If you like sourdough, pumpkin or cinnamon rolls… You are going to CRAVE these soft sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
Pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls with the tummy comfort and flavor of sourdough… They’re SOFT and light and heavenly in every bite!
Key Ingredients
These cinnamon rolls are so special because of a few key ingredients that give them their amazing flavor and soft texture. Here’s a little more about why they’re so important:
Sourdough Starter: This is what gives the rolls their incredible depth of flavor and light, airy texture. You can use an active, bubbly starter for a quicker, more pronounced rise, or you can use your sourdough discard for a softer flavor—which is a great way to use up that discard!
Pumpkin Purée: This isn’t just for flavor; it’s the secret to keeping these rolls unbelievably moist and soft… It adds a touch of natural sweetness and that classic pumpkin spice flavor that we all crave. Just be sure to use plain pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
Softened Butter: We use a generous amount of softened butter in both the dough and the filling. Using softened, rather than melted, butter is the key to creating a rich, tender dough that doesn’t feel greasy. It’s the fat that makes these rolls melt in your mouth!
Pumpkin Pie Spice: This blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg is what makes these rolls taste like a cozy fall day. If you don’t have a pre-made blend, you can easily create your own with the spices I’ve listed.
Notes & Tips for Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is so cozy and delicious, and getting the little details right will help you make a perfect batch every time. Here are my best tips for making these cinnamon rolls as soft, light, and heavenly as possible!
Making the Dough; Active Sourdough is Best: While you can use sourdough discard, your rolls will get the best rise and fluffiest texture if you use a bubbly, active starter. If your starter has been in the fridge, give it a good feeding a few hours before you start to get it nice and lively.
The Power of Room Temp: Make sure your dough ingredients—especially the butter and eggs—are at room temperature. This helps everything blend together smoothly for a better dough. A cozy, warm spot for your dough to rise is also key to a successful fermentation.
Rolling & Cutting – Roll with Confidence: Use a well-floured surface to roll your dough into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. This ensures your rolls are all an even size for a consistent bake.
Don’t Overfill: When spreading the pumpkin filling, make sure you leave a small border (about 1/2-inch) along the edges of the dough. This helps prevent the filling from oozing out and making a mess when you roll your loaf.
Cutting is Crucial: My favorite secret for perfect, round cinnamon rolls is using a piece of thread or dental floss to cut them! Just slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top, and pull. It works like a dream and keeps the rolls from getting squished. A serrated knife works great, too.
Baking & Frosting: The second rise is so important for soft, airy rolls! Let them rest in a warm spot for about an hour until they’re noticeably puffed up before you bake them.
Hot Oven, Happy Rolls: Always preheat your oven for at least 10 minutes before you put your rolls in. A hot oven helps them get a great rise and a beautiful golden color.
Lump-Free Frosting: For the smoothest cream cheese glaze, be sure your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature. It will blend in a breeze with your other ingredients!
Helpful Tools
A Bench Scraper: I use mine all the time! It’s super handy for cleaning up your work surface and for handling the dough.
A Kitchen Scale: For the most consistent results, weighing your ingredients (especially the flour!) can make all the difference.
How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Recipe
1. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all the ingredients for the dough.
2. Using a rubber spatula, mix all the ingredients as best you can, scraping the sides of the bowl. If you are using the stand mixer mix on low speed till it comes together,
3. Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together till well mixed and a nice dough forms.
4. Place dough ball back into the large mixing bowl, and cover with a towel or plastic wrap.
5. First Rise – Let dough rise or ferment for 5-8 hours in a warm spot. (I let dough rest, or rise in a 90 degree oven for 1 hour then move it to the counter in my 73 degree kitchen)
After Bulk Ferment or First Rise Time
6. After 5 hours, make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients in a small bowl, and use a fork to mix well. mix till well blended scraping the sides of the bowl.
7. Flour a 20×30 inch work surface well.
8. BUTTER a 7×11 or 9×13 baking dish, a 13 to 15 inch cast iron skillet. You could also line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9.. Roll dough ball out on work surface into large rectangle that should be 1/4 inch thick.
10. Spread pumpkin filling mixture evenly onto the top of the dough rectangle, leaving about 1/2 on all sides bare.
Roll Up Dough
11. Roll the rectangle topped dough starting at the shorter side of the rectangle, to for 12 large cinnamon rolls. (Use a bench scraper to loosen any dough stuck to counter)
I do this by first cutting the dough into 3 equal sections, then cut those into 6 equal sections, and finally cutting those 6 equal sections in half to make 12 equal cinnamon rolls!
12. Using a sharp knife or a piece of thread, or unflavored dental floss, gently cut rolled dough into 12 equal pieces, trying not to push down or squish dough as you cut.
13. Place 12 pumpkin rolls onto a buttered 7×11 or 9×13 baking dish.
14. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, till dough starts to puff back up.
15. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
16. Place pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls into hot oven, and bake cinnamon rolls for 35 minutes.
17. While pumpkin cinnamon rolls bake, make the cream cheese frosting: Combine all Cream Cheese Glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and use an electric mixer to blend till smooth!
18. Remove homemade cinnamon rolls from oven to a cooling rack.
19. Gently spread cream cheese Icing over top of hot cinnamon rolls.
Enjoy!!!!!
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you loved these pumpkin cinnamon rolls… You have to try my rustic Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Bread, my rich Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, or the classic Pumpkin Pie From Scratch. And for a perfect afternoon treat, don’t miss my Pumpkin Spice Scones or the incredibly moist Sourdough Pumpkin Coffeecake. Have a delicious fall!
I want to know what YOU think… Please recipe the recipe card!
Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- For the Dough:
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 cup pumpkin purée without added sugar and spices
- 5 cups all purpose flour or your favorite type of fine ground flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup softened butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice or = 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ginger + 1/8 tsp ground cloves + 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- For the Filling:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons pumpkin purée without sugar or spices
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice = 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/4 tsp ground cloves + 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons of softened butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- For the Cream Cheese Glaze – Icing
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar or confectioners sugar
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the dough.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix all the ingredients as best you can.
- Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together till well mixed and a nice dough forms.
- place dough ball back into the large mixing bowl, and cover with a towel.
- Let dough ferment for 5-8 hours at a warm room temperature. (I do this is a 73 degree kitchen)
- After 5 hours, make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, and use a fork to mix well. mix till well blended.
- Flour a 20×30 inch work surface well.
- Roll dough ball out on work surface into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
- Spread pumpkin filling mixture evenly onto he rectangle dough, leaving about 1/2 on all sides bare.
- Roll the rectangle topped dough starting at the shorter side of the rectangle, to for 12 large cinnamon rolls.
- Using a serrated knife or a piece of thread, gently cut rolled dough into 12 equal pieces, trying not to push down or squish dough as you cut.
- Place 12 cinnamon rolls onto a buttered 7×11 or 9×13 baking dish.
- Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, till dough starts to puff back up.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
- Place cinnamon rolls into hot oven, and bake for 35 minutes.
- While pumpkin cinnamon rolls bake, make the cream cheese frosting: Combine all Cream Cheese Glaze ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to blend till smooth!
- Remove baked cinnamon rolls from oven to a cooling rack.
- 18. Gently spread cream cheese Icing over top of hot cinnamon rolls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
3 comments
Dusty
Omgoodness, this looks heavenly! I need to make this! Thank you for sharing Juliea
Rebecca
I can’t wait to try these! Thank you!
Rebecca
I am absolutely making these asap! Thank you!