Food historians quibble over the origins of the Cinnamon Roll. There is considerable evidence that the Swedish did it first but the Swedish Kanelbulle is very different than the sweet iced rolls consumed in North America.

The cinnamon rolls that we know and love today are really a combination of the Swedish Kanelbulle, German Schnecken , and English Chelsea Buns. It was most likely created by colonists in the mid-1700s.

Kanelbulle are less sweet and have the addition of cardamom in the dough. The filling is made using confectioners sugar, cinnamon, and almond flour sprinkled over butter. The rolls are typically not glazed or frosted but rather sprinkled with pearl sugar.

Schnecken consists of a dough made of sour cream and at least three eggs. There is no butter in this roll. The dough is brushed with whipped egg whites and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. This creates a tighter bun with layers that are fused together.

Chelsea Buns are a popular tea time treat created with traditional yeast dough brushed with butter and sprinkled with, brown sugar, cinnamon, dried fruits and nuts. After baking the rolls are drizzled with a simple icing made of milk and confections sugar.

Pumpkins are such a nostalgic part of autumn. There is a level of rustic romantisism to the idea of going to the pumpkin patch or making a pumpkin pie. For me it invokes memories of hayrides, the time my parents made the mistake of telling me I could get whatever pumpkin I could carry (boy was that fun to clean out), and the pride of learning to bake and creating a little contribution for the Thanksgiving table.

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls have become a must have every autumn. Soft pumpkin rolls full of sweet cinnamon swirls topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting and a hint of maple. Over the years I’ve made quite a few batches of cinnamon rolls, and I’ve learned a few things.

First and foremost, you have to be patient with yeast based baking and allow them the proper time to knead and rise. For tender cinnamon rolls to rise beautifully they need time for the proteins in the dough to develop and trap air bubbles inside.

If you arent sure when dough has risen enough or doubled in bulk there are three tricks that can take the guess work out of it.

Let your dough rise in a oven that was preheated to 200 degrees and then turned off. This removes room temperature as a variable in your dough rising. Wrap your bowl tightly in cling wrap and use an expo marker to mark the starting size of your dough. Use the “finger test” Press your finger into the dough. If it does not stay indented then it has not risen long enough yet.

Next, don’t skimp on the butter. This recipe uses half as much butter as most cinnamon roll recipes already and the fats in the butter keep the proteins in the dough from being able to bind together thus, giving you lovely cinnamon sweet layers that you can be peel apart.

The last thing is to measure the cinnamon you put into the roll dough and avoid adding more. A compound in cinnamon can inhibit yeast dough from rising. The recommended teaspoon is a well tested balance that will not effect your dough’s ability to rise.