Red Star® Quick Rise Yeast. It performs the best out of any yeast I’ve used, so I highly recommend it!
For a vegan version, substitute Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for the butter and your favorite non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc.) for the nonfat milk.
{vegan, low fat, low calorie}
Your rolls look perfect, Amy. So light and fluffy! I’ve yet to try working with pumpkin flavored yeast bread. One day though. Pinning!
Thanks Jen! 🙂 I hope you do decide to try out pumpkin yeast bread some day. It can be a little bit intimidating (and time-consuming!), but it’s well worth the effort!
So gorgeous!!! Those dark cinnamon swirls embedded in that soft orange bread makes me swoon. 🙂
Thanks Andrea! 🙂
I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls…and have seen THREE recipes today!! This post finalizes it, I must make some!
YES! Cinnamon rolls are always the best. I hope yours make an appearance on your blog too! 🙂
I love reading your little stories like this one, Amy! It’s so funny where we get inspiration for recipes! I love these pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Pinned!
Thank you so much Justine! The stories are even more fun to share than the recipes sometimes. 😉
I just. can’t. get. enough. Keep sending pumpkin recipes my way. Especially if they have that warm cinnamon sugar filling. Drooooool.
Aww thanks Sarah! I wish we could have pumpkin all year round!
Hello 🙂 could i substitute the pumpkin puree for carrot or banana puree?In my country i cant find pumpkin puree cans and fresh pumpkin will be available a lot later this year so id be happy if i could use something else.Great recipe and awesome blog btw :3
Thanks Sissy! I haven’t tried, but I’m sure you could substitute either. You may need to tweak the amount of flour since not all fruit and vegetable purées absorb it equally. I’d love to hear how the cinnamon rolls turn out if you try them!