These Pumpkin Buns are incredibly soft, fluffy and flavourful. Packed with mashed Pumpkin and Cinnamon, these little Bread Buns make great dinner bread rolls, sandwich and burger buns or appetiser.
Prepare the Mashed Pumpkin: peel the skink off and cook the pumpkin in your preferred way (steam, boil or roast in the oven wrapped in foil) until very soft. Mash until very smooth, either using a hand masher or in a blender. Set aside to cool down.
Place the lukewarm Milk (about 35 degree Celsius / 95 degree Fahrenheit), Brown Sugar and Yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk well then leave for about 10 minutes or until small bubbles appear on the surface (see note 1).
Mix in the Egg, Oil and Mashed Pumpkin, then the Bread Flour, Salt and Cinnamon. Mix with a stiff spatula until a rough dough comes together.
Fit the dough hook attachment on your mixer and start kneading on low speed, slowly increasing to high speed. Keep on kneading for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is very soft, elastic and passes the windowpane test (see note 2). It will still be slightly sticky.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel (transfer into a clean large greased bowl first if preferred) and leave to proof in a warm spot for 1,5 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. Alternatively, place in the fridge to proof overnight for 8-12 hours.
Punch the dough to deflate it and transfer over a very lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 equal pieces (see note 3) and bring each piece together into a rough ball.
To shape the buns: slightly flatten each piece of dough and fold the edges towards the centre, gently pressing to make it stick. Continue to fold until you start feeling resistance in the dough. Turn the ball over (seams side down) and gently pull it towards you, your fingers placed on one side / bottom of the bun. Turn 90 degrees and repeat a few times. Finish to shape the dough by rolling it in a circular movement under the palm or your hands.
Repeat the process with the 12 buns, then place them in a 28 x 40 cm (11 x 14 inch) roasting pan (or similar large baking tray) lined with baking paper. Leave some space between each bun so they have room to rise.
Egg Wash & Topping
In a small bowl, whisk the Egg and Milk for the egg wash. Brush it over each bun then optionally top with Pumpkin Seeds, or your choice of topping.
Cover the pan with a large tea towel and leave to proof in a warm spot for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the buns have risen again.
Preheat your oven on 180 degree Celsius / 350 degree Fahrenheit then bake the buns for 20 to 22 minutes. They should have nicely puffed and look golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool down completely before removing from the pan.
Notes
To bake the pumpkin buns, I used a 28 x 40 cm (11 x 14 inch) roasting pan.
If using Instant Yeast, this step is not technically required as the yeast will not need to be activated - but I like to do this step anyway as a way to check that the yeast is alive. If using Active Yeast, this step is mandatory to activate it.
To do the test, gently pull and stretch a small piece of the dough between your fingers. If the dough breaks quickly, it needs to be kneaded for longer. If it stretches easily without breaking and you can see light coming through it, it has passed the windowpane test.
To be precise and have pumpkin buns the same size, use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into 12 exact pieces. Weight the total dough, divide that number into 12 and measure each bun to be that weight.