A croissant-like pastry dough is loaded with a sweet pumpkin filling and rolled in spiced sugar. Buttery and light, these Pumpkin Morning Buns are a deliciously flaky pastry.
Although making laminated dough seems like a lot of work, this recipe is well worth the effort. The pastry is soft and has layers like a croissant, but isn’t as fussy as a standard croissant recipe. You need some time and patience but the hands-on work is minimal. Overall, these Pumpkin Morning Buns are a great fall pastry to enjoy with your morning coffee.
To make these pumpkin Morning Buns you'll need:
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Active dry yeast – You can substitute for instant yeast by skipping the activation part and going straight to combining the wet ingredients.
- Maple syrup
- Bread flour – If you don’t have bread flour you can sub for all-purpose flour or incorporate some vital wheat gluten. See notes below for more details.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Unsalted non-dairy butter – To make this recipe nut-free I’ve opted to use Violife’s Plant Butter Unsalted.
- Pumpkin puree – Fresh or canned both work, although if making homemade pumpkin puree the pumpkin might be more watery and if that’s the case feel free to add another tablespoon of cornstarch. Also, make sure you don’t grab pumpkin pie filling if using canned!
- Brown sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice – Alternatively, you can use a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar
Notes:
Troubleshooting yeast:
If your yeast doesn’t foam up after 10 minutes that means it’s dead. Either your milk was too hot or the yeast is too old! Start over with cooler milk, max 110℉. If you’re using lukewarm milk and the yeast still doesn’t activate, your yeast is bad and you’ll need to replace it.
Does morning bun dough need to rise overnight?
The making of morning bun dough tends to be a long process because of all the down time the dough needs. This Pumpkin Morning Bun recipe calls for a pre-ferment and an overnight rise. This helps the flavors in the dough really develop and also makes this wet dough much easier to work with once it has had time to sit and chill. You can technically do this with less rise time, but I highly suggest doing each rise per the directions for the best results.
What is laminating the dough?
Laminating the dough is a simple process of incorporating butter into the dough. You roll the dough with butter out and fold it into thirds then spin, roll it out, and fold it into thirds again- and so on. For this recipe, you’ll roll out and spin the dough three times before letting it rest a final time.
Can you substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour?
You can substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour but the dough may not be as tender. Bread flour has a higher protein content which results in a stronger yet softer dough. Alternatively, you can mix all-purpose flour with a bit of vital wheat gluten to make your own bread flour. As a rule of thumb, for every 4 cups of all-purpose flour remove 2 tbsp of flour and add in 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten.
To avoid the filling spilling out:
Since the filling is on the softer side things can get messy, but that’s okay! The end result will still be delicious and you’re covering the buns in sugar so you won’t notice any leaked filling. But to help keep the filling from spilling out, it helps to stretch the dough as you roll it into a log. Then be decisive when cutting into individual buns and use a sharp knife. Once you start cutting a section, just go for it. You can always go back in and add some of the spilled filling on top before baking if you’re having a hard time rolling the dough up.
What's the shelf life of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls?
Store these Flaky Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls in an airtight container or bread bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. These are best eaten fresh to avoid staleness, but regardless I suggest reheating before eating. To reheat, bake or air fry for a couple of minutes.
Pumpkin Morning Buns - Vegan & Nut-Free
Ingredients
For the pre-ferment:
- 1½ c unsweetened soy milk lukewarm
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1½ c bread flour
For the dough:
- ½ c unsweetened soy milk cold or room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ c maple syrup
- 2½ c bread flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted vegan butter softened
To laminate the dough:
- ½ c unsalted vegan butter cold
For the filling:
- ⅓ c pumpkin puree
- ⅓ c brown sugar
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
For the topping:
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp vegan butter melted
Instructions
First, activate the yeast and pre-ferment the dough.
- Mix together the lukewarm milk and maple syrup in a large bowl then add in the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Incorporate the bread flour into the yeast mixture, this should be almost like a batter in consistency. Cover with a damp tea towel or a lid and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the dough has some bubbles.
Next, finish the dough.
- After the pre-fermentation, add the rest of the dough ingredients and either using a rubber spatula or stand-mixer mix until the dough comes mostly together.
- One tablespoon at a time, add in the softened butter and knead until all of the butter is incorporated and the dough is smooth. Let the dough sit covered in the fridge overnight, at least 8 hours.
After resting, laminate the dough.
- First, prepare the butter by measuring out the butter needed and gently pounding it into an even square, no more than ¼-inch thick.
- Next, on a lightly floured surface, press some air out of your dough and roll into a rectangle that's about 1 inch thick.
- Place the butter square in the center of the dough then wrap the corners of the dough around the butter until it's fully encased. Gently press together the seams of the dough and turn it over.
- Gently roll out the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle, taking care to not let the butter tear the dough, and fold the top and bottom of the dough inwards like an envelope. Cover the dough in a damp tea towel and let sit in the fridge until everything is chilled again, at least 30 minutes.
- After the dough rests, place it on a lightly floured surface and spin it 90 degrees from where it was previously (you want to roll it out on the opposing side from where the folds are). Gently roll out the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Again, make sure to not press hard enough to make the butter get exposed.
- Fold the dough like an envelope and spin 90 degrees once more. Roll it out the same as before and fold for the final time. Wrap in a damp tea towel and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes once more.
Time for the filling.
- In a small bowl mix together all filling ingredients until smooth then set aside.
- Roll out the dough like you would for cinnamon rolls then spread the filling out evenly, making sure to leave a border of dough without filling.
- Gently roll the filled dough into a log then cut into 12 equal pieces. It helps to slightly pull and wrap the dough as you roll it up so the filling doesn't get squeezed out.
- Evenly place the cut buns on a lightly buttered baking sheet and let these rise a final time covered with a damp tea towel at room temperature for an hour.
Finally, bake and finish.
- Once the buns have doubled in size, bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 30-40 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through baking. Once golden brown remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Then, brush some melted butter on each of the buns and carefully completely cover the buns in the spiced sugar. Once covered in sugar, enjoy!