Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

My soft and fluffy sourdough pumpkin milk bread dough gets rolled up with a brown butter cinnamon sugar filling and baked until golden, then topped with brown butter cream cheese icing. Basically, the kind of cinnamon rolls I want for every fall breakfast.

Servings : rolls

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Prep Time : 8

Cook Time : 25

Total Time : 8 25

Equipment

Kitchen scale
Thermometer
Stand Mixer
Saucepan
Spatulas
Bowl scraper
Square baking pan (10”)
Silicone mat
Vinyl gloves

Ingredients

Pumpkin sourdough starter

10 grams active sourdough starter
50 grams pumpkin puree
5 grams brown sugar
50 grams all-purpose flour 11.7% protein

Bread dough

50 grams half & half
55 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
57 grams unsalted butter sliced into thin pats
175 grams pumpkin puree
280 grams all-purpose flour 11.7% protein
6 grams kosher salt
All of the pumpkin starter
Neutral oil for dough handling

Filling

40 grams brown butter
125 grams brown sugar
A large pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Brown butter cream cheese icing

45 grams brown butter
113 grams cream cheese room temp
40 grams powdered sugar
A splash of pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Make pumpkin starter (night before) - Mix all the ingredients for your pumpkin starter together before bedtime and it should be ready for you in the morning. This starter is stiffer than a typical 100% hydration starter but should still more than double in size, with bubbles distributed evenly throughout.
10 grams active sourdough starter, 50 grams pumpkin puree, 5 grams brown sugar, 50 grams all-purpose flour
Prepare the liquid (8 am) - Heat the half & half with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the milk is simmering and the sugar has fully dissolved. Turn off the heat, add the sliced butter to the hot milk mixture, and stir until completely melted. Add to a stand mixer bowl and stir in the pumpkin puree. It should be cool enough to start the autolyse; otherwise, let it cool further.
50 grams half & half, 55 grams brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 57 grams unsalted butter, 175 grams pumpkin puree
“Autolyse” (8:15 am) - Make sure your liquid mixture is between 80 - 90°F (27 - 32°C), whisk together flour and salt in a separate bowl and add to the cooled liquid mixture. Use a spatula to mix until all the liquid is absorbed. Cover and let rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
280 grams all-purpose flour, 6 grams kosher salt
Knead the dough (8:35 am) - Add all of the pumpkin starter to the “autolysed” dough. Knead with the dough hook on speed 2 for 20 minutes. This dough will be tacky and slack but should mostly pull away from the sides of the bowl. DO NOT add more flour.
All of the pumpkin starter
Continue bulk fermentation (9 am) - Oil your hands, a bowl scraper, and your clean countertop. Scrape the dough out and shape it into a ball on the oiled surface. Lightly oil the mixing bowl, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot. You will perform 2 - 3 sets of stretch and fold at 45-minute intervals. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
Neutral oil for dough handling
Stretch and fold #1 (9:45 am) - With oiled hands, lift the dough from the center. It will stretch as you lift it up and out of the bowl. If it’s too sticky, use your bowl scraper to help release it. Stretch the dough into a long strip and fold in thirds like you’re folding a letter. Turn it 90 degrees, stretch it out into a long strip again and fold in thirds. Place it seam-side down back into the mixing bowl, cover, and set the timer for another 45 minutes.
Stretch and fold #2 (10:30 am) - Repeat the same process. At minimum, complete 2 sets if short on time.
Stretch and fold #3 (11:15 am) - Repeat one final set. The dough should feel stronger and more elastic. It should also have risen and felt puffy. Cover and let it finish bulk fermentation at room temp for another 45 minutes.
Brown the butter - While the dough is finishing bulk fermentation, heat 113 grams of unsalted butter (1 stick) in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking once the butter has melted, the butter will become foamy, you don’t have to whisk yet. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter starts to brown, watch the color carefully, when the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty, turn off the heat. Set it aside to settle.
Divide the brown butter - Pour 45 grams of brown butter into a small mixing bowl, leaving the browned milk solids in the pan. Set the mixing bowl aside to let the butter cool. You will use this to make the brown butter cream cheese icing later.
45 grams brown butter
Grease the baking pan - Use some of the brown butter left in the saucepan to grease your baking pan.
Make the filling - To the pan with the remaining brown butter and browned milk solids, add 125 grams of brown sugar, a large pinch of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Mix to combine.
40 grams brown butter, 125 grams brown sugar, A large pinch of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Form the cinnamon rolls (12 pm) - Using your bowl scraper, scrape the dough onto a clean work surface and roll it out into an 11” × 16” rectangle. I like using my silicone baking mat here on top of my work surface to prevent sticking; it’s also about the size of the rectangle I need for the dough. Spread the brown butter cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the dough, leaving about 1” of clean dough along one long edge. Roll the dough up tightly and cut into 9 rolls.
Proof (12:15 pm) - Place the rolls in the buttered baking pan, cover and proof in a warm spot for about 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is very puffy and soft; a gentle press leaves an indentation that slowly springs back (but not immediately).
Preheat the oven (1:45 pm) - Toward the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) for at least 30 minutes.
Bake (2:15 pm) - Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the internal temperature should reach about 200°F.
Make the icing - While the rolls are baking, whisk together the brown butter set aside earlier with 113 grams of room-temp cream cheese, 40 grams of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla extract, until smooth.
113 grams cream cheese, 40 grams powdered sugar, A splash of pure vanilla extract, 45 grams brown butter
Frost and serve - When the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and separate them with a paring knife. Spread the brown butter cream cheese icing over the still-warm rolls with a spatula, letting the icing melt into the layers. Let the rolls cool slightly, but they’re best served warm!

Notes

This dough is less enriched so it rises faster, take care not to overproof it.
Rising time and proofing time are highly dependent on temperature. So make sure you watch your dough and not the clock, use my timeline as a general gauge but pay attention to visual cues to ensure you don’t under or over proof your bread.
I prefer using oil to prevent dough from sticking to my hand instead of extra flour to avoid adding too much flour to the dough risking drier rolls.
If you have to use extra flour during rolling, use very sparingly.
The timeline is a suggestion, feel free to modify it to fit your schedule. You can also cold ferment this dough overnight, shape and bake the next day to split the process into 2 days and have fresh pumpkin cinnamon rolls for brunch.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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