25 Oct Fall Vegan Recipes: Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
It’s October, which means Fall is officially here! 🍁What’s better than enjoying some freshly baked vegan sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast? These cinnamon rolls are definitely the fluffiest, softest and most moist ones I’ve ever made.
Why I Created This Recipe?
One issue of vegan cinnamon rolls is that without using eggs in the dough, the rolls are usually dense and not fluffy enough. I have been trying to tackle this issue for years, long before I started my sourdough journey. However, ever since I became obsessed with sourdough, I tried incorporating sourdough in some of my other recipes. For example, my pumpkin sourdough pancake recipe and sourdough birthday cake recipe etc. So I wondered, “Why not try making vegan cinnamon rolls with sourdough?”. And I am super glad that I did and grateful for my experimental mind. Because, this recipe, my friend, makes THE BEST VEGAN CINNAMON ROLLS in the world. I’m not even kidding. 😎
Fun Fact
I literally love this sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe so much that I made these in place of cake for my birthday last year. 🤣
The slow fermentation process of sourdough not only breaks down the carbohydrates and gluten, but it also neutralizes the phytic acid, making it easier for the body to digest. Moreover, sourdough gives the dough an extra fluffiness and softness. Most importantly, sourdough bread tends to stay fresh for longer when compared with bread raised by commercial yeast.
Cinnamon + Pumpkin = Perfect Match
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking about fall? To me, nothing smells like fall as much as a pumpkin pie! This vegan sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe is indeed inspired by pumpkin pie. The dough being the “crust”, while the cinnamon roll filling being the pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin Butter
Traditional cinnamon rolls are high in animals fats. Even for vegan versions, a large amount of oil is used. As you know I love to healthify comfort food without sacrificing taste, I am on a mission to make healthy sourdough cinnamon rolls! 😜
In order to do so, I switched out oil/ butter in ordinary cinnamon roll fillings with pumpkin puree. Since pumpkin is naturally sweetened, using pumpkin puree in the filling helps reduce the amount of sugar needed. What’s more, you can also make this recipe completely oil-free by substituting cacao butter with apple sauce in both the filling and the dough.
You probably will have some leftover pumpkin butter. 🎃 No worries, this pumpkin butter is perfect to serve with toasts, make porridge with it or simply as a topping of your smoothie bowls! Honestly, I made sure I kept a jar in the fridge as it goes well with literally everything. 🍞
Ancient Grains In Sweet Dough
If you have been reading my blog long enough, you know how much I love using ancient grains in my recipes, especially spelt & kamut. 🌾 Thus, it may come as no surprise that I incorporate ancient grain flour in this recipe. Some of you might be reluctant to use whole grain flour in a cinnamon roll. I did try making this recipe with entirely white bread flour. However, it didn’t turn out as good as the whole grain one. Personally, I love how the slightly nutty and earthy flavor of spelt and kamut build and enhance the overall flavor of the cinnamon pumpkin filling. Without the nuttiness and earthiness, there seem to be a lack of depth.
Serving Suggestion
Normally, I like to enjoy these sourdough cinnamon rolls by itself. But sometimes, you just need something extra to cheer yourself up. Therefore, I also included a vegan coconut caramel frosting recipe below for you. 😉 This frosting is made with all-natural ingredients and without any refined sugar. I used maple butter in the frosting to give it a hint of caramel flavor. But feel free to substitute maple butter with any liquid sweetener of your choice! 😎
Storing Suggestion
You can store these rolls at room temperature for 3-5 days. But if you don’t plan to have them within a week, I would suggest you to store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, simply spray some water on the surface of the rolls and bake them in a toaster oven for about 5-7 minutes*. This makes them taste as good as baked goods straight from the oven! 🙌
*This time is just for your reference. Since each toaster oven works differently, remember to check from time to time to prevent the rolls from burning.
Fall Vegan Recipes: Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Course: Breakfast, DessertCuisine: American8
servings25
minutesRecipe adapted from The Clever Carrot
Ingredients
- Dough
100g spelt flour
100g kamut flour
100g sourdough starter
2/3 cup plant milk (here I used Oatly)
54g cacao butter (melted) (or sub coconut oil)
1 flax or chia egg
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
3g sea salt
- Cinnamon Pumpkin Filling
1/2 cup pumpkin butter* (recipe below)
2 Tbsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp maple butter (or sub maple syrup/ agave syrup)
2 Tbsp cacao butter (melted) (or sub coconut oil)
- *Pumpkin Butter
425g pumpkin (diced)
1 green apple (cored and diced)
2 Tbsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional but highly recommended)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
- Vegan “Egg” Wash
2 tablespoons of sugar dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water
- Coconut Caramel Frosting
2 cans coconut milk
1/4 cup maple butter (or sub maple syrup/ agave syrup)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Directions
- Pumpkin Butter
- Place everything (except vanilla bean paste) into a crockpot.
- Cook at low setting for 6-8 hours, stirring occassionally (once every hour or two).
- Let it cool after finished cooking. Add in vanilla bean paste.
- Place the pumpkin butter in a blender (or you can also use an immersion blender), blend until smooth.
- Dough
- The night before you want to make the rolls. Feed the starter at a 1:2:2 ratio.
- In a large bowl, mix all dough ingredients (apart from the starter) until well-combined.
- Place the dough in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Take it out from the fridge before you go to bed. Let it sit at room temperature overnight*
- The next morning, add the active starter to the dough. Mix the dough for 10-15 mins. Let it rest for 15 mins and mix for another 5 minutes. It should not stick to your hands and should pass the windowpane test.
- After mixing, perform 2 sets of S&F in 30-min intervals.
- Leave untouched and let it rise for another 6-8 hours (or until it doubled in size).
- Scrape the dough out onto a clean counter top. Pre-shape. Rest for 15 mins.
- While the dough is resting, mix the ingredients of cinnamon pumpkin filling until everything is incorporated.
- Using floured fingertips, flip the dough over, give it a nice pat to degas it a bit. Gently roll into a rectangle (around 16″ x 12″). If you find it hard to roll, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before trying to roll again.
- Gently spread the filling evenly on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
- Again, using floured fingertips, carefully roll the long side of the dough. I find pressing it down while rolling makes it easier. Once you get to the end, roll the dough so that the seam side is facing down.
- Line a baking tray or in this case, I’m using a cast iron pan. Cut the dough into 8-10 rolls using a dental floss.
- Place the rolls on the pan, cover and let it rise for 1-2 more hours. They won’t rise much in this stage, but you will be able to see them puff up a bit.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water to make the “egg” wash.
- Preheat your oven to 175°C. Brush the rolls with “egg” wash. Bake them covered for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for further 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- Coconut Caramel Frosting
- Place 2 cans of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
- About 1 hour before making the frosting, chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer.
- Open the can and scoop the solid white coconut cream into the bowl.
- Beat the coconut cream on medium to high speed with a electric beater until fluffy and smooth, approximately 3 minutes.
- Gently add the maple butter and vanilla bean paste into the mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds or until everything is incorporated.
- Store in the fridge if not using immediately.
Notes
- * I find this way of mixing the dough works well for low hydration dough, especially when the dough has a higher whole grain ratio. It helps to pre-develop the gluten without having to knead the dough much.
