The most precious pumpkin shaped breakfast buns that I ever did see.

INGREDIENTS:

DOUGH:

✦  340 grams ap flour

✦ 40 grams granulated sugar

✦ 10 grams salt

✦ 20 grams pumpkin pie spice

✦ 150 grams slightly warmed whole milk

✦ 140 grams active sourdough

✦ 100 grams pure pumpkin puree

✦ 6 tbsp very soft unsalted butter

FILLING:

✦ 4 tbsp very soft unsalted butter

✦ 1/4 cup brown sugar

✦ 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

✦ baker’s twine

GLAZE:

✦ 3 tbsp melted butter

✦ 1 cup powdered sugar

✦ 1 tsp vanilla extract

✦ 2 tbsp milk

✦ 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

✦ cinnamon sticks

INSTRUCTIONS:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, sourdough, and pumpkin puree.

Using the dough