Vegan Giant Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll

Fall has been here for a hot minute and I’m bringing you a little twist to the traditional cinnamon roll with this vegan, refined sugar-free, fat-free, ultra moist giant pumpkin cinnamon roll. There’s just enough pumpkin to know it’s there, but not enough to overpower our good old cinnamon. This is perfect as a dessert either plain, with icing or with ice-cream, or even as a breakfast with a delicious cup of hot chocolate or pumpkin spiced latte.

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The Dough

In a bowl with warm water. I suggest you use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature. The temperature should be between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit), add the sugar and the instant yeast. Mix to incorporate the yeast to the water, then let mixture rest for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add in the apple sauce, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, agave syrup, orange zest, and the yeast mixture that should have proofed during the resting time (evidenced by a layer of foam on the surface). Using a whisk, mix all the ingredients so they become homogeneous.

To the wet ingredients, add the flour half a cup at a time using a wooden spoon to mix at first. When it becomes difficult to mix the dough with the wooden spoon, use your hands to knead the dough inside the bowl. To avoid the dough from sticking in the bottom the bowl, I suggest you lightly grease the bottom of the bowl after kneading the dough. Then cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm area for at least an hour and 30 minutes (I usually turn on the oven on low and let the dough rest on the stove as it’s usually warmer with the oven on).

After the dough has rested for an hour and a half or so, it should have at least doubled (if not tripled) in size.

The Filling

To keep sugar low, we’re going to use a date based sweetener for our filling. Remove the pits from the dates and blend them using a high speed blender so as to get a very creamy dates paste. If you don’t own a high speed blender, boil the dates for 10 minutes to soften them before blending.

Add the dates paste to a mixing bowl, then add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix everything well to incorporate.

The Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll

Flour your working surface and pull out the dough to knead for a few more minutes prior to spreading it. Using a rolling pin, spread the dough to form a rectangle shape. The dough should be about a quarter of an inch thick.

Spread the dates filling on the rectangle shape dough that we spread earlier. Don’t be afraid to be generous when adding the dates filling, making sure the extremities are also covered.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough in the middle to have two equal parts. Then slice each part in the middle to obtain 4 stripe-like parts.

Roll the first stripe horizontally over itself from one edge to the other. Then place this first roll on the edge of the second stripe and roll it together again until the edge of the stripe (like a snowball effect). Repeat this process for the third and fourth stripe, each time adding the roll to the next banner and continuing to roll it until you’re left with one giant roll. Keep in mind that the final giant roll does not need to be perfect.

Grease a cast iron skillet with some cooking spray or some oil, then gently place the giant roll in the cast iron. Let the roll rest in a warm area again for 30 minutes. While the roll is resting preheat your oven at 400 degrees F.

After resting, the roll should have filled up the cast iron completely. Prepare the ‘egg’ wash by mixing the milk and sugar or sweetener of choice. Then using a basting brush, apply the mixture evenly over the roll. Pop the roll in the oven and let it bake for 50 minutes.

Once the roll is dried in the inside (checking with a knife) and golden brown on the outside, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for at least an 30 minutes.

The Icing

In a mixing bowl, add in the coconut cream, lemon juice, agave syrup, almond milk (omit the milk if you want a creamier icing) and vanilla extract. Mix everything up using a whisk so the mixture is homogeneous.

Drizzle the icing on the roll, and our giant pumpkin cinnamon roll is ready to serve. Enjoy!