Holiday Hostess: Hallowe'en Breakfast

Around most holidays I am going to do a post or two about holiday baking/cooking for a party. Today, I am going to give you all a recipe for a delicious hallowe'en, or just autumn, treat.

Every year around Hallowe'en I start my fall baking binge. Last year, I tried to make cinnamon rolls, for the first time. That did not go over well. I tried a few more times, and finally mastered the recipe. I make them about once a month now, and for Hallowe'en I added a little secret ingredient: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls:

I am going to break this down the way that I bake it, because I always had trouble when the ingredients list would say 3 cups flour, and then the first step would say "mix flour, 1 cup". I would always miss the "1 cup" and put everything in the bowl at once. I am breaking down the recipe block by block, to avoid that sort of confusion.

To prep the dough:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 packet yeast (2.5 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flavorless oil
2 eggs

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Heat the milk and oil until warm.
Combine with dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.

To finish the dough:

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal, or oats
2 1/2-3 cups flour

Add oats and mix
Add flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
Knead for 5 minutes.
Shape into a ball, and coat in oil.
Cover and let rise until doubled (20-45 minutes, depending on temperature)

The filling:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup, 1 stick, butter room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp pumpkin puree

While the dough is rising cream butter and sugar.
Mix flour and spices.
Stir in pumpkin.
This should make a spread.

To assemble:

Once dough has risen, put on flat, floured surface.
Roll to about the size of a cookie sheet.
It will probably be about 1/2 inch thick.
Spread filling onto dough, being sure to go all the way to the edges.
Leave one edge clean about 1/2 inch, to seal the dough once rolled.
Once filled, roll the dough into a log.
Slice dough into equal parts (mine usually yields 9 or 10, but I make them pretty big).
     Tip, you can chill the dough slightly before slicing to make it easier to cut.
Arrange the cinnamon rolls on a cookie sheet in a group.
Allow to rise until doubled.
Chill for several hours, or overnight.

To finish:

Preheat oven to 375.
Take the rolls out of the fridge and let get to room temperature during preheating.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden on top.

Frosting/topping ingredients:

I always top with a caramel sauce, so here goes:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1-2 tbsp butter
Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
1 tbsp of pumpkin puree.

Whisk together all of the ingredients except the pumpkin and butter.
Heat until boiling. Do not whisk at this point.
Let cook for about 5 minutes, until it has the color of caramel (put a drop on a white dish).
Take off heat.
Add butter, it may pop and sizzle a little.
Stir in pumpkin.
Once the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, immediately pour the caramel over them.


Voila! You are done. It is not easy the first try, but with practice, you can have the most yummy cinnamon rolls for fall! I normally make them at night, and chill them for breakfast the next morning. I use oats in my recipe, because it keeps the final product from getting stale.

Once I make these, I put on a pot of hazelnut coffee, and invite over all my friends for breakfast. It is thoroughly enjoyable, not to mention delicious.
Enjoy!