Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

We love sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Traditionally prepared overnight for easy digestion, this recipe is a dream: no kneading of the dough, it rises beautifully, and bakes up soft and tender. No yeast required!

What breakfast treat gets you and your family the most excited?

Our family loves the flavor of sourdough and the magic of eating freshly baked, homemade cinnamon rolls!

Why is sourdough bread so popular?

Sourdough originated thousands of years ago as a leavening agent.

The symbiotic yeast and bacteria culture helps bread to rise. The microorganisms in sourdough also predigest anti-nutrients and create a tender dough.

The sourdough bread-making process is also very restful, cultivating a connection between past and present and connecting us with our food in a tangible way.

Taking care of a sourdough starter is a little like taking care of a pet: The starter needs regular attention, and gives back to its caretaker in a unique way.

Watching the starter bubble, stirring in fresh flour and water, and seeing bread rise from wild yeasts and bacteria found in nature all connect us with God’s mysterious and wonderful creation!

Plus, we get to create when we make bread from scratch.

Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I personally love making sourdough cinnamon roll dough. This recipe is easy to work with: no kneading of the dough, it rises beautifully, and bakes up soft and tender.

The sourdough process makes this recipe very gentle and easy to digest. No commercial yeasts or leaveners are needed.

The dough for this recipe gets two rises:

• The dough is made and allowed to rise for 8 to 12 hours.
• The cinnamon rolls are assembled. The rolls rise again for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Then we bake and enjoy!

Learn to make your own sourdough starter here.

Fall Recipes: Pumpkin & Spices!

Most people love to use pumpkin each fall. Pumpkin is a comforting and warming food.

Pumpkin’s carbohydrates give us energy as the weather turns colder.

We love to add pumpkin to our dough in the fall for an extra special flavor and soft dough texture! For a different flavor option, try making sourdough apple cinnamon rolls.

The spices associated with pumpkin are also warming yet invigorating.

I use only cinnamon in this recipe, to keep the cinnamon rolls tasting very traditional and not too complex in flavor.

Yet if you simply love the spiciness, you can certainly add allspice, cloves and ginger to the filling of this recipe. I’m sure you’ll love the result!

Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Tips

If you haven’t made your own cinnamon rolls before, you’ll love the ease with which this recipe is made!

Here are a few tips to ensure success:

• Use organic unbleached all-purpose white flour in this recipe for best results, or another all-purpose flour such as spelt or einkorn.
• Your dough should be a little bit sticky. Don’t add more flour.
• Grease the bowl in which the dough rises, and line the baking dish with parchment paper.
• Generously flour your work surface before forming the cinnamon rolls.

That’s it! This recipe is very straightforward and is an easy way to enjoy sourdough!

Cream Cheese Icing For A Special Touch

One thing makes sourdough cinnamon rolls more special… and that’s cream cheese icing!

This recipe uses cream cheese (or cultured cream cheese), butter or coconut oil, and pure maple syrup to create a decadent spreadable frosting!

If you’re dairy-free, you can skip the cream cheese frosting. Instead, top the cinnamon rolls with sautéed apples and drizzle with dairy-free caramel sauce.

Or use vegan cream cheese frosting.

Uses For Pumpkin Puree

In this recipe we use half a cup of canned pumpkin. You can also use leftover cooked winter squash in this recipe!

If you used canned pumpkin, what to do with the rest of the can? Here are a few favorite recipes that also use less than a full can of pumpkin:

• Soaked Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
• Overnight Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding
• Paleo Sugar Cookies with Pumpkin Glaze
• Sprouted Apple Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
• Sprouted Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Pie
• Instant Pot Grain-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Cultured Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin Cookies or Giant Pumpkin Cookie (grain-free)
• 32 THM:S & Low-Carb Pumpkin Recipes (Dinner, Drinks, & Dessert!)

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Warm the pumpkin and butter in a small saucepan. Cool slightly. Add apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

Add egg, starter, and coconut sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and a dough hook, or a large metal bowl if using a handheld mixer. (A handheld mixer works fine to mix this soft dough.)

Add and mix in the pumpkin mixture using whisk attachment.

Add the flour, water and sea salt, and continue mixing with dough hook until a sticky dough forms, about 1 minute. (If using a handheld mixer, the dough will climb up the beaters a bit. Just use the mixer on its lowest speed.)

Use a spatula or your fingers to scrape dough into a greased glass or ceramic bowl. Cover loosely with a wet towel and set in warm location for 8 to 12 hours.

Assembling The Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Line a 9” pie plate or an 8” to 9” square baking dish with parchment paper (VERY important, or the gooey filling will make the cinnamon rolls stick to the pan). Press the parchment down into the pan, making folds where needed, and weight it down if desired until you’re ready to add the cinnamon rolls.

Prepare the filling by melting butter or coconut oil. When melted, stir in sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Allow to cool while you roll out the dough (the butter needs to be more solid than liquid so it stays in the roll rather than leaking out).

Generously flour your countertop to prevent sticking. Fold the edges of the dough into the center to deflate.

Pour the dough onto the floured surface and pat it a few times to deflate any air.

To roll out the dough, use a rolling pin or your fingers. This dough is very soft and pliable, so I like to just work with my hands.

If using a rolling pin, sprinkle surface of dough and rolling pin lightly with flour. I don’t use any extra flour if using my hands.

