Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Every Spring and Fall my family gathers together to listen to the leaders of our Church during LDS General Conference. We cherish this time to join as a family and learn at the feet of our Prophet and his Apostles. With it comes a tradition of our own. During the Fall sessions of Conference we also bake Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. These have become a tradition that we all look forward to.

This recipe was one that I found in a magazine while waiting in the waiting room for a pre-natal appointment with our second baby girl. It pretty much jumped out of the page and made my pregnant self crave them immediately. Lucky for me the nurse is a friend of mine, so she kindly copied the recipe for me to go home and try out. It was found in the Family Circle Magazine October 2009

Makes 24 servings
Dough:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1 tsp plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt

 Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp milk

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Add 1 tsp of the sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in remaining 2 tbsp sugar, the eggs, butter and pumpkin.
2. Gradually add 5 cups of the flour and the salt, scraping the sides of bowl, until soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead remaining 1/2 cup flour into dough, adding more if sticky. Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Dough will be soft.
3. Grease a bowl; add dough, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours.
4.Coat 2 13x9 baking pans with nonstick spray. Make Filling: Mix butter, sugar and brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
5.Punch down dough. Roll out half onto a lightly floured surface to form a 16x10 rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Starting with one long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam close. Repeat with second half of dough and filling.
6. Cut each log crosswise into 12 generous 1-inch pieces. Arrange 12 pieces, cut side down, in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes. (You can refrigerate one pan overnight or cover plastic with foil and freeze at this point. Thaw in fridge overnight, then thaw on counter while preheating oven.)
7. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover pans and bake buns until they are golden brown and bubbly, 28-33 minutes (thawed buns, 36 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.
8. Glaze: Blend confectioners' sugar and milk. Drizzle over buns (about 1/3 cup per pan). Serve warm. 

Nutritional info: (per bun)
249 calories
7 g fat (4 g sat.)
4 g protein
45 g carbohydrates
2 g fiber
85 mg sodium
33 mg cholesterol

*Carrie's note* I love cream cheese frosting on my cinnamon rolls, so I skipped the glaze and frosted the warm rolls with cream cheese frosting. It does change the nutritional info, but oh my, it tastes good :)

Cream cheese frosting:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of butter, room temerature
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar (or more depending on how thick or thin you want your frosting)

Whip together your cream cheese and butter, add the salt and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy.