PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS

This is one cinnamon roll recipe you should try! The rolls are soft and spongy smothered with cinnamon and brown sugar. The use of the Japanese milk bread recipe in place of the traditional dough makes a whole lot of difference in taste and texture. And to signal the change of the season, switch up the filling using pumpkin spice mix!

PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS

YIELD: 12 Cinnamon Rolls   

TANGZHONG PASTE:
3 tbsp (43g) Water
3 tbsp (43g) Milk 2 tbsp (14g) Flour

FOR THE DOUGH:
2 1/2 cups (298g) All Purpose Flour
2 tbsps (14g) Dry Milk Powder
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
1 large egg
4 tbsp (57g) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE SUGAR FILLING:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsps pumpkin spice mix
4 tbsps unsalted butter, soft

Instructions:

  1. Make the Tangzhong: In a small pot, combine water, milk and flour. Cook on low heat until it forms a paste. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer in a small bowl to cool slightly.
  2. Make the Dough: Combine all the dough ingredients in the mixing bowl and add the tangzhong. Using the dough hook attachment, knead for 10-15 minutes un-til it becomes stretchy and smooth. The dough will look wet, sticky and tacky and that’s fine. You will see that the strands of gluten are stretching and pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
  3. Transfer the dough in a lightly greased bowl and shape into a ball by tucking in the sides of the dough to the bottom. Grease the surface of the dough, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes until double in size.
  4. Shape and Proof: Deflate the dough gently and flatten. Roll the dough into a log and stretch into a 14” x 6” rectangle. Spread the soft butter on the surface of the dough leaving about an inch from the edges. Evenly spread the pumpkin-spice/brown sugar mixture. Roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the dough to seal the edges. With a sharp knife, cut into 12 equal portions and ar-range them in a 9”x13” pan that is well greased at the bottom and sides. Proof the dough for 40-50 minutes until puffy.
  5. Halfway through proofing the rolls, pre-heat the oven to 350’F. Brush the rolls lightly with egg wash or milk. Bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden. The in-ternal temperature of the bread should be 190’F.
  6. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the rolls to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, loosen bread from the sides of the pan with a flat spatula or a knife and turn it out on a rack. Spread the sugar glaze while the bread is still warm. Serve.
  7. For the Sugar Glaze: Combine 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, 4 tablespoons of melt-ed butter and 3-4 tablespoons of milk. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix well to form a thick and glossy sugar glaze. Adjust the glaze to your preferred con-sistency from a thick glaze to soft and runny by adding less or more of the milk, a table-spoon at a time or with powdered sugar to thicken.