Roll out to a 12” by 8” rectangle. (If using your hands, gently push and spread the dough to the desired shape, stretching slightly as needed.)

Dump the buttery cinnamon sugar over the dough. Spread filling over dough’s surface, leaving a 1/2” border around the edges.

Working with the long side of the dough, roll the dough tightly, pressing down as you go. (If you want fewer, fatter cinnamon rolls, work from the short side of the dough. This is the method pictured).

Using dental floss or thin string, cut cinnamon rolls into 2” rings. (If larger cinnamon rolls are desired, cut into 3” rings.)

Arrange in baking dish, cover loosely with a wet dish towel, and allow to rise 4 to 8 hours. (You can also place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight, and then allow them to rise at room temperature the next day for 4 to 6 hours.)

Baking The Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake cinnamon rolls until browned and fully cooked, about 40 to 45 minutes. (The internal temperature should read 190 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Making The Cream Cheese Frosting

While cinnamon rolls cool, make cream cheese frosting. Place all three ingredients in a mixing bowl: cream cheese, butter or coconut oil, and maple syrup.

Beat with a handheld mixer until they’re evenly mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Place frosting in the refrigerator briefly if the frosting is too runny, stirring and checking it regularly until a spreadable consistency is achieved.

When cinnamon rolls are fully cooled, spread on the frosting and serve.

4.34 from 9 votes

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Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

We love sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Traditionally prepared overnight for easy digestion, this recipe is a dream: no kneading of the dough, it rises beautifully and bakes up soft and tender. No yeast required!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Souring/Rising Time 12 hours

Servings 6 cinnamon rolls

Calories 840 kcal

Author Megan Stevens

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour use white flour for best results, or all-purpose einkorn or spelt flour
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter freshly stirred
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup pure water
• 1/4 cup grass-fed butter unsalted (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
• 1 large organic or pastured egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar or Sucanat
• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil for dairy-free
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 8 ounces organic cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter melted and cooled (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Making & Souring The Dough

1. Warm the pumpkin and butter in a small saucepan. Cool slightly.
2. Add apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

3. Add egg, starter, and coconut sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and a dough hook.

4. Mix in the pumpkin mixture using whisk attachment.

5. Add the flour, water and sea salt, and continue mixing with dough hook until a sticky dough forms, about 1 minute.

6. Use a spatula or your fingers to scrape dough into a greased glass or ceramic bowl.

7. Cover loosely with a wet towel and set in warm location for 8 to 12 hours.

Making The Filling & Assembling The Rolls

1. Line a 9” pie plate or an 8” to 9” square baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the filling by melting butter or coconut oil.
3. When melted, stir in sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Allow to cool while you roll out the dough.
4. Generously flour your countertop to prevent sticking.
5. Fold the edges of the dough into the center to deflate.
6. Pour the dough onto the floured surface and pat it a few times to deflate any air.

7. To roll out the dough, use a lightly-floured rolling pin or your fingers.

8. Roll out to a 12” by 8” rectangle. (If using your hands, gently push and spread the dough to the desired shape, stretching slightly as needed.)

9. Dump the buttery cinnamon sugar over the dough.

10. Spread filling over dough’s surface, leaving a 1/2” border around the edges.

11. Working with the long side of the dough, roll the dough tightly, pressing down as you go. (If you want fewer, fatter cinnamon rolls, work from the short side of the dough. This is the method pictured, above).
12. Using dental floss or thin string, cut cinnamon rolls into 2” rings. (If larger cinnamon rolls are desired, cut into 3” rings.)

13. Arrange in baking dish, cover loosely with a wet dish towel, and allow to rise 4 to 8 hours. (You can also place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight, and then allow them to rise at room temperature the next day for 4 to 6 hours.)

14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
15. Bake cinnamon rolls until browned and fully cooked, about 40 to 45 minutes. The internal temperature should read 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

Making The Cream Cheese Frosting

1. While cinnamon rolls cool, make cream cheese frosting.
2. Place all frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl: cream cheese, butter or coconut oil, and maple syrup.
3. Beat with a handheld mixer until they’re evenly mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
4. Place frosting in the refrigerator briefly if the frosting is too runny, stirring and checking it regularly, until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
5. When cinnamon rolls are fully cooled, spread on the frosting and serve.

Recipe Notes

If you'd like to use whole grain flour, I recommend trying whole wheat pastry flour, whole grain spelt, or whole grain einkorn. These are the lightest whole grain flours.

This recipe works well with two different time frames:

If you start the process in the evening, the dough can ferment and rise overnight. The cinnamon rolls can be assembled and baked in the morning. However, the assembled rolls do need an additional 4 hours rising time, so this recipe will not work well for an early breakfast.

Alternately, make the dough the morning of the first day. Allow it to rise for 8 hours. Form cinnamon rolls, and allow them to rise overnight. Bake in preheated oven first thing in the morning.

Nutrition Facts

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Amount Per Serving (1 roll)

Calories 840 Calories from Fat 477

% Daily Value*

Fat 53g82%

Saturated Fat 32g200%

Cholesterol 178mg59%

Sodium 731mg32%

Potassium 193mg6%

Carbohydrates 84g28%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 30g33%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 4918IU98%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Have you made sourdough cinnamon rolls before?