I love fall and all that it has to offer. The smell of the falling leaves, the tint of the long light in the late afternoon, all of the harvest vegetables and fruit, and the pumpkin and spice. I made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls on the first day of Fall this year. They filled the house with that distinct fall smell! They turned out soft and rich with a bite of fresh ginger.

I really like using pumpkin spice in recipes, but I never buy pumpkin spice directly. I always grind fresh. It has so much more flavor and fragrance that way. Most of the spices in the average spice cupboard are so horribly old and stale and people don’t even realize. I like to buy small amounts of spices in bulk and use them quickly. I also buy the whole version of the spice, then I toast and grind it in a mortar and pestle right as I use it. This keeps it fresh and bright.

For the frosting, I would normally use a bit of maple syrup or even fake maple syrup or extract but I was lucky enough to be given some extra dark cooking style maple syrup from a friend in Canada. It was the perfect match!

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/2 cups – Whole milk, lukewarm

2 tsp. – Yeast

1/2 cup – Sugar

7 cups – Bread Flour

1 Tbsp. – Molasses

1 Tbsp. – Kosher salt

1 cup – Pumpkin

2 tsp. – Fresh ground ginger (I do this by freezing ginger root then using a microplane)

2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. – Ground cinnamon, separated

1/2 tsp. – Ground allspice

1/2 tsp. – Ground cloves

1/2 cup – Butter

1/2 cup – Butter flavored shortening

4 – Eggs

1 cup – Brown sugar

1 Batch – Maple cream cheese frosting (recipe below)

 

Add the milk, yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a large stand mixer. Stir, then let sit until it starts to foam and bubble. Add 5 cups of flour, molasses, salt, pumpkin, ginger, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Mix with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together. Add the butter and shortening and mix well. While the mixer is mixing, add the eggs, one at a time. At this point the dough should be very sticky but starting to ball up on the paddle. If not then slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it does. The amount of flour will vary based on the altitude, humidity, etc. so go by the “foot” method. Switch to the dough hook and mix on low speed for 10 minutes.

Remove from the mixing bowl onto a flour surface. Knead a few times and stretch the surface into a tight ball. Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover. Place in a warm place (I use my oven at 105 degrees) and rise until doubled in size (between 1-2 hours). Roll onto a floured surface, stretching and rolling until the dough is about 1/3” x 24” x 16”. Mix the remaining 2 Tbsp. cinnamon with the brown sugar and sprinkle evenly on the dough. Roll the dough tightly along the long edge so that you end up with a 24” long roll. Using a sharp knife or dental floss, cut the dough into 2” thick rolls. Place on a baking sheet.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size, puffy, and soft.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and serve still warm with a good helping of maple frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. package – Cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup – Heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup – Dark maple syrup

1 tsp. – Kosher salt

4-5 cups – Powdered sugar

 

Add the cream cheese and whipping cream to the bowl of a large stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream and cheese until smooth. Add the syrup, salt, and powdered sugar. Change to a whisk attachment and whisk until light and fluffy. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice, then continue whisking.

I have a real weakness for Brioche. It’s so rich, moist, and fattening. It’s even better when you add fruit, nuts, or chocolate to the dough! This recipe started out as a craquelin recipe from the Bouchon cookbook. I first had the idea to use dried apricots instead of the candied orange peel. I then decided that instead of making individual rolls, I’d make a plait. A plait also makes a nice gift, which is what this batch was meant for. I recently made a quadruple batch to give as gifts. I did save enough dough to make one plait for myself…I couldn’t make all that brioche and not enjoy some for myself.

Apricot Brioche Breakfast Plait (Adapted from the Bouchon Bakery Craquelins)

For the starter:

3 1/2 Tbsp. – Whole milk, warm

2 3/8 tsp. – Instant yeast

3/4 cup – All-purpose flour

For the dough:

2 3/4 cups – All-purpose flour

1/2 cup – sugar, separated

4 tsp. – Kosher salt

5 – Eggs

10.5 ounces – Butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup – Dried apricots, separated

2 tsp. – Rum

1 – Egg, for egg wash

Pearl sugar

 

Mix all of the ingredients for the starter in a small bowl. It will form a very dry dough. Cover and let sit for one hour.

Take 1/4 cup of the dried apricots and the rum and pulse on high speed in a blender until smooth. It may require scraping down the sides several times. Set aside. Take the remaining 3/4 cup of apricots and finely dice. Mix with 1/4 cup of sugar and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt, remaining sugar, and starter (I break the starter up with a knife first). Mix using the dough hook on low speed for one minute. Add the 5 eggs, one at a time, while the mixer continues mixing. Knead for 15 minutes. Add the butter, several pieces as a time, allowing the butter to mix in before adding more. Add the reserved blended apricot mixture and knead for several more minutes until well incorporated. The dough should be very sticky.

Place the dough out on a well floured surface. Press the dough to form a large flat square then spread the diced apricot mixture on top. Fold the dough in around it and knead several times to incorporate. Form a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Rest in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the cold dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Working quickly while the dough is still cold, cut the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each ball into a long snake of equal size. Take three of these ‘snakes’ and braid into a plait. Pinch both ends tightly so that they do not come undone. Repeat with the remaining snakes. Place the plaits on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl or cup. Add a Tbsp. of water and beat well. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of each plait. Sprinkle liberally with pearl sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely.