Pumpkin Spice Caramel Rolls
Whether you’ve followed me for a brief or long amount of time, you have read about my husband’s affinity for sweets. Rolls of the caramel or cinnamon realm specifically appeal to his love language, and quite frankly my love language for him beckons me to oblige his request for such simplicities – be it verbal or not.
This week, Minnesota is showing off from a weather perspective. Indian Summer is here and folks all over the state are out enjoying the beauty of it all. They’re more than likely drinking some sort of pumpkin coffee drink, as well. It’s what we do in autumn, and we do it well. Truth be told, the PSL had a bit of inspiration for these beauties, in addition to my husband’s sweet tooth. I’d like to think these are a far more indulgent way to enjoy autumn and all things pumpkin, however.
I had a good amount of leftover caramel sauce from my Caramel Apple Bread (find it a few posts back here) that I adapted from The Pioneer Woman and decided it to be a great fit for topping the rolls. You could also go a traditional cream cheese frosting route if you so choose.
I may even throw caution to the wind and bake these for Thanksgiving in lieu of a pumpkin pie. My instincts, paired with careful research with a one and four year old taste tester suggest it would be a wise decision. Happy autumn, from my kitchen to yours!
Ingredients:
(For the Dough)
- 1 1/4 cup warm water (not hot water, as it will kill the yeast)
- 1/4 cup raw, organic honey
- 1 packet quick rise yeast
- 1/3 cup pure organic pumpkin
- 3 cups AP unbleached flour, plus more for rolling the dough (I used King Arthur)
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
(For the Filling)
- 1/2 cup pure organic pumpkin
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
(Sprinkle atop the rolls prior to rising)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
(For the Caramel Sauce)
- 1 packed cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp. organic butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Method:
- In your Kitchen-Aid mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the warm water, yeast and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes until the yeast activates/foam appears.
- Add the pumpkin and flours and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be tacky to the touch, yet doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl when mixing.
- Lightly brush the bottom of the bowl with olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel to allow the dough to double in size for one hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangular shape, approximately 10×14.
- Thinly spread the filling from edge to edge and tightly roll the dough from one edge to the other, horizontally.
- Grease a 9×13 glass pan and cut the rolled dough into 1.5-2″ sections. Place them 4×3 in the pan and cover for 15-20 minutes to let rise again.
- Sprinkle with the sugar/pumpkin pie spice mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Generously pour the caramel sauce over each roll and serve warm or allow to cool and store for up to 2 days.
