Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Dough
- 1 teaspoon – salt
- 380g (3 cups) – bread flour
- 80g (1/3 cup) – granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon – instant yeast
- 120g (1/2 cup) – non-dairy milk, I used soy, lukewarm
- 120g (1/2 cup) – pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 70g (5 tablespoons) – vegan butter, softened
Pumpkin Spice Filling
- 6 tablespoons – vegan butter, softened at room temperature
- 100g (½ cup) – brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons – pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons – all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon – salt
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 120g (½ cup) – vegan cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons – vegan butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons – pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract
- 150g (1 cup) – powdered sugar, sifted
Equipment
- Food scale https://amzn.to/3t2aFhP
- Stand mixer https://amzn.to/3SV66QG
- Measuring spoons
- Rolling pin
- 9x9-inch square baking pan https://amzn.to/3WYPvyv
- Parchment paper
- Serrated knife https://amzn.to/3SOhuh5
- Offset spatula https://amzn.to/3NrYe8k
- Wire cooling rack
Instructions
Making the dough (You can do this the night before):
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine the salt, bread flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, warm non-dairy milk, and pumpkin puree.
- Set your mixer on “stir” or the lowest setting to gently mix all the ingredients together.
- Once a shaggy dough has formed, add in the softened butter, around a tablespoon at a time until the butter has entirely kneaded in. Increase the mixer speed to 2 and continue to knead the dough for another 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with a bowl cover or plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for up to 4 hours or overnight (8-12 hours).
Assembly and baking
- Line a square baking pan (9”x9”) with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, all-purpose flour, and salt. Mix to form a paste. Set aside until ready to use.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press down on the dough with the heel of your hand to de-gas the dough.
- Tug at the edges to form four corners and stretch the dough to shape it into an even, rectangular shape. Dust the top and underside of the dough with more flour and roll it out, dusting with more flour as needed, into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle, about 12 x 15 inches.
- Spread the filling evenly over the surface, leaving about 2 inches at the top edge untouched. This is so that the dough can seal adequately when you roll it up.
- Starting from the long side closest to you, roll up the dough into a tight spiral and let it rest seam-side down on the surface.
- Carefully transfer the rolled dough onto a small baking sheet, and place it in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. This is to help it cut easier!
- When ready, use a serrated/sharp knife to trim off about a ½-inch thick slice from each end to reveal the swirl. Then cut 9 even pieces, and place them on the prepared baking pan.
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the buns rise at room temp until they have expanded at 50%, around 30-40 minutes. See notes.
- While you wait, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on the surface. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes or so before transferring it to a wire cooling rack. Do not add icing until the rolls are slightly warm.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the vegan cream cheese and vegan butter in a mixing bowl, and mix it on high speed with an electric hand mixer. Add in the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.
- Spread onto the cinnamon rolls while they are still slightly warm. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Measure your flour properly. I test my recipes, 100% in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Using the fridge will be your best friend. This is a really soft dough, and working with it at room temperature will make it slightly difficult. So allowing the dough to do the first rise in the fridge will not only make it easier to handle but will also make it easier to cut into pieces.
- Why only 50% for the second rise? These rolls will gain a ton of volume as they bake, so if you let the rolls expand double it’s the size they will actually be over-proofed. If they bake at that size, they’ll just expand way too much for the pan.
- Can I use all-purpose flour? Yes, however, because it has a lower protein content compared to bread flour, it will result in a wetter dough. Simply add a few more tablespoons of flour if this happens.
- Can I make this gluten-free? I have not tried baking gluten-free bread, so I can’t say it’ll work out the same.
- How do I store these vegan pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls? Store any leftover rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be stored frosted or unfrosted. Rewarm in the microwave before serving.
