Think of your favorite food. Think of its lovely, soft yeast dough, its sweetly spiced and warm filling, its slowly melting icing making your fingers avoidably sticky.
I only assume your favorite food is cinnamon buns. To be honest, I don’t really care if they’re not your favorite food. Because if they aren’t, they should be. And since fall is approaching and pumpkin is going to be making its way into just about everything, I figured we’d get a head start and slip a little pumpkin goodness into the little pastries. 
Now that we’re all on the same page, I guess we can go ahead and agree that a hot cup of coffee is the go-to beverage with these morning buns. It’s the classic warm-your-soul pairing. But I can’t help but think there might be another kind of brew that could also be a winner–one that is just so obvious, it has been hiding in plain sight: pumpkin cinnamon buns and pumpkin beer, in this case, our home-brewed version.
At first it seemed too obvious, like taking the fast lane to pumpkin overload. But after thinking about the two: the combination of yeast and sugar and cinnamon and spices, bubbling and warming from within–aspects that could be used to describe each of the two, it just needed to be given a chance. Let’s just say the pumpkin won.
What’s nice about both of these pumpkin-laced items is that the pumpkin is subtle. In a sea of pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin everything, subtlety is appreciated. There’s just enough in each to remind us of the change in season while keeping the integrity of the other wonderful ingredients that are used.
Perhaps you aren’t quite ready to consume a beer with your morning paper. To each their own. Whatever you choose to wash these rolls down with, you’ll be happily reminded autumn is well on its way.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 10 buns 1x
Description
These Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns are a delightful autumn twist on the classic, featuring a subtly spiced pumpkin filling and a sweet icing drizzle.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (237g) water
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp (29g) butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups (348g) bread flour
- 1/4 cup (48g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) salt
- 1 Tbsp (18g) active dry yeast
- 2 Tbsp (29g) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment, combine water, egg, softened butter, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix on low for 1 minute until dough forms, then increase speed to knead for an additional 7-8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a well-greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to form the filling.
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 12×18 inches.
- Spread the pumpkin filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the seam to seal.
- Cut the log into 10 equal pieces and place them in a greased baking dish, cut side up.
- Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the buns are baking, prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Once the buns are done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly before drizzling with icing.
Notes
For a stronger pumpkin flavor, increase the pumpkin puree slightly. These buns pair wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or a pumpkin ale. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 310
- Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 35
Perfect Ten