Soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Buns

These soft pumpkin buns are autumn in edible form — pillowy yeast dough kissed with cinnamon and ginger, baked golden, then rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm. They make the whole kitchen smell incredible. For another pumpkin treat, try my Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake (Light).

Ingredients

• 150 g (5.3 oz) pumpkin puree
• 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) milk
• 50 g (3.5 tbsp) melted butter
• 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar (up to 100 g if the pumpkin is not sweet)
• 450-500 g (3 3/4-4 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 7 g (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For coating after baking:

• 70 g (5 tbsp) melted butter
• 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
• 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Cook the pumpkin until soft: in the microwave with a splash of water for 5-6 minutes at 800 W, or in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 200 C (400 F). Blend until smooth.
2. Mix the pumpkin puree with the milk, sugar and melted butter.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, cinnamon and ginger.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and knead a soft dough that does not stick to your hands.
5. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours.
6. Divide the risen dough into 10 equal pieces and shape into neat balls.
7. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for 20-30 more minutes.
8. Bake at 180 C (350 F) for 20-25 minutes until golden.
9. While still warm, brush the buns with melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Tips

• Make sure your milk is lukewarm, not hot — too much heat kills the yeast and the dough will not rise.
• The dough should be soft and slightly tacky; resist adding too much flour, which makes dense buns. Allrecipes has helpful yeast-dough tutorials if you are new to baking with yeast.
• Roll the buns in cinnamon sugar while they are still warm so the coating sticks — work in batches straight from the oven.

Nutrition (per 100 g): 279 kcal · protein 23.3 g · fat 13.9 g · carbs 15 g.

For more cozy bakes, try my Mini Berry Cottage Cheesecakes — and if you cannot get enough pumpkin, the Roasted Pumpkin Coconut Soup makes a lovely savory counterpart.