Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are quite literally heaven on Earth.
If you're a fan of regular sourdough cinnamon rolls, then hold onto your hat, these are going to knock it off!
There is just something about the flavor and texture of the pumpkin puree that takes these sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls to the next level!
The tang of sourdough pairs so well with the sweetness of the pumpkin and the creaminess of the cream cheese icing (or glaze depending on where in the world you live).
These sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are quite easy to make - and oh so perfect for fall or Thanksgiving.
The dough is enriched with both pumpkin puree and butter making it a pleasure to work with. It will be silky and fairly easy to shape.
The enriched dough gives you a spongy, soft and all round delicious cinnamon roll that will have you eating more than one of these scrumptious buns!
Have you tried my Easy Pumpkin Sourdough Bread Recipe yet? It's such a delicious loaf - you'll love it! Or maybe these sourdough pumpkin crackers are more your style?
Want sourdough cinnamon rolls without the pumpkin? Try these easy, fluffy sourdough cinnamon rolls or maybe these carrot cake sourdough muffins are more your style?
How To Make Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Add milk and pumpkin puree into the bowl of your mixer and blend until they are mixed together.
- Add your sourdough starter and gently mix it through the milk and pumpkin.
- Now add the sugar, egg and flour and mix through.
- Leave the mixture to autolyse for around 30 minutes.
- Now add the butter and salt to the mixture. Let your stand mixer knead the dough for around 3 - 6 minutes.
- Mix the dough for another 3 minutes or until it's smooth and slapping the sides of the bowl.
- Once you're happy with the dough and it's silky smooth, place it into a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Leave your dough to bulk ferment.
- Before the dough has finished rising, mix together the filling for your cinnamon rolls so that it's ready to use when your dough has risen.
- Before you start to shape the rolls, take a cake tin and line it with parchment or baking paper.
- Once the dough has finished the bulk ferment lightly flour your counter and gently ease it out of the bowl.
- Gently ease your dough out into a rectangle using your fingertips.
- Take your filling that you mixed up and spread it all over the dough rectangle, leaving a small margin on one side to close the rolls up.
- Once the filling has been spread, roll the dough into a tight log, finishing with the seam underneath the log.
- Once the log is rolled use dental floss to cut them (trust me it works).
- Place the pumpkin cinnamon rolls into the tin, with the seams facing inwards so they don't pop open in the oven.
- Now your cinnamon rolls are shaped, you need to let them rise again and fill out the tin. This will take a few hours (but may take more or less depending on your starter and the temperature of your home).
- Once the cinnamon rolls have puffed up you need to bake them. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and place the tin in the middle of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are cool you can ice them.
- Add the icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla to your stand mixer and whip until it's thick and glossy.
- Use a spatula or knife to spread the icing onto your sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
A Note on Pumpkin Puree
I have chosen to use a homemade pumpkin puree. We grow pumpkins so I need to use them up ... plus there is no option to buy canned pumpkin puree where I live.
If you are able to purchase it though, canned pumpkin will work just fine. And is a much more convenient option to making your own.
It also tends to be solid rather than liquid so is a great option.
If you are going to make your own pumpkin puree, try not to puree it too much so that it becomes too liquefied.
Cook it down, drain off excess liquid and mash it as much as you can. Then, let it cool before placing into the fridge. Blot it with paper towel if you need to take off excess liquid.
If you cover it when it's hot, it will produce condensation which will add to the liquidity of your puree.
If you have some extra pumpkin puree to use up, why not try these pumpkin sourdough muffins.
Selecting A Tin for Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I like to bake these in a square tin, but you can use whatever you have on hand. A round, springform tin is a good option too.
My Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls do come out a little square, but honestly they still taste amazing so it's really a small detail!
I line my tin with baking paper so that when the rolls are done I can easily lift them out and break them up into individual rolls.
Lining your tin with baking or parchment paper is important so that the sugar in the filling of the rolls doesn't stick to the tin.
Make Ahead
You can make these sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls the day before you want to eat them.
Prepare the recipe, let the dough bulk ferment, shape them and place them into your desired tin. Then cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to bake them, pre heat your oven. Place the cinnamon rolls on the counter to come to room temp.
Once they are starting to grow, place them into the oven and bake as normal.
Freezing Options
You can also freeze these - the icing is fine to freeze too.
I prepare them as if we are going to eat them straight away and then place the whole thing into a large plastic container and then straight into the freezer.
They will last up to 3 months like this and are the perfect thing to whip out for unexpected visitors!
Just take the lid off the container and let them defrost at room temp. Don't try to heat them or the icing will melt!
