You can’t be a food blogger or a Pinterest lover without noticing a certain round orange interloper making itself known around the end of September (although, these days, it can be even sooner than that). I am talking of course about PUMPKINS. The combination of Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving (in Canada and the US) brings out pumpkin recipes galore – not to mention costumes, decorations and PSLs. Well I, for one, am all for it. Not the Pumpkin Spice Lattes so much – I always have one and then remember I don’t actually like them – but cakes, desserts, soups and stews I am firmly in favour. Problem is, the canned (or should I say tinned) pumpkin purée that is ubiquitous on the other side of the pond was, until recently, very hard to source in the UK. If you wanted to make pumpkin pie you would have to roast and purée the pumpkin yourself. Not impossible but certainly an awful lot of work.
Well this year I found Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin in a few of online supermarkets and in Whole Foods. I got myself a couple of cans and sat down to make a layered pumpkin cake – a recipe I found in the Martha Stewart Cakes book. I made the recipe according to instructions and yet the cakes were, sadly, very moist, dense and distinctly underbaked. They tasted amazing (my husband and I ate at least a third of one – to test if it was cooked, you understand) but they had to go in the bin. Can’t tell you how disappointed I was. I have now found a different recipe I want to try but in the meantime I decided to make some pumpkin rolls to take my mind off the pumpkin cake fiasco.
I used the gingerbread roster of spices – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg – and a little molasses (also found at Whole Foods) to create these rolls. Unlike the cakes they were a resounding success – a little less sweet than I expected but the caramel and cream cheese glazes compensated very nicely. I am now feeling confident to try a pumpkin cake again! If you have any recommendations for pumpkin recipes please let me know in the comments…
This recipe was perfect for testing out my nifty new gadget – the Joseph Joseph Duo Bake. This was sent to me to review and the timing could not be more perfect as both my other pastry scrapers have disappeared in the Great Kitchen Renovation of 2014. The Duo Bake comprises of a soft silicone scraper – used to scrape the bowl clean of every last scrap of dough or batter – and a stainless-steel dough cutter with handy measurements on the blade (perfect for cutting evenly-sized rolls). The two attach to each other magnetically which is a brilliant idea – until I misplace them both.
For the fillings
I filled half the rolls with cinnamon sugar and the other with a pecan filling. To make the fillings mix softened butter with the other ingredients or spread softened butter on the dough then sprinkle the other ingredients on top, pressing down lightly with your hands.
Cinnamon sugar filling – double if using on entire batch
60g | 2oz unsalted butter, softened
50g | 1/4 cup light brown (or caster) sugar
1-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
Pecan filling – double if using on entire batch
100g light brown sugar | 3.5oz | 1/2 cup
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
100g 3.5oz unsalted butter
100g | 3.5oz pecans, ground in a food processor
Pumpkin gingerbread rolls
Makes 15-18 depending on size
160g | 5.6oz Greek yogurt
80g | 2.8oz Libby’s solid pack pumpkin (or other unsweetened purée)
1-2 tbsp molasses (or treackle)
80g | 2.8oz unsalted butter
3 large eggs
500g | 4 cups | 17.6oz white bread flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling
100g | 3.5oz | 1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2 tsp fast action yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg beaten with small splash of milk
butter to grease
Method
- Put the wet ingredients (yogurt, pumpkin, molasses and butter) in a measuring jug and microwave for a few seconds until butter is mostly melted. Add the eggs and mix it all together with a fork.
- Put all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast, salt and spices) in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Start mixing on low speed then add the wet ingredients. Continue mixing for 7-10 minutes until the dough comes together and passes the windowpane test. You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is very sticky.
- Cover and let the dough rise for 2 hours or until nearly doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Generously grease two or three large cake tins or pans with butter (as I cut my rolls quite thin I had to use three large cake tins).
- Dust your worktop with flour and tip the dough on to it. Knock it back and divide into two sections.
- Roll out into a rectangle roughly twice as long as it is wide. You can trim the edges with your scraper for a neater result.
- Spread the filling over the entire surface avoiding the edges. Roll the dough, starting with the long side, into a log shape.
- Use the pastry scraper to cut into equal sections and place into the prepared pans leaving some space between the rolls to allow them to rise.
- Cover and leave them to rise again 1-2 hours until puffy and plump. Brush with the egg wash (totally forgot to do that with first batch).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool slightly before drizzling with caramel or frosting with cream cheese glaze.
Simple cream cheese glaze
5 heaped tbsp full fat cream cheese
1/2 tbsp milk (or lemon juice) – more to thin if needed
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp icing sugar
Method
- Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a fork or whisk until smooth and runny. If the glaze is too runny adjust by adding more icing sugar. If too thick add a little more milk or lemon juice. Spread over the buns once they have cooled down a little.
- I used this butterscotch caramel to drizzle on half the batch of rolls but a good shop-bought caramel would also work well.
Carrie Landeryou says
Ooh these look lovely, I need to get back into some baking this weekend…life has just been tooooo busy!!
Coley says
Yum! These look fantastic. I love the fact that the pumpkin makes them seem like they might be a little bit healthy? Would be a perfect holiday breakfast.
glutenfreealchemist says
Love the use of pumpkin in these. And the combination of the pecan with the spices is so inviting. They sound perfectly lovely!
Kat BakingExplorer says
Yummm…. sticky, sweet and delicious!
Millie | Add A LIttle says
These sound like fall – super comforting and delicious!
Alexandra @ The Lass in the Apron says
Lucy, these look absolutely gorgeous.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Lucy these pumpkin and gingerbread rolls look SO delicious. I definitely need to make the recipe – but I can't decide which filling to make!
Librarian Lavender says
This looks so delicious, yum!