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–+ servings

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

"Out of this world delicious with the nuts and the amazing frosting!"
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Breakfast
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 11 hours
Total Time: 11 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 16 rolls

Ingredients

  • DOUGH INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/2 cup warm water baby bottle temperature
  • 1 cup active bubbly sourdough starter
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2.5 Tablespoons coconut oil melted
  • 1, 15 oz. can of pureed pumpkin
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour or bread flour give or take 1/2 cup
  • chopped pecans 3/4 cup for filling (noted below) and 3/4 cup for topping
  • FILLING INGREDIENTS:
  • 5 tablespoons room temperature butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
  • 3/4 cup of butter that will be turned into brown butter
  • 4 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk if needed to thin frosting

Instructions

DIRECTIONS:

  • Combine water, activated sourdough starter, pureed pumpkin, pure maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, coconut oil, and the egg. Mix gently. 
  • Add flour, cup by cup mixing in between each addition. You have enough flour when 1- the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2- the dough becomes tacky but not overly sticky in texture. Use the touch test (below) to determine if the dough has the right amount of flour. If it doesn’t have enough, add a little flour and knead. If it has too much flour, add a teaspoon of oil and knead. Do not add too much flour!
    Touch test: after kneading the dough, touch it with 3 fingers. If a lot of dough sticks to your fingers, it needs more flour. If hardly any sticks to your fingers it’s just right. If it is dry and crumbly with pockets of visible flour, it has too much flour. Kneading the dough for a few extra minutes can help hydrate any excess flour. or for dough that has accidentally become extremely dry, adding even a teaspoon of oil, then kneading will help. 
  • Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or with a bowl lid or with plastic wrap. Let rise until it has doubled in size (about 4-6 hours, depending on the ambient temp in your home and the strength of your starter).
  • Meanwhile, make your browned butter by combining all of the butter (both the amount for the filling and the frosting) 
  • Punch down dough and dump onto a clean, floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. (make sure there is a little flour under the dough so it doesn't stick too much!) Spread 5 tablespoons of the butter evenly onto the dough. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar, then cinnamon, then pumpkin pie filling, then the chopped pecans.
  • Roll into a tight, long snake. Using a sharp knife or cinnamon flavored dental floss, cut the snake into 16 equal portions (discarding the very ends). Set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap, a lid, or a clean dish towel. 
  • Prepare the browned butter for the frosting and set aside to let cool. (instructions above)
  • Allow the rolls to rise again until doubled in size. 
  • When doubled, preheat oven to 350° F
  • Bake for about 18 minutes, give or take a couple minutes. 
  • While it's in the oven, prepare your frosting by combining the wet ingredients and whipping with a hand held mixer. Then combine the powdered sugar and whip again for a couple of minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add a little milk if needed to thin the frosting slightly.
  • Remove rolls from oven. Spread the frosting over the top of the rolls. 
  • If you will be serving the rolls immediately, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of the rolls.
  • Serve and enjoy! 

Notes

FAQs

Q: Can I freeze the dough?A: I do not recommend freezing the pre-baked sourdough of any kind. In my experience, it has mostly negative, inconsistent results. But, you can freeze the completed rolls! Just remember to set the pecans aside for the topping as they tend to get soggy over time. 

Q: Can I refrigerate the dough overnight?A: YES! You can refrigerate at one of two points. 1- right after the dough has been made but before the first bulk rise, or 2- right after the dough rolls have been formed. (not both)

If refrigerating right after the dough has been made, it can be refrigerated for any length of time between 1 hour and 48 hours. If the dough spends at least 6 hours in the fridge, you can skip the first bulk rise, and go straight to forming the cold dough into rolls when pulled out of the fridge. 
If refrigerating the dough after the rolls have been formed on the baking sheet, then cover them with plastic wrap or with a lid, and refrigerate for 4-48 hours. You can pull them out of the fridge, let them come to room temp, then rise until doubled in size, then bake them. 

Q: What size baking pans do you recommend?A: You will need one half sheet jelly roll pan that measures 18 x 13 inches. 

Q: Can this recipe be halved?A: You can absolutely half this recipe! If halving, I would recommend baking in a 9x13 inch pan instead of a 18x13 inch jelly roll pan. Also, if halving, you can just skip the egg entirely. Conversely, this recipe could also be doubled. 

Q: Can I make these without pumpkin?A: Yes! You can make cinnamon rolls without pumpkin! Click here to see my sourdough cinnamon roll recipe. That recipe does not include my browned butter cream cheese buttercream frosting or the pecans, so you would have to adapt those on your own. There is even an orange roll adaptation to the side as well. If you want non sourdough, non pumpkin rolls, click here to see my *viral* recipe for quick and heavenly Cinnamon Rolls. 

Q: Is it absolutely necessary to spray the baking pans with non-stick spray?A: I actually prefer lining my baking sheets with parchment paper! Click here to see the parchment paper that I use. It is unbleached and pre-cut for easy use. I use them every single time I bake. You can use non stick spray though! 

Q: Do these need to be refrigerated?A: Since they have cream cheese frosting on them, it's probably wise to refrigerate anything not eaten within a few hours of the oven. (Although... to be totally honest we rarely refrigerate any leftover frosted rolls at my house). Remember though: those pecans on top can get soggy so only add those right before serving!