FOOD NEWS
The Reason You Shouldn't Add Cinnamon To Your Homemade Pumpkin Roll Dough
BY TOM MAXWELL
When making homemade pumpkin rolls, avoid adding cinnamon directly to the dough, as it can disrupt the yeast’s fermentation and prevent your rolls from having a fluffy texture.
This is because cinnamon has antimicrobial properties that can damage cell membranes, mess with lipid profiles, and suppress cell division, making it hard for the yeast to ferment.
The type of yeast used for baking is a domesticated strain called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It eats sugar and converts it into two things: alcohol and carbon dioxide.
It’s the latter that creates little air bubbles and helps your pumpkin rolls rise. Since cinnamon is S. cerevisiae’s natural enemy, it’s not something you want in the mix.
Instead, add cinnamon to your filling, and keep your dough separate from the mixture. Add other things to the dough, like nutmeg, that won’t slow or halt fermentation.