The Math Blaster Blog

You avoided using your oven all summer because it was too hot, right? Now that it’s October and cooler weather has started to roll in, take advantage of this fun and tasty opportunity to bring your child (and learning!) into the kitchen. Try making these delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls over the weekend as a breakfast treat for the family! Baking and preparing ingredients can prove to be a fun and new approach to employing real world math skills.

Photo by VeganBaking.net, ©2010 Some rights reserved. Licensed by Creative Commons Public Works License.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 oz. Active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg

Before we get started, here’s a few tips for getting the most math out of this activity

• Help your child become more comfortable with fractions by challenging them to add smaller fractions to get the amount that the recipe calls for. For example, if you need 2/3 cups milk, how many 1/3 cups of milk would you need? For the more fractionally advanced, how many 1/4 cups pureed pumpkin would you need to get the 1/2 cup that the recipe calls for?
• Another is option to double or halve the recipe. This challenges your child to multiply or divide fractions, which can seem scary at first but is manageable if you take it one step at a time. Consider whipping up an extra batch of these for Grandma or Grandpa, the office, or your neighbor who dog sits while you’re away.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and the yeast. Set aside
2. Warm the pumpkin puree, milk, sugar, 2 tablespoons butter (math tip: that’s half!) and salt together in a saucepan
3. Gradually add the pumpkin mixture to the large bowl containing the flour mixture. Add the egg.
4. Mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until dough appears stiff.
5. Place dough in greased bowl and grease the top of the dough. Cover greased dough and let rise for one hour.
6. After dough has risen, roll dough into a flat rectangle. Melt the remaining butter and brush it onto the dough.
7. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. This makes the filling of your cinnamon rolls.
8. Roll dough into a log and cut it into 12 1-inch slices.
9. Place rolls in a greased baking pan. Cover and continue to let rise for an additional 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Filed under: Baking with kids, Family Activities, Family Fun, Holiday, Kitchen Math, Math, Math Activity Tagged: | Activities, Autumn, baking, cinnamon rolls, cooking, fall, fall recipe, family activity, kitchen, kitchen math, Math, math activity, math practice, pumpkin, pumpkin recipe, recipe