Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've had these rolls in the freezer for a month now. My original plan was to serve them for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day, but unexpected guests depleted my freezer stash this morning. The good news is the rolls disappeared quickly, and that always is a sure sign that a recipe is good enough to share with you. The recipe was developed by Diane Rattray, a Southern cooking expert at about.com. I've worked with her recipes before, so I knew the rolls would be great. The recipe looks long and a bit complicated, but it is neither. The ingredient list contains a lot of common seasonal spices and several types of sugar that I suspect you already have in your pantry, and I'm happy to report the directions that come with the recipe, include instructions for making the rolls by hand, with a dough hook or in a bread machine. Unbaked rolls can be frozen for up to a month and those that are baked can also be frozen for that length of time if they are not frosted. I love to serve these warm and dripping with the cream cheese glaze, but there is no reason they can't be served at room temperature. If you are looking for a seasonal breakfast roll, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how the buns are made.


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Diane Rattray

Ingredients:
Dough
1/3 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
5 tablespoons butter, softened, salted or unsalted
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Icing/Glaze
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons softened butter
2 to 5 tablespoons milk or light cream, or enough for desired consistency for drizzling or spreading

Directions:
1) In a mixing bowl, bread machine, or bowl of electric stand mixer, combine milk and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Add pumpkin, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, cardamom or nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Add egg, flour, and yeast. With dough hook or by hand, mix to form a dough, or set bread machine on dough cycle. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes.
2) Butter a large bowl. Put dough in  bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in volume.
3) On a floured board, roll dough out into a rectangle about 10 X 15-inches in size.
4) Spread 5 tablespoons of softened butter over dough to within about 1/4 inch of one of the long edges (so it will seal when you roll it).
5) Combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Blend thoroughly. Spread mixture over butter layer. Dab a water-moistened finger along bare long edge. Roll up tightly from other long edge and seal, pinching the seam lightly.
6) Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put in freezer for about 30 minutes to firm roll for cutting.
7) Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
8) Cut roll into 1 to 1-1/2-inch slices. Arrange in prepared baking pan. At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes, or cover tightly and freeze for up to 1 month.
9) If starting with frozen rolls, take them out of the freezer about 1 hour before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned and puffy.
10) Remove and let them cool slightly while you prepare icing.
11) Combine softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of softened butter, and a tablespoon of milk. Beat with an electric mixer, adding more milk or cream until icing is a good consistency for spreading or drizzling. If rolls are still quite warm, it will thin and run down the sides as you spread. If not that warm, you might want to drizzle. Yield: 1 dozen rolls.

                    

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