No-Knead Pumpkin Rolls with Maple-Brown Sugar Glaze

Summer has been hanging on by it's fingernails here, with a few days of temps in the high 70s and low 80s here and there, but in my mind, fall is here.  We've been apple-picking and cider-drinking, we've gotten pumpkins and funny-shaped gourds, and I'm already thinking about my Thanksgiving menu.  So while it might not feel like pumpkin cinnamon roll weather, it is just that time of year.

These are delicious, and ridiculously easy for how impressive they are.  The bread is surprisingly light, and the filling is almost tooth-achingly sweet, which goes just perfectly with a cup of slightly bitter coffee.

No-Knead Pumpkin Rolls with Maple-Brown Sugar Glaze
from the Kitchn

What's in them:

For the dough:
2 Tbsp warm water
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1/2 package)
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 c pumpkin puree
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2-3 c all-purpose flour

For the filling:
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the icing:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c milk
1/2 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
pinch salt
1 1/4-1 1/2 c powdered sugar
How to make them:

Stir the yeast and water together and let sit a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved.

While the yeast sits, warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan on the stove top just until the butter is melted. Combine with the sugar in a large heat-proof mixing bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Let the milk mixture cool until it is just warm to the touch, then stir in the yeast and the pumpkin. Add the salt and two and a half cups of the flour all at once, stirring until all the flour has been absorbed. Squish it between your hands if you’re having trouble incorporating the last of the flour. The dough will be sticky, but should come together in a shaggy ball. If it's still more like cookie batter, work in an additional quarter to half cup of flour.

Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled, about 1-3 hours. Punch the dough down and refrigerate it for at least an hour, or overnight.  You can skip the refrigeration, but the dough will be harder to work with.

To shape the rolls, dust your work surface with a little flour and turn the dough out onto it. Pat it down into a rough rectangle and then use a floured rolling pin to roll it into a rectangular shape about a half an inch thick, longer than it is wide. If the dough gets sticky, sprinkle a little more flour on the dough’s surface and on your hands.

Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the brown sugar and the spices. Spread this over the rectangle of dough, leaving an inch of bare dough at the top. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder and pinch it closed at the top.

Grease or butter the bottom of and 8"x8" baking dish or a 9" cake pan. Cut the roll into eight or nine individual rolls 1 - 1 1/2" thick. Place them into your baking dishes so they have a bit of space on all sides to rise. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise until they fill the pan and look puffy, 30 minutes for already-warm dough and 1 hour for dough that’s been refrigerated overnight.  Rolls can be refrigerated again overnight, and removed from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you're ready to bake them.

About 20 minutes before baking, begin heating the oven to 375°. When the rolls are ready, bake them for about 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and starting to look toasted around the edges.

While the rolls are baking, mix the icing. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter. When the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the brown sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar. This should form a thick but still pourable glaze.

Let the rolls cool for a minute or two, then pour half of the icing on top. Eat them immediately, with an extra dollop of icing on each so that the sides get some too.

Leftovers (if you have any) will keep for several days and are best reheated for a minute in the microwave.