Homemade cinnamon rolls filled with a fresh pumpkin spiced filling and generously frosted in browned butter cream cheese. The perfect autumnal twist to a much loved breakfast pastry. Freshly baked warm pumpkin spice aromas swirled across the centre of each soft and gooey roll toped with a silky cream cheese frosting that soaks right into the rolls.
These rolls are relatively simple to make. The dough comes together in a stand mixer with less proofing time. Using Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast saves loads of time as you don’t need to activate the yeast in warm water, rather it can be added directly into the the bowl along with the other ingredients ready to be mixed. The dough only proofs for 1 hour before baking which is a total game changer and time saver. The rolls bake perfectly puffed and double in size beautifully during their proof leaving you with thick and tall pastries that are completely soft all the way through.
For that authentic pumpkin filling we used real pumpkin puree and combined it with our go-to homemade pumpkin spice syrup that we just can’t get enough of and find ourselves indulging in the best homemade pumpkin spice lattes with it! The syrup makes plenty so don’t worry you can start enjoying delicious lattes as well 🙂 We also use this syrup to brush our wings and basically anything else we want to give a pumpkin spice flavour to.
Our recipe calls for 2×30 minutes proofs but for the second proof you can absolutely do this overnight if you want to prepare some rolls the day before a nice breakfast. This recipe has been tested a few times with different proof periods and while 30 minutes is plenty and does a wonderful job, we liked them as well with 3 hours but hesitate to do it longer as the filling is not a dry filling so it adds moisture which can disrupt the cooking process and take a bit longer. If this is the approach you’ve chosen we recommend covering the top so that the rolls don’t brown and crisp up too quickly while the bottoms are still needing to be cooked. Bake them uncovered near the end to get them nice and golden.
We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it on Instagram! We love to see what you come up with. #thecommunalfeast
Fluffy pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, packed with a delicious homemade pumpkin spice syrup and pumpkin puree topped with a brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time40 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 8-12
Author: the communal feast
Ingredients
4cupsall-purpose flour
1packet RapidRise Yeast
1tspsalt
1cupmilk
2eggsroom temperature
1/2cupbuttersoftened
1tspmaple syrup
1/2cuppumpkin puree
4TBSpumpkin spice syrup
2TBSpumpkin spice blend
Frosting
3TBSbutter
4ozcream cheesesoftened at room temperature
1tspvanilla extract
2/3cupconfectioner’s sugar
pumpkin spice syrup
1/2cuppumpkin puree
1cupwater
2/3cupbrown sugar
1tspcinnamon
1/2tspall spice
1/2tspnutmeg
1/2tspground clove
1/2tspground ginger
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook combine 3 cups flour, yeast, salt and mix to combine. warm milk with butter in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds or until milk is warm to the touch. The milk shouldn’t be too hot and the butter will not melt completely. Add it to the bowl along with the eggs and maple syrup. Mix until combine. Slowly add the remaining flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed. Continue to mix until the dough begins to form around the hook and comes off the sides. If the dough is too soft or seems wet add a bit more four. If the dough seems dry and has lot of cracks or isn’t sticking together warm a bit more milk or add luke warm water just a little bit at a time until the dough forms. The dough should be sticky but not wet and should fall off the hook when you pull it up.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and kneed with your hands for 2 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover in a warm area. Let rise 30 minutes.
To make the syrup: In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a slow boil. Stir occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the pumpkin puree and spices. Stir until fully incorporated. About 4 minutes taste and adjust the pumpkin spice at this point. Transfer to a glass jar and let cool. In a bowl combine pumpkin puree with the syrup to make the filling.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Form a large rectangle (18×12). Spread the filling mixture evenly across the dough. Sprinkle additional pumpkin spice blend overtop. Roll the dough into a log and seal tight the ends of the log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 rolls or 8 large rolls.
Place rolls in a lightly floured baking dish and cover for 30 minutes to proof.
Bake the rolls at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
To make the frosting: in a bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth and silky. Use room temperature ingredients otherwise it will cause lumps. Spread onto warm rolls when ready.