Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - Kay Bragg

recipe by Jessica Crapo

Dough:
¼ c. Warm Water
2 ½ t. Yeast
1 t. Sugar
½ c. Milk
2 Eggs
1 c. Canned Pumpkin Puree
1/3 c. butter, melted
½ c. Sugar
½ t. Nutmeg
¼ t. Cloves
1 t. Salt
5-6 c. Flour

Filling:
2/3 c. Canned Pumpkin Puree
½ c. Butter, room temperature
1 c. Packed Brown Sugar
2 T. Cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
3 T. Butter, room temperature
½ t. Vanilla
2-2 ½ c. powdered sugar

Directions:
1.Combine warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar in small bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until froth bubbles.
2. In mixer fitted with bread dough hook, combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, and half cup sugar, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Mix until smooth.
3. Add 4 cups of flour to mixing bowl. Pour frothed yeast mixture on top of flour. Knead about five minutes, adding the rest of the flour half cup at a time. Dough should be smooth and moist but not sticky.
4. Spray bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl. Cover with wet towel or plastic wrap that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to rise until doubled, about one hour.
5. While dough is rising, prepare filling. Place room temperature butter and pumpkin puree in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. In another small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16x21 inches, dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough.
7. Roll up long side of dough, forming a long tube. Cut tube with sharp knife about every two inches making 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
9. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla to make frosting. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. Optional: Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top as garnish.

I don’t make the dough by hand. I just put all the dough ingredients in my bread maker and set it on the dough cycle. Then I start with step 5. I also end up with more then 12 rolls so I usually put about 8 in a 9x13 and 6 in a smaller baking pan. I sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and a tiny bit of nutmeg instead of only nutmeg. They end up HUGE and SO good.