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Pumpkin Sticky Buns for a memorable holiday dessert

By EILEEN BARETT Special to the AmNews

Growing up, holiday gatherings always happened at my place. Over the course of a few hours family members would stream into our home and find a spot to park themselves for the evening. About two dozen people would cram into our apartment in East Harlem, and stay for hours. I would spend days watching my mom plan and prep a combination of traditional American dishes like the roasted turkey and mashed potatoes and some classic Puerto Rican dishes like pernil, pasteles, and arroz con gandules. I remember an abundance of savory dishes and always one lonely, store bought, pumpkin pie for my dad. Dessert was just not a part of my mom’s repertoire.

It should come as no surprise that when I moved back to NY in the early 2000s and attended culinary school, my mom happily turned over the holiday meals to me. While I’ve kept a lot of her traditions going, I banished the store bought pie! With the inheritance of the Thanksgiving meal came new traditions like homemade desserts!

Another change is that I personally have Thanksgiving on the fourth Friday of November (because I’m just too tired to eat or even look at food after spending days cooking.) This isn’t a complaint; I think there’s magic in Thanksgiving leftovers, and there is also a very special addition to the menu: my Pumpkin Sticky Buns! Imagine the fluffiest cinnamon roll you’ve ever had drizzled with warm caramel sauce with just a touch of salt and pecan crumble. This recipe is easy to follow, even for a novice baker.

Whether you plan on having these on Thanksgiving day or as part of your leftover brunch, you’re going to want to give yourself enough time to prep them, as the proofing happens in two stages and can take up to two hours. Pro tip: Set them up as overnight rolls after you cut the cinnamon rolls. Place them in the pan and instead of setting them up to rise again, cover and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to bake them off, bring the rolls to room temperature and let them rise for 1 hour before placing them in the oven. They are best served warm.

Many loved ones didn’t gather last year, so I say, welcome family members back to your Thanksgiving table with this epic dessert. Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Sticky Buns

By EILEEN BARETT Special to the AmNews

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes Serving 9 Sticky Buns

Ingredients

For the dough:

¾ cup warm whole milk 2¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast) ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 egg at room temperature ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted ½ cup pumpkin puree 3½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg ¾ teaspoon salt

For the caramel glaze:

1 cup light brown sugar, packed 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1/8 tsp sea salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ cup heavy cream ¾ cup toasted Pecan, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Warm milk to around 110༠ degrees F. Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, pumpkin and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour, spices, and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.

Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If it’s too sticky, add in 2-3 tablespoons of flour.

Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to proof for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size. Dough may rise in more or less time depending on the humidity and temperature in your home. After the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a wellfloured surface and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.

In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the brown sugar mixture into the butter.

Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough.

Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. You should get 9 large pieces.

Place cinnamon rolls in a greased pan lined with parchment paper ( 9x9 inch cake pan or round 9 inch cake pan). Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350༠ degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 30 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. Allow them to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before glazing.

While rolls cool, combine ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened (5-7 minutes), add pecans, and pour evenly over warm rolls.

(Eileen Barett photos)