Further Reading
If you love this recipe for sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, why not try these ideas:
- Sweet and delicious pumpkin sourdough muffins
Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For The Dough
- 100 g Sourdough Starter fed and bubbly
- 100 g Milk
- 100 g Pumpkin Puree canned or homemade
- 30 g Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 60 g Butter
- 375 g Bread Flour you can sub All Purpose
- 7 g Salt
For The Filling
- 40 g Butter
- 60 g Brown Sugar
- 7 g Cinnamon Ground
For The Icing
- 70 g Cream Cheese use a block, not spreadable cream cheese
- 20 g Butter
- 150 g Powdered Sugar icing sugar
- 5 g Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Premix & Autolyse:Add milk and pumpkin puree into the bowl of your mixer and blend until they are mixed together (it doesn't have to be smooth, just combined).
- Add your sourdough starter and gently mix it through the milk and pumpkin.
- Now add the sugar, egg and flour and mix through for around 1 minute or until a shaggy dough forms.If you are using a Thermomix, use the dough function for around 30 seconds.Leave the mixture to autolyse for around 30 minutes.
- Kneading The Dough:Now add the butter and salt to the mixture. Let your stand mixer knead the dough for around 3 - 6 minutes. The dough should start to become smooth and silky. Once it's become quite smooth, let the dough rest for around 30 minutes.If you are using a Thermomix, use the dough function for 3 minutes.
- Mix the dough for another 3 minutes or until it's smooth and slapping the sides of the bowl.If you are using a Thermomix, use the dough function for 3 minutes.Once you're happy with the dough and it's silky smooth, place it into a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Bulk Ferment:Leave your dough to bulk ferment - it needs to double before you move onto the next stage. The time it takes to bulk ferment will depend on your starter, as well as the temperature in your home. If you want to leave the dough overnight, I would reduce the starter to 50g.
- Before the dough has finished rising, mix together the filling for your cinnamon rolls so that it's ready to use when your dough has risen. You can mix the ingredients with a fork or in a stand mixer, it's up to you. I find it easy to mash together with a fork (less washing up). Mix the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together to form a paste. Set aside until your dough is ready to shape.
- Shaping The Rolls:Before you start to shape the rolls, take a cake tin and line it with parchment or baking paper. You want to have this ready to go as it will make things easier once the rolls are shaped. You can scrunch up the parchment paper to make it fit into the tin. I use a square tin but you can use round if you'd prefer.
- Once the dough has finished the bulk ferment lightly flour your counter and gently ease it out of the bowl. Try to get the smooth side of the dough onto the counter and the sticky side facing up. Gently ease your dough out into a rectangle using your fingertips. You can use a rolling pin if you want to, but your hands are fine too. Pop any large bubbles that have formed and gently de-gas the dough as you go.You can see I had a little helper for this batch
- Take your filling that you mixed up and spread it all over the dough rectangle, leaving a small margin on one side to close the rolls up.
- Once the filling has been spread, roll the dough into a tight log, finishing with the seam underneath the log. Try to get it as tight and even as you can to give you nicely coiled rolls. Try to work quickly as the butter in this dough means that it has the tendency to "melt" under the heat of your hands.
- Once the log is rolled, cut it in half and then into halves again. Cut each small log into 3 rolls. You should end up with 16 rolls (give or take a few). You can cut the rolls with a sharp knife, or if you want an exact finish, use dental floss to cut them (trust me it works).Place the pumpkin cinnamon rolls into the tin, with the seams facing inwards so they don't pop open in the oven.If you are wanting to pause the process so you can bake them tomorrow - here is where you would wrap the tin in plastic wrap and place them into the fridge.
- Second Rise:Now your cinnamon rolls are shaped, you need to let them rise again and fill out the tin. This will take a few hours (but may take more or less depending on your starter and the temperature of your home).
- Baking Time:Once the cinnamon rolls have puffed up you need to bake them. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and place the tin in the middle of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes - keep a close eye on them as the sugar can catch very quickly. Cool your cinnamon rolls in the tin for around 30 minutes and then place onto a rack to cool.
- Icing The Rolls:Once the cinnamon rolls are cool you can ice them.Add the icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla to your stand mixer and whip until it's thick and glossy. Use a spatula or knife to spread the icing onto your sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls. How thick you make the icing is up to you - I like it thick - but you can just add a thin layer if you'd prefer.The cinnamon rolls are best eaten or frozen within 24 hours of baking ... if they even last that long!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I've made this about five times now and they are delicious, and much easier on my digestion than yeasted rolls. Do you have a suggestion for what dimensions to roll the dough to before spreading the filling on? I just kind of guess each time, and they come out tasty but always a different size haha.