Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

For the cinnamon roll dough:

¾ cup milk 

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast)

¾ cup pumpkin puree 

¼ cup melted butter

1 egg, at room temperature

4 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

¼ cup butter, at room temperature

For the cream cheese glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Pinch of salt

Sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. Add warm milk and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Mix on low a few seconds. Add pumpkin puree, room temperature egg and melted butter, to mixer and mix until smooth and well combined and creamy. Next stir in bread flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt until a dough begins to form. Place dough hook on mixer and knead dough on low speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. (If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface. Transfer dough ball to a large bowl greased with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray, then cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x16 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the sugar into the butter. Tightly roll dough up the dough, starting from the 14-inch side (the smaller side) and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. Then cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. You should get 12 rolls. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. I highly recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise again for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup and salt. Beat until smooth. Spread over the pumpkin cinnamon rolls and serve! Sprinkle cinnamon rolls with a little cinnamon for a pretty look.