Am I done with pumpkins yet? Am I hell! I realised many moons ago that with each season, I seem to find myself obsessed with a single vegetable, fruit or herb. I’m older now though & set in my ways so this is never going to change… I might as well succumb to the fact that every winter shall be spiced with as much mixed spice & cinnamon as possible, in spring I will be all about wild garlic, in summer courgettes will rule my kitchen & in autumn, pumpkins will go in everything from dinner to dessert.
If you haven’t already discovered or shared in my obsession of pumpkin based recipes then welcome to my little spiced world, get cosy, grab a cup of something hot & settle in because today I’m sharing a really cute & cosy recipe with you. These little pumpkin buns are as fun to make as they are to look at, a perfect festive treat or a great sharing recipe for Halloween. Filled with pumpkin & warming spices these are delicious eaten as they are but I highly recommend trying them whilst still warm & with a little spread of salted or cinnamon butter.
PUMPKIN BUNS
(makes 10)
Ingredients:
For the buns:
- 500g strong white flour
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 5g salt
- 7g fast-action yeast
- 50g butter, melted
- 200ml whole milk
- 150g pumpkin purée
For shaping & decorating:
- Twine or string
- A little olive oil
- Cinnamon sticks
Method:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar & spices before placing the salt & yeast into opposite sides of the bowl & briefly combine everything together
- Warm the milk & butter together in a saucepan or microwave & leave to cool slightly until just lukewarm
- Add the pumpkin purée to the milk mixture & whisk to combine
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients in the bowl & pour in the milk mixture
- Stir until a dough begins to form (you many not need all of the milk mixture, alternatively use a little water if your dough feels a bit dry)
- Empty the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface & knead for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if using a dough hook in a stand mixer) until it is smooth, elastic & it has a slight shine
- Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm & leave to rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size
- Once your dough has risen tip it out onto a floured work surface & knock back the dough (knead out the air pockets)
- Divide your dough into 10 evenly sized pieces & use your hands to shape each piece into a ball (I prefer to cage my hands around the dough & move in a circular motion on the worktop)
- Next, take your twine or string & cut out 40 pieces, roughly 8-10 inches in length
- Fill a small bowl or plate with some olive oil & dip in each of the pieces of string to coat
- To shape the buns, begin by taking a piece of string & laying it out vertically on your work surface
- Place the next piece of string & lay this out horizontally, along the centre point of the the first piece of string
- Repeat this until by laying another two pieces of string across the same central point so that you have 4 pieces all crossing over at the same point (in a sort of star shape pattern)
- Take the first ball of dough & place it over the central point of strings
- Carefully take each piece of string over the dough & tie together leaving enough room for the buns to prove & rise a little
- Cut off the excess string from the top & place on a baking sheet
- Repeat this process with each of the buns
- Cover your shaped buns with a tea towel & leave to prove for around 45 minutes
- Once proved, bake the buns at 200C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown & they sound hollow when tapped underneath
- Set aside to until cool enough to handle before carefully cutting & removing the strings from each one
- Finally, press a piece of cinnamon stick into the centre of each of the pumpkin buns before leaving to cool on a cooling rack
