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–+ servings

Pumpkin Spice & Maple Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Servings 12 cinnamon rolls
Calories 582 kcal

Equipment

sourdough maple pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 20 hours
Total Time 21 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Sweet Starter

  • 25 g sourdough starter ideally, fed within the last day – needs to be healthy!
  • 25 g sugar or honey
  • 65 g warm water
  • 85 g bread flour

Tangzhong

  • 35 g bread flour
  • 175 g whole milk

Main Dough

  • All of the sweet starter
  • All of the tangzhong
  • 25 g cool water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice blend
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp maple extract optional
  • 150 g pumpkin purée
  • 515 g bread flour
  • 12 g sea salt
  • 84 g unsalted butter softened and added after the initial mix
  • 85 g half & half for pouring over the rolls

Filling

  • 142 g unsalted butter softened
  • 175 g brown sugar
  • 8 g cinnamon
  • 8 g pumpkin spice blend
  • 40 g pumpkin purée

Maple Wash

  • 20 g melted butter
  • 20 g maple syrup
  • 1 tsp maple extract optional
  • Pinch of salt

Maple Cream Cheese Icing

  • 28 g unsalted butter softened
  • 170 g cream cheese softened
  • 20 g maple syrup (double if not using maple extract)
  • 1 tsp maple extract optional
  • 200 g powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions 

Make the Sweet Starter

  1. In the evening (7-9pm), mix together 25 g sourdough starter, 25 g sugar, 65 g warm water, and 85 g bread flour. Cover the jar loosely and let ferment on the counter until morning.
    sweet starter before and after
  2. Set out 84 g unsalted butter for the main dough so it's softened by morning.
  3. Note: You can make the tangzhong (see next step) right now and refrigerate it overnight, if preferred.

Make the Tangzhong

  1. In the morning, mix 35 g bread flour and 175 g whole milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until thickened and reaches 150°F (65°C). For me, it usually takes 3-5 rounds to finish.
    tangzhong
  2. Let rest on the counter (or in the fridge) until the mixture has cooled down to below 80°F (26°C). If it's too hot, it can kill your starter or scramble the egg in the dough.

Make the Dough

  1. If mixing by hand, refer to the Notes at the end of this recipe card.
  2. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, combine All of the sweet starter, All of the tangzhong, 150 g pumpkin purée, 25 g cool water, 1 egg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin spice blend, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple extract, 515 g bread flour, and 12 g sea salt. Mix on the lowest speed for about 3 minutes, or until ingredients are fully incorporated. Then, increase the speed slightly (Speed 2 for KitchenAid owners) for 7-15 minutes, or until the dough's surface is smooth.
    stand mixer dough texture pumpkin cinnies
  3. If your stand mixer is hot and needs a break, cover the bowl and come back to this step in 10-15 minutes. At a low speed, add 84 g unsalted butter one pat at a time, waiting for incorporation between additions. You might need to stop the machine occasionally to rotate the dough – some mixers tend to spin the dough on top of the butter versus mixing it into the dough. If needed, increase to a medium speed (Speed 4 on a KitchenAid) for about 15 seconds to move things along. Once the butter is fully incorporated, continue mixing at a low speed for about 2 minutes more, or until very smooth.
    adding butter to pumpkin cinnies
  4. Bring the dough out onto your counter and give it a quick knead.
    knead a bit on the counter copy

First Rise

  1. Transfer your soft, smooth dough to a lightly oiled container (a square or rectangle shape is preferred over a bowl!), cover, and let rise in a warm place (75-85°F/24-29°C) for 3-5 hours. In my proofing box set to 80°F (26.5°C), this took 3 hours and 15 minutes.
    before and after the first rise pumpkin cinnies
  2. We want the dough to rise by about 30% with small bubbles appearing just under the surface of the dough. It should feel soft and pillowy.
    up close look at dough texture after first rise pumpkin cinnies
  3. Place the container of dough in the fridge until bedtime. Also, set out 142 g unsalted butter so it's softened to make your filling later!

Shape the Rolls

  1. Right before bed, pull your chilled dough out of the fridge. Grease a 9x13 baking pan (or two round cake pans if you want to split them 6 and 6).
    Timing note: You don't have to wait until just before bed to shape the cinnamon rolls. You can shape them anytime in the evening—just put the shaped rolls back in the fridge until bedtime. This reduces the risk of overproofing by minimizing counter time. Set a timer so you don't forget to pull them out before bed!
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your filling: 142 g unsalted butter, 175 g brown sugar, 8 g cinnamon, 8 g pumpkin spice blend, and 40 g pumpkin purée.
    pumpkin cinnamon roll filling
  3. Generously flour your work surface and dump out the dough. Flour the top of your dough.
  4. With a rolling pin, roll into a square that’s about 19.5"x19.5". While you roll, lift the sheet of dough regularly to prevent sticking; push additional flour underneath with a bench scraper as needed.
    push dough scraper underneath
  5. Spread filling on dough with a spatula, leaving a 1-inch gap at top.
  6. Use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut the sheet in half. Then, cut each half in half again (to make four sheets).
  7. Now, each sheet can be cut into three equal strips. If you've used a ruler and aren't comfortable eyeballing the cuts, here are all your cut marks: 1⅝", 3¼", 4⅞", 6½", 8⅛", 9¾", 11⅜", 13", 14⅝", 16¼", 17⅞"
  8. This will make a total of 12 cinnamon rolls that are ideally 1.5-1.75" wide. Cut a little off each side to keep the strips tidy, if needed.
  9. Roll up your strips, brushing a little milk or cream along the top edge to help the dough seal to itself. Place the shaped rolls in your baking pan.
    pumpkin cinnamon rolls 2

