RECIPE: PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

Ingredients:

Yeast Mixture

• 4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 Cup very warm water
(but not too hot to touch)

Dough

• 1 Cup almond milk
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2/3 Cup butter
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Egg
• Yeast Mixture, from above
• 6 Cups All Purpose Flour + more for kneading

Pecan Cinnamon Streusel Filling

• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Pan Sauce

• 1/2 Cup butter, melted
• 1/3 Cup Sugar

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 1 cup pumpkin, canned
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 Cup butter spread
• 2/3 Cup cream cheese
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

*All dairy and egg can be substituted with vegan alternatives

Directions:

1. Combine the almond milk, sugar, butter, salt and egg in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium until all ingredients are combined, mixing well as you go. Turn off the heat on the saucepan and allow this mixture to cool so it is not too hot to touch.

2. Meanwhile, mix together yeast ingredients and set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy and bubbly.

3. Grab 4 cups of the flour and place in a very large bowl. When the saucepan mixture has cooled off; add in the proofed yeast and mix. Add this mixture to the flour and stir with a large wooden spoon. The mixture will be very wet. Stir for about 15-20 seconds or so.

4. Add in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Mix with a spoon for about 10 seconds and then place spoon aside and use your hands to roughly knead the dough for another 10 seconds or so. Now place the dough (and flour) onto a floured counter.

5. Knead the dough, starting off quite slow as the mixture will look very dry and rough. This is normal so do not worry! Knead the dough for 8 minutes until it is no longer sticky to the touch. Only add more flour if the dough starts to stick to the counter as you are kneading.

6. After 8 minutes of kneading, shape into a ball and place into a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven with the light on and let it rise for 90 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, combine the cinnamon pecan mixture. Once the dough has about 10 minutes remaining on the 90 minutes, prepare the pumpkin pie filling. In a small bowl, mix together the arrowroot powder and almond milk until no clumps remain. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the pumpkin and the arrowroot + milk mixture. Now add in the vanilla, sugar, and stir well. Finally stir in the spices. Heat over low and stir frequently until mixture thickens. Be careful not to burn as it burns easily. It takes about 5-8 minutes to thicken up. You want to use this mixture within about 5-10 minutes of preparing it so it spreads on a bit easier.

8. After 90 minutes of rising, poke the dough to make sure that it is ready. If you poke the dough and it does NOT spring back up, it is ready to roll! Now grab a rolling pin or simply use your hands to spread out the dough into a large16 inch by 20 inch rectangle (approximate measure only). Go very slow so you do not rip the dough.

9. Once you have your rectangle shaped, spread on 1/2 cup slightly softened butter with a pastry brush. Take the pumpkin pie filling and spread it onto the butter. Sprinkle on the pecan cinnamon sugar topping.

10. Grab the end of the dough (short side of rectangle), and roll all of the dough, being careful to try and keep the sides as straight as you can. Let it rest on the seam once it’s rolled up completely.

11. Once the dough is rolled up, grab some floss about 1 foot long and cut the rolls taking the piece of floss and placing it underneath the dough and then bringing it up and crossing it to cut the roll. Let go of floss and gently pull away and repeat about 15 times.

12. Pan Sauce: Mix butter and sugar mixture together and pour into a large casserole dish or deep dish cake pans. You may need 2 pans. Grab your cut rolls and place into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, place into the oven with the light on, and allow it to rise for 45 more minutes.

Note: You can make these the day beforehand if you want to make them for breakfast. Simply cover the casserole dish and let them rise in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until the casserole dish is no longer cold. After that, you simply bake and serve.

13. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and cream cheese with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add in the vanilla to help along the process. Now slowly add in the icing sugar, stirring frequently until mixed. You want to keep mixing it until no clumps remain.

Note: You may add milk if you want the frosting a bit thinner for drizzling.

14. After the second rise, remove the buns from the oven and preheat to 350F.

15. After preheating the oven, remove plastic wrap and place casserole dish into the oven. Bake rolls for 25-27 minutes at 350F until golden in colour. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

16. Frost your rolls any way you like! You may have to thin out the frosting a bit with almond milk depending on how you want to use the frosting.