Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Let me preface this by saying I am not a big fan of pumpkin. I hate pumpkin pie with the fire of a thousand suns. Pumpkin mousse, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin lattes- no thank you. Though to be fair, I think it's more of a texture thing than a taste thing. I remember fondly my friend Sarah's mom who used to make these yummy pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. I wanted to make something reminiscent of that and then I remembered my Mother-in-laws pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Hers, aren't gluten-free, but they did inspire me to create a GF version. So, to be honest, the texture is not exactly like a regular cinmamon roll. It's more of a dense texture, then the doughy/pillow-y regular kind so I might have to experiment with adding some baking powder or something to help it rise (yeast and gluten free just seems difficult sometimes). But, to be just as honest, the flavor on these is the best I've ever had. I think the extra butter and addition of vanilla helped ;) So here, it is, pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I intend to keep working at it, but for my 1st try, I'm very happy with these results:



Dough:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups gluten free flour (I used 1/2 coconut flour, 1/4 corn flour- not meal, and 1 1/2 white rice)
2 tsp xantham gum
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

2/3 cup vanilla almond milk, warmed slightly
1 egg
2 tbsp melted, cooled butter (I use salted sweet cream butter)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry bowl and mix well until you have a dough. Shape it into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area for 1 hour until it "doubles" in size, though honestly mine did not double in size. I really think the gluten free flour just doesn't like yeast, or vice-versa.

Meanwhile make the filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter melted, plus set aside an additional 2 tbsp of soft butter

Mix the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and 2 tbs butter in a small bowl- it will form kind of a paste. Once the dough has sat for an hour, roll it out. I used plastic wrap to help it from sticking to the counter, with a liberal sprinkling of white rice flour. Roll it out as well as you can, using your fingers to piece together parts if it cracks. Then spread the remaining 2 tbsp of soft butter on the dough. Then take a spatula or spoon, spread the sugar paste on top. Roll the dough into a log, carefully, using the plastic wrap to roll it. You then will cut the rolls, however big you like and place flat, in a lightly oiled or buttered pan. You can let them sit to "rise" some more, but I didn't. I put them in a preheated 350 degree oven and baked for about 35-40 minutes. You will start smelling the rolls and they will smell incredible, I promise.

Finally, the frosting:

1 package of cream cheese
powdered sugar
almond milk
salt

 

The only part I keep track of is the 1 package of cream cheese. I use between 2-3 cups or so of powdered sugar, but please go by your own taste. If you want the frosting tangier, use less sugar. If you want it more sweet, more sugar. A pinch of salt will up the flavor and if it gets to thick you can thin it out a little with the almond milk. Spread over the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Enjoy them warm, and I highly reccomend a cold glass of chocolate or white milk to go with them. The warm sugar and cinnamon mixture just oozes out of these, and is full of so much flavor. It perfectly compliments the cream cheese frosting. Delicious!