Weekly Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

You may recall my love of pumpkin.  One of my coworkers jokes that I'm going to start turning orange.  Would that really be such a bad thing?  I am sort of pasty white.  I could use a little color!

I also love cinnamon rolls but have generally avoided them and anything else involving yeast.  Each time I use it, I hold my breath, cross my fingers, and put it in a room so I can't see it.  After the allotted rise time, I can hardly wait to see if there is a risen ball of pillowy goodness under there. 

Well la ti da, these babies rose and they rose a lot!  The pumpkin flavor wasn't intense but they were still really good.  I would recommend upping the brown sugar filling but then again, this was supposed to be a Cooking "Light" recipe.  I also opted to add a little cream cheese to the frosting, also negating the "light" part.  Either way, these have helped me regain my faith in my relationship with yeast.  Perhaps we are not enemies after all.  I'll give him a second chance, especially since I only used 1 out of the 3 yeast packets.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns
from:  Cooking Light

• 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/4  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2 3/4  cups  all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2  cup  Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 1/4  cup  butter, melted
• 1  tablespoon  granulated sugar
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• Cooking spray
• 3  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 3  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 2  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• Glaze:
• 3/4  cup  sifted powdered sugar
• 1  tablespoon  hot water
• 1/4  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Preparation

To prepare the buns, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour, pumpkin, and next 5 ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg); beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).(I skipped the whole kneading thing and used the hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer.  It's a little harder to tell if the dough is sticky, so I just started with 1/4 cup and that was enough.  When I transferred the dough to the floured surface, I probably added about another 1/4 cup.)
Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.  (You can cover and refrigerate them at this point, which I did.  If you do, you'll need to let them come to room temperature for about an hour before baking.)
Preheat oven to 375°.
Bake the rolls at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown (I ended up cooking mine for about 25-30 minutes). Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over buns. Serve warm.