PUMPKIN CINNAMON SPIRALS
The scent of freshly baked cinnamon buns in the mall or airport makes my mouth water even if I’m not hungry. But if I succumb to temptation, I’m always disappointed by the toothachingly sweet, greasy blobs. I want the buns to taste like everything I smell: tender, buttery, cinnamon-laced pastry with a tangy glaze. To get there, and in short order without a yeasted dough, I start with a shortcake dough and use pumpkin to make the buns tender and naturally sweet. I find these sweet enough on their own, but if you want that glossy zigzag, drizzle the tops with the yogurt glaze.
makes 16
no eggs, no nuts
- 1 (15-ounce; 425-g) can pure pumpkin puree (1¾ cups)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (78 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups (284 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 cup (134 g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 4½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (114 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
Yogurt glaze (optional)
- ½ cup (130 g) plain yogurt
- ¼ cup (34 g) confectioners’ sugar
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin in a small bowl. Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in another small bowl.
3. Whisk both flours, the baking powder, salt, and the remaining ¼ cup (52 g) sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat, then cut it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until small crumbs form. Add the remaining pumpkin and fold with a fork just until the dough comes together in large clumps. Gather the dough together in the bowl and gently knead to bring it into a ball.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into an 8-by-16-inch rectangle. Spread the reserved pumpkin over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the pumpkin.
5. Starting from a long side, roll the dough up into a log. Use a serrated knife to saw the log into sixteen 1-inch-thick slices. Place on the prepared pan, cut side up, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
6. Bake until the spirals are golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 22 minutes.
7. Slide the parchment paper with the spirals onto a wire rack to cool. If unglazed, serve warm or at room temperature.
8. If you’d like to glaze the spirals, cool them and glaze shortly before serving: Stir together the yogurt and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over the spirals and let stand until set.
MAKE AHEAD
The spirals are best the day they’re made, but unglazed ones will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. The glazed spirals should be eaten the same day.