Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Overnight, No Yeast)

Pumpkin Puree vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling

When you are in the grocery store, you might notice two different cans that include pumpkin. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same thing. Here's the difference.

• Pumpkin puree. This is pure, unsweetened pumpkin that has been cooked and pureed. It’s the key ingredient for adding pumpkin flavor to recipes and is perfect for baking. If you've got some leftovers, make a pumpkin smoothie!
• Pumpkin pie filling. This is pre-seasoned and sweetened, meant specifically for making pumpkin pies. It contains spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, along with sugar and sometimes even eggs.

Pumpkin pie filling will add too much seasoning if we were to use it in this recipe, so be sure to grab a can of pumpkin puree.

Ingredients to Gather

• All purpose flour. Bread flour will work too.
• Sourdough starter. You want to make sure your starter is active and bubbly. If you are new to sourdough, you can make your own sourdough starter, buy one, or get one from a friend like I did. We will be using a lot of sourdough starter for this recipe, so make sure you have a good amount handy. Use it to make all sorts of sourdough recipes, like my sourdough hot cross buns!
• Pumpkin pie spice. During the fall you can always find a good blend of pumpkin pie spice in the grocery store, but you can also make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. Either will work!
• Pumpkin puree. Homemade or canned pumpkin puree is perfect.
• Egg. Cinnamon roll dough is an enriched dough so we have to add some eggs to the dough.
• Salt. It helps control the yeast from getting out of control but it also balances the sweetness in the dough.
• Butter. We will be adding butter to both the dough and the filling. It helps make these cinnamon rolls gooey and soft.
• Brown sugar. This helps keep the rolls nice and moist. Granulated sugar can work as well too.

For the Powdered Sugar Glaze

• Powdered sugar. You don't want to use regular granulated sugar or your icing will be grainy. Confectioners sugar or powdered sugar is what you should use.
• Milk. To help thin out the icing. If you want a thicker icing, use less milk. If you like a thinner icing, use more milk.
• Vanilla extract. For added flavor.

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

Add-ins and Variations to Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

These rolls are amazing just the way they are, but here are a few ways I like to switch things up:

• Pumpkin in the filling. For an extra pumpkin kick, mix ¼ cup (60 g) of pumpkin puree into the softened butter before spreading it on the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. Blot the puree with a paper towel first so the filling doesn't get watery and leak out the bottom.
• The heavy cream trick. Right before the rolls go in the oven, pour ½ cup of warm heavy cream over the top so it settles into the bottom of the pan. It soaks into the rolls while they bake and makes them extra soft and gooey. Once you try this, it's hard to go back!
• Chopped pecans. Sprinkle ½ cup of chopped pecans over the filling before you roll up the dough. Toasting them in a dry pan for a few minutes first brings out so much flavor.
• Maple glaze. Whisk together 100 g (about ¾ cup) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon milk. Add a splash more milk if it's too thick. This one tastes like fall in a bowl.
• Brown butter glaze. Melt 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter in a small pan over medium heat and keep cooking, swirling often, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown. Let it cool for a few minutes, then whisk in 100 g powdered sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. It's rich and toasty and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin.
• Faster version with instant yeast. Not up for waiting 8 hours? Add 1 teaspoon of instant yeast to the dry ingredients and keep everything else the same. The starter still gives you that sourdough flavor, but the yeast speeds things up. Your first rise will take about 1½ to 2 hours, and the second rise about 30 to 45 minutes. You can have warm cinnamon rolls on the table in about 3 to 4 hours instead of a full day!

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, melted butter, brown sugar, and egg. Stir until well mixed.

Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. Turn the stand mixer on low speed and knead for 4-5 minutes or until the a smooth dough forms.

Step 4: Place the cinnamon roll dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, or until noticeably puffed.

Step 5: Once the dough has risen, turn it onto a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle about 12 inches by 18 inches. Spread the softened butter all over the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the butter.

Step 6: Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces and place it into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Let the buns rise for about 1-2 hours or until they are touching and noticeably puffy.

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are baked through. Make the icing and spread the icing over the cinnamon rolls once they have been baked through and cooled slightly.

Sample Baking Schedule

Overnight Schedule (fresh rolls for breakfast and my favorite way)

• 8:00 am: Feed your starter so it's active and bubbly by lunchtime.
• 12:00 pm: Mix and knead the dough, then cover and let it rise on the counter.
• 7:00 pm: Roll out the dough, add the filling, slice, and place the rolls in your greased pan.
• 7:30 pm: Cover the pan tightly and pop it in the fridge overnight.
• 7:00 am: Take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter for about an hour to come to room temperature and puff up.
• 8:00 am: Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
• 8:30 am: Let them cool slightly, drizzle with glaze, and dig in!

