Say hello to fall with a batch of frosted pumpkin cinnamon rolls

It all started with an Instagram photo. It was a slow weekend morning. My wife glanced up from her phone and said, "Man, whatever they're serving at South for brunch today looks incredible." "The sticky buns?" I asked, having seen that our friend Kate Consenstein had just posted such a photo. Since South Restaurant in Anchorage is a three-plus-hour drive from here, and the kids would turn their noses up at the nuts on a sticky bun anyhow, I concluded, "I should make some cinnamon rolls."

At this point, our teenager chimed in without glancing up from his computer screen with his decisive tone and dry humor. "Yes. Yes, you should. Right now." I chuckled to myself, knowing that cinnamon rolls from scratch are not something that can be rushed.

It wasn't long before the house smelled like blooming yeast and pumpkin spice melding with sugar and butter. The dough took on a nice orange color from the addition of pumpkin puree. As the time passed, I heard the question, "When will they be ready?" about as often as you hear a child ask the infamous phrase, "Are we there yet?" on a road trip.

I had enough dough for about a dozen cinnamon rolls, so I put six of them in the cast-iron skillet to bake in the oven. The other six I placed in a pie pan, covered them with foil and popped them into the freezer to bake another day. Just before the pumpkin cinnamon rolls were done baking, I whipped softened cream cheese and butter with some orange zest, vanilla and powdered sugar to make a spreadable frosting. When the rolls emerged, the frosting went straight on, melting a bit into the cracks and crevices. And then they disappeared from the pan one by one.

Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with orange cream cheese frosting

Yields about 12 large rolls

For the dough:

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Heat the milk until it is warm to the touch. To a large mixing bowl, add the warm milk. Stir in the oil and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and sugar mixture and let stand and allow to bloom, 5 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together 4 cups of the flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. (Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for later.) Add the flour and spices to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place, 1 hour. When the dough has risen and doubled in size, stir in the remaining flour, along with the baking powder, baking soda and salt until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 12-inch cast-iron skillets or large pie plates. Flour your work surface liberally. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 18 by 24 inches. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, spread the melted butter evenly over the surface of the dough. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the melted butter. Starting at the bottom and working upward, roll the dough inward onto itself, sealing the butter and spices inside. Place the roll seam side down and, using a sharp knife, slice it into 1-inch rolls. Place the rolls into the prepared pans, about six per pan. Allow to rise 20 more minutes. (At this point if you'd like to freeze a pan for later, cover it tightly and place a pan in the freezer.) Bake the rolls for 20-22 minutes, until browned on the edges and set in the center.

While the rolls are baking, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed. Add the vanilla, orange zest and milk, beating on medium speed until smooth and combined. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low, mixing until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then turn it up to medium until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Spread the frosting onto the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve the rolls warm. Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Maya Wilson lives in Kenai and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.

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