cinna-yum!

Yummy Cinnamon Roll...

I find Cinnamon Rolls to be very comforting.   Before I had a child, I tended to make them often.  I would make a batch of my mom's honey-whole-wheat bread dough, roll it out, brush on melted butter, sprinkle on cinnamon, sugar, raisins and walnuts, roll it up, slice it, and bake it.  

Yummy.  

Nowadays, I am somewhat limited to what I can bake/cook/sew/etc during naptime.  Which doesn't leave much time for working with yeast.  But I tried an experiment with this Cinnamon Roll recipe, and it turned out great.  I started the dough after Elliott went to bed and let it rise all night.  I started the rolls early enough that I thought I would let the dough finish its first rise while the Hubs and I watched a movie, and then quickly get the rolls ready so they could do their second rise overnight while I was sleeping.  Unfortunately when I checked the dough after our movie (which sadly was terrible, otherwise I'd tell you about it), it had not risen much (suggestions on this below).  So I just let it finish doing its thing overnight and finished the project in the morning.  It turned out great this way, but did make for a late breakfast.  Fine for the adults, less fine for the toddler.  Although in the end, he ate almost 2 rolls, which was twice what I managed.

Oh, did I mention these are Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls?  Perfect for this time of year.  I plan to make these (or another version) again, because it really is pretty easy to prepare the night before (especially if you do a better job proofing your yeast than I did), and then just pop in the oven when you wake up.  Yum!

Here we go:

First gather all your ingredients:

Then proof your yeast in a bowl (note, the original recipe does not have you add any sugar.  Next time, I would add a spoonful of your brown sugar to the yeast at this point):

Add your milk, eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and butter and beat that baby up!

Then slowly add the flour

Once the flour is incorporated, change to a dough hook, and "knead" on speed 2 for about 7-8 minutes (alternately you can knead by hand until you have a smooth elastic dough)

  

Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray, add dough, and let rise until doubled (could be overnight in a cool house or your fridge)

Then punch down your dough and roll it out into a big square or rectangle

Pour on melted butter (original recipe calls for a lot of butter, next time I'll use half the amount!), and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  You could add nuts or raisins here if you wish.

Then roll up your dough into a long log

I use a bread knife (any cerated knife will work, or you can use floss or thread) to cut my rolls and add them to a greased 9x13 inch pan

Let those rise for a bit (this would be the ideal time to throw them in your fridge for a nice, slow overnight rise).  After they're bigger, toss them in the oven, and make your frosting.

Remove rolls from oven (try not to eat them now!)

Frost, or not, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

from Good Life Eats

Ingredients:

Roll Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups (approximately--I used more) All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour  (I've used regular whole wheat flour in the past.  It's OK!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom  (I left this out)

Filling:
1 stick butter  (next time I'll use half a stick.  I got butter everywhere!)
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting:  
(I would also recommend making half a batch, unless you need frosting for something else)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften  (Add a spoonful of sugar! See above). Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add remaining flour (all purpose), a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary. Use the dough hook on your Stand Mixer and knead at level 2 for 7-8 minutes.  Alternately you can turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.  You may need to add more flour (I added an additional cup).

Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (This ended up taking overnight for me).

Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle (or whatever you can manage--don't sweat it!). Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.

Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices.  I like to use a cerated knife, other people used string to great effect. Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes.

While rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice.  I used my Stand mixer, but you could also use your blender, food processor, or electric mixer. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. (I used 2 cups powdered sugar)

Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting and serve immediately.