Same-Day Schedule (Rolls for an Afternoon Treat or Dinner)

• Night before: Feed your starter before bed so it's ready to go in the morning.
• 7:00 am: Mix and knead the dough, then cover and let it rise on the counter.
• 2:00 pm: Roll out the dough, add the filling, slice, and place the rolls in your greased pan.
• 2:15 pm: Let the rolls rise for 1 to 2 hours until they're puffy and touching.
• 4:00 pm: Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
• 4:30 pm: Glaze and serve warm!

Lynn's Tip: Watch the dough, not the clock! In a warm kitchen, your first rise might only take 4 to 6 hours. In a chilly kitchen, it can take up to 10. You're looking for dough that has doubled in size. Just slide the rest of the schedule earlier or later to match.

Tips and Tricks

• Feed your starter. Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. A well-fed starter will give your rolls a nice rise and flavor. Check out how to feed and maintain a sourdough starter for answers to all your sourdough starter questions.
• Rolling the dough. Rolling out the dough evenly helps ensure that your rolls bake evenly. Try to keep the thickness to about ¼ of an inch thick.
• This is a great glaze recipe to use, but you can use your favorite cinnamon roll icing recipe. For an even thicker icing, use my 3 ingredient cream cheese frosting on top of these rolls.

How To Know Your Dough is Ready

Here's the thing about pumpkin sourdough, it's a really heavy dough, so it's not going to double the way a regular sourdough loaf does. The first time I made these, I kept waiting for it to double and ended up with over proofed dough that deflated the second I rolled it out. Now I look for these signs instead:

• It looks puffy. The dough should be about 50 to 75% bigger than when you started, with a rounded, domed top.
• It jiggles. Give the bowl a little shake. Ready dough wobbles like a soft pillow instead of sitting there stiff.
• It passes the poke test. Flour your finger and press it about half an inch into the dough. If the dent springs back slowly and leaves a small indent, it's ready. If it bounces right back, give it more time. If the dent stays put and doesn't come back at all, it's starting to overproof, so roll it out right away.
• You might see a few bubbles. Look along the sides of the bowl or on top. You won't see as many as with a regular sourdough, but a few means your starter is doing its job.

Troubleshooting

My dough is super sticky. Pumpkin puree adds a lot of moisture, so blot it with a paper towel before measuring. If the dough is still sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

My dough barely rose. Your starter may not have been at its peak, or your kitchen is on the cool side. Use bubbly starter that passes the float test, and try rising the dough in the oven with just the light on.

My rolls came out dense. The dough was likely underproofed or had too much flour added. Let it rise until it's puffy and about 50 to 75% bigger, and go easy on the flour when rolling it out.

My rolls are flat. That's a sign of overproofing. If a poke leaves a dent that doesn't spring back at all, shorten the rise next time, especially on warm days.

The filling leaked out. Use softened butter instead of melted, and leave a ½-inch border along the far edge. Roll the log snugly and pinch the seam closed before slicing.

The tops are brown but the middles are raw. Loosely cover the pan with foil after about 15 minutes and keep baking. An oven thermometer helps too, since every oven runs a little different.

Sourdough Discard vs. Active Sourdough Starter

This is one of the most common questions I get, so let's clear it up! For this recipe, you need active starter. That means starter you fed 4 to 8 hours ago that's bubbly, puffy, and at (or close to) its peak. Since there's no yeast, baking soda, or baking powder in these rolls, your starter is doing all the heavy lifting. And with all that pumpkin weighing the dough down, it needs every bit of rising power it can get.

Sourdough discard is the starter you'd normally toss before a feeding. It's still full of flavor, but it's sleepy and doesn't have enough oomph to lift a heavy dough like this one. I tried it once out of curiosity, and after 10 hours on the counter, my dough had barely budged. The rolls came out dense and gummy.

Want to use discard anyway? You can! Just swap in 240 g of discard for the active starter and add one packet (2¼ teaspoons) of instant yeast to the dry ingredients. The yeast handles the rise and the discard adds that tangy sourdough flavor. Expect about 1½ to 2 hours for the first rise and 30 to 45 minutes for the second.

Not sure if your starter is ready? Drop a small spoonful into a glass of water. If it floats, you're good to go. If it sinks, give it a little more time to get bubbly. This is a good test to see if it's ready to bake with.

And if you're sitting on a jar of discard, my sourdough discard cinnamon rolls are made just for that!

Storage Info

Make the dough ahead of time. You can prepare the rolls up to the second rise, cover them tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature and rise before baking.

Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can even keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.

How To Freeze Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

You can freeze unbaked rolls for up to 3 months. After rolling and slicing, place them on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.

These also freeze well after they are baked. Freeze them unglazed for up to 3 months. Defrost them and then bake them for a few minutes to reheat them.

Frequently Asked Questions

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