Second Rise

  1. Cover your pan with plastic wrap, and let proof on the counter overnight. This worked great for me doing about 10 hours at 70-74°F (21-23°C). And honestly, I could have gone a little longer – there's wiggle room in the proofing time with these! Once, I really overproofed them, but once baked and topped with icing, you'd never know. Delish!
    pumpkin cinnamon rolls before after second rise
  2. Try not to keep your dough in a place above 77°F (25°C), or the butter may melt out of the rolls, puddling in the bottom of the pan. You also risk slight overproofing.
  3. If making the cream cheese icing, set out 28 g unsalted butter so it's softened by the morning. We'll set the cream cheese out as soon as you wake up.

Bake

  1. In the morning, set out 170 g cream cheese so it softens for the icing.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional. Warm 85 g half & half in the microwave for 15 seconds, or until it reaches about 80-90°F (26-32°C). Pour over the cinnamon rolls and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is around 195°F (90°C).
    pouring cream on cinnamon rolls

Maple Wash

  1. When the cinnamon rolls are done baking, whisk together 20 g melted butter 20 g maple syrup, 1 tsp maple extract, and a Pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the wash on top of the hot cinnamon rolls when they come out of the oven. This helps with added moisture and another hint of maple flavor.
    brushing maple wash

Icing

  1. Icing: Whisk together 28 g unsalted butter, 170 g cream cheese, 1 tsp maple extract, and 20 g maple syrup. Then, add 200 g powdered sugar and a Pinch of salt. Note: sift the powdered sugar when adding for a smoother icing. Also note: some test bakers required a stand mixer or hand beaters – if you're using room temperature ingredients and European-style butter, this is very easy to whisk by hand.
    making icing
  2. Let the rolls cool for about 5-10 minutes before adding your icing. Enjoy!

Storage

  1. Store un-iced rolls covered at room temperature for up to 3 days (store cream cheese icing separately in fridge), or refrigerate iced rolls for up to 5 days.
  2. For longer storage, freeze baked rolls (wrapped well) for up to 3 months—thaw in fridge overnight and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes. You can also freeze unbaked shaped rolls and let them thaw/rise overnight on the counter before baking. Reheat any stored rolls briefly in the microwave or warm oven to restore softness.

Notes

If mixing by hand: 
  • In a glass mixing bowl, combine all of your main dough ingredients, except for the butter and half & half. Knead the dough, switching to slap and folds for faster incorporation if desired. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Spread all of your softened butter on top of the dough. Pinch and squeeze the butter into the dough (think of lobster hands!) until it’s mostly incorporated. Switch to slap and folds on your counter until the dough smooths out. This process takes 4-5 minutes. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Finally, strengthen the dough for 2-3 minutes via stretch and folds, kneading, or slap and folds. Cover and resume at the First Rise step, understanding that you're already 1 hour into the fermentation since we had two rest periods!
Half and half is a US dairy product that's half milk, half cream (10-12% fat). Substitute with single cream, or mix equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
Maple Pecan Glaze (Cream Cheese Icing Alternative): In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dry roast 100g chopped pecans  for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove and set aside. In the now-empty saucepan, add 28g butter. Brown the butter for 2-4 minutes, or until deep golden brown and very fragrant (will smell nutty). Take off heat and stir in 20g maple syrup, 100g powdered sugar, and 5g vanilla extract. Brush most of the glaze on the warm cinnamon rolls. Add the roasted pecans back to the pan, tossing them in the remaining glaze. Sprinkle candied pecans over cinnamon rolls. Top with Flaky sea salt.
 
Baker's Timeline: Start the evening before by making your sweet starter (Day 1, 7-9 PM). The next morning (Day 2), cook the tangzhong at 8 AM, then mix your dough at 9 AM. Let it rise in a warm spot for about 3-5 hours until puffy, then transfer to the fridge around 12:30 PM. Before bed that evening (around 9 PM), make the filling, roll and shape your cinnamon rolls, and let them proof on the counter overnight in a cool spot. You can shape them earlier in the evening if preferred—just pop them back in the fridge until bedtime. On Day 3, bake the rolls at 7 AM, brush with the maple wash, make your icing, and enjoy by 8:30 AM!
 
For Sunday morning cinnamon rolls: make your sweet starter Friday evening, mix the dough Saturday morning, refrigerate it around lunchtime, shape the rolls before bed Saturday night, and bake Sunday morning.
Altering the timeline: if you want cinnamon rolls bake-ready in the evening, leave your dough in the fridge until the following morning. Shape your cinnamon rolls in the morning and let them rise on the counter during the day; bake in the late afternoon/early evening.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cinnamon rollCalories: 582kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 9gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 457mgPotassium: 182mgFiber: 2gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 3267IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1mg
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