This is a great way to spice up ordinary cinnamon rolls or buns. These amazing pumpkin-walnut cinnamon buns get their great flavour and golden colour from fresh pumpkin and spices added. They are further suped up with added walnuts so you are getting extra proteins and healthy fats in these buns too. The sweet topping and tender texture make these pumpkin-walnut cinnamon buns a surefire people pleaser.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, add dry yeast, sugar and warm (not hot) water. Whisk together and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Then add fresh mashed pumpkin, cream, sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, half the flour (2 cups) and egg into the stand mixer with the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook attachment, mix everything at low speed for about 2 minutes. Then add in the balance of the flour. Continue to knead on low speed for about 6 to 7 minutes, until the dough becomes very smooth, slightly sticky and elastic.
Remove the dough from the stand mixer bowl. Drizzle some vegetable oil into the bowl and use that to coat the dough. Give the dough a little rub. Then place the dough back into the bowl. Place a foil over the top of the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
While waiting for the dough to rise, make the sugar cinnamon fillings. Place some brown sugar, white sugar, ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts in a bowl. Take a spoon and mix them together. Then set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a well floured work surface. (This will deflate the dough). Using your well floured hand, pat the dough into a rectangle shape about an inch thick. Sprinkle a little flour on the top. Then switch to a rolling pin and roll it out to a rectangle about 12 x 20 inch.
Pour melted butter over the top and brush evenly over the surface, leaving about 1 inch along one wide edge unbuttered. Then sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough and moisten the unbuttered edge of the dough with water. Starting at the wide edge with butter, roll the dough tightly into a log (jelly-roll style). Try to roll and end with the seam at the bottom. Also use your hand to press firmly along the moistened edge to seal.
Trim off about 1/2 inch on both uneven ends of the dough and discard. Then cut the dough into halves. Cut each half into 8 pieces so you will have 16 equally-sized pinwheels. Then carefully placed these pinwheels, cut side up into a well-buttered baking dish. Make sure they are all evenly spaced. Then cover the baking dish with a plastic wrap and set aside to let these pinwheels double in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 degree C ( 350 degree F ). Place rack in centre of the oven.
Bake the cinnamon buns in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool on rack for about 15 minutes while you prepare the cream cheese glaze.
In a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar and milk together until completely smooth. Drizzle over the warm cinnamon buns. Serve these buns warm, preferably with a cold glass of milk.