fall cinnamon rolls

I mean, can anyone really ingest enough pumpkin in the fall? Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice chai, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies...I feel as though I'm not really enjoying fall unless I have inhaled a daily consumption of some pumpkin-type food.

So when I came across the recipe for these pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese I had a feeling that this would become another fall favorite, and boy was I right!

The cinnamon/butter/sugar filling slightly caramelizes while baking, so when you're eating the fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll, the roll itself is soft and chewy while the filling is a bit crispy. And that cream cheese tang beautifully complements pumpkin every time. It's like eating the whole season in one (not so) perfectly shaped pinwheel.

shaken, with a twist

After realizing that September's Avid Baker's Challenge was another yeast-based recipe, I was shaken. I mean, we all remember how my "focaccia" turned out: flat and crispy... basically, the exact opposite of focaccia. But I was ready for a redemption, so I gave myself plenty of time to let this baby rise for as long as it wanted to (and it wanted to rise All. Day.).

I wasn't crazy about the idea of apples in the bread, so I only did half the amount called for, and the other half I replaced with crunchy pecans- a perfect complement to the cinnamon and apples. I replaced some of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour and reduced the sugar in the dough because I knew the glaze would be sweet enough. 

Speaking of the glaze, it's completely unnecessary (and I normally love glaze). I even made the glaze with cream cheese so it was extra tasty, but since the bread isn't too sweet it just seemed to overpower it. The recipe makes 2 loaves and one loaf I glazed, the other I left plain, and the plain one not only lasted longer, but it was amazing sliced, toasted and slathered with butter (as are most breads, I realize).