Pumpkin Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

Okay, these cinnamon rolls took from 1 pm to 6 pm to make. But... they are extremely delicious and the icing is the perfect addition to these fall-ish cinnamon rolls. I doubled the recipe- I made 24 (big) cinnamon rolls. It's times like these I wish I still lived near my family. The five of us just can't eat 4.8 cinnamon rolls each. I am sure my grandmas and grandpas and my aunt and uncle and their family would've loved these. So, instead I'll share this recipe with you...

I adapted the dough recipe a bit from Closet Cooking (http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/)    and the icing recipe and caramel recipe is from me.



Pumpkin Whole-Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

(makes 12 rolls)

1 batch pumpkin sweet yeast dough (see below)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) I used salted
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 batch caramel cream cheese frosting (see below)

 Directions:
1. Punch down the dough and knead for 30 seconds.
2. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 24" by 12" rectangle.
4. Spread the butter over othe dough leaving 1 inch on each side free.
5. Mix the sugar and spices and sprinkle it onto the dough.

6. Roll the dough into a log, pinch to seal and cut it into 12 even slices.
7. Arrange the buns in a greased sheet pan and  cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
8. Bake in a 375F preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Mine only took about 12 minutes
9. Top the buns with the frosting and drizzle with the leftover caramel sauce. 

Pumpkin Sweet Yeast Dough

(makes 1 batch)

1/4 cup water (warm)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup butter (melted and cooled)
1/4 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1 cup pumpkin puree (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

extra all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar into a large bowl and let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, pumpkin puree, spices, salt and 2 cups of the mixed flour and mix for 2 minutes at medium or 200 strokes by hand.
3. Stir in enough of the remaining mixed flour to make a soft dough.
4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. (The dough should feel soft and buttery and not sticky.)
5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened*


• 1/4 cup butter, softened


• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/2 cup powdered sugar


• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup caramel sauce (recipe follows)

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy and blended.


2. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar and mix. Add caramel sauce and stir.

*A fast way to softened cream cheese is to submerge the block of cream cheese (with silver wrapping) in a bowl filled with hot water. Let sit for a minute or two. Works like a charm.

Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 2 tablespoons water


• 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup


• 1 to 2 tablespoons flour


• 1/4 cup heavy cream


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. On medium heat, whisk together brown sugar, water, and corn syrup.


2. When the mixture comes to a boil, pour in heavy cream and vanilla. Stir. Add flour and whisk until thick (normal caramel sauce consistency). Cool to room temperature