Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls are soft and perfectly sweet. They pair well with a hot fall beverage or to bring along for a holiday brunch.

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Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls FAQ

How long do my pumpkin cinnamon rolls need to rise?

The day before I would like fresh baked pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, I will start my dough so that it will ferment overnight. The next day I assemble my rolls and allow them to rise for an hour or two in a warm spot in my kitchen. This helps the gluten develop for those nice, fluffy rolls while having the benefits of fermentation from the overnight ferment.

Can I refrigerate the dough?

The wonderful thing about sourdough baking is the flexibility in the baking schedule. If at any point I need to pause the baking process, I will stick the cinnamon roll dough in the refrigerator.

How can I tell if the pumpkin cinnamon rolls are done?

You can tell that the pumpkin cinnamon rolls are done when they look slightly golden brown on the top and have risen a bit. If they still all look on the flatter side and a bit moist, they probably need a few more minutes of baking time.

Can I use sourdough discard for this recipe or does the starter have to be active?

Sourdough discard will work just fine for this recipe.

How long do pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls keep?

Pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls taste most fresh on the day of baking. The next day they are still moist and delicious being slightly reheated. They keep 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Up to a week in the refrigerator.

Do pumpkin cinnamon rolls freeze?

Pumpkin cinnamon rolls freeze wonderfully. You can freeze the unbaked cinnamon rolls to bake later straight from the freezer, or you can freeze them fully baked. Both options work well with this recipe.

Tips

Preventing dry tops: I like to cover my pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls with a damp tea towel at the rising stage before baking. This will prevent the tops from drying out and maintain the softness we are looking for.

Sift your powdered sugar for a smooth frosting.

Rolling out the dough: If you need all grains to be well fermented or gluten free in baked goods, I suggest using a gluten free flour to dust the surface when rolling out the fermented pumpkin sourdough cinnamon roll dough.

Pausing the process: If you need to pause the process of baking for whatever reason, place the unbaked dough or rolls in the refrigerator and resume when able.

Tools you will need

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5 quart mixing bowl (I glass or stainless when working with sourdough)

Stand mixer (this is nice but not necessary)

Dough whisk (or paddle attachment for the stand mixer)

Bowl scraper

Bench scraper

Silicone baking mat or parchment paper

9 x 13 baking dish or large cast iron pan

Pastry brush

Unflavored floss (or a very sharp knife to give you a clean slice)

Sifter

Tea towels, plastic wrap or beeswax wrap

Spatula

Measuring cups and measuring spoons

Kitchen scale

Water Filtration (I always use filtered water in my sourdough starter. This one is our favorite. Use code NOURISHED10 for 10% off!)

Ingredients

• 220g sourdough starter (1 cup- active starter or discard)
• 220g butter (1 cup at room temperature)
• 435g bread flour (about 3 cups)
• 73g all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
• 50g maple syrup (1/4 cup)
• 4 large eggs
• 10g salt
• 120g pumpkin puree (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/3 cup maple sugar (can sub granulated or turbinado)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Brown Butter Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 4 tablespoons melted browned butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Egg Wash

• 1 egg (any size)

Alternative Toppings

If you would like a less rich topping option, pumpkin cinnamon sourdough rolls would be delicious with a simple glaze such as the one on these Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls.

A dash of nutmeg across the top would also be a nice garnish.

These rolls are wonderfully soft and moist on their own without additional toppings if you would like to leave off glazes and frostings.

Optional Add-ins

Adding raisins or chocolate chips could be good add-ins to pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls.

Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Baking Schedule

The day before:

The day before baking pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, feed your sourdough starter in the morning. The time it takes for your starter to reach a bubbly status will depend on the warmth of your kitchen.

That night or when your sourdough starter is nice and bubbly, mix up your dough by adding all dough ingredients to a stand mixer or large 5 quart mixing bowl. To ensure my cinnamon rolls are nice and fluffy, I like to use a bubbly active sourdough starter.

Using a dough hook, turn the mixer to medium low speed and knead until the dough comes together looking smooth and glossy. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

Once the pumpkin sourdough cinnamon roll dough is nice and smooth looking, cover with plastic wrap or an air tight bowl and allow to rest. The dough will look and feel very wet. This is normal and good so do not add more flour.

After 30 minutes, use a bowl scraper to help stretch and fold the dough around all four sides.

Allow to rest another 30 minutes and then repeat.

Once you have completed the two sets of stretch and folds, cover again with plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, a wet towel or an air tight lid.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to proof overnight for the benefits of longer fermentation of the dough.

The next morning:

The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Next mix up your filling so it is ready to go.

Then, lay out a silicone baking mat or a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust generously with flour. If you are concerned about the flour grains being less fermented you can use rice flour or gluten free flour for this step.

Place the pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls dough on the well floured surface. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4″ thick.

Taking a spatula or the back of a spoon, begin spreading the filling evenly across the dough.

Once the filling is evenly distributed, begin using the parchment paper or baking mat to gently roll the rectangle from long edge to long edge. Take your time at this step to ensure the dough does not stick to the surface. I like to use a bench scraper to help assist this process.

After you have a rolled log in uniform size across lengthwise, use an unflavored dental floss to pinch off rolls. The rolls will be about 1 1/2″ thick.

To ensure the uniform size of pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, I like to make a small mark using my bench scraper or knife on my log at the halfway point.

From the halfway mark make another mark splitting those halves into thirds.

Make another mark splitting each of those sections in half.

This will leave you with 12 pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls.

Continue with the floss method of cutting/pinching.

Place the cut rolls into a 9 x 13 greased baking dish or large cast iron pan.

Final Rise

Cover with a wet tea towel and allow to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm spot of the kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating, mix up the brown butter maple cream cheese frosting.

Browning Butter

Add the unsalted butter for the frosting to a small sauce pan on the stove top.

On medium heat, melt the butter and stir until it smells slightly toasty and darkens in color a bit. This should take 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.

Brown Butter Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

After the butter has cooled for 5-10 minutes, mix up the frosting ingredients.

I like to begin by sifting the powdered sugar to ensure that no clumps are formed and my frosting is smooth.

After the frosting is well combined and smooth, set aside.

Baking

When ready to bake the pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, mix up one egg and brush a light egg wash over the rolls.

Bake the rolls on the middle oven rack for 35 minutes or until slightly golden on the top and risen a bit.

Remove from the oven.

Frosting

While the pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls are still warm, spread the frosting evenly over the top.

Enjoy!

Discover More Sourdough Recipes:

• Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
• Maple Sourdough Discard Scones
• Sourdough Blueberry Bread
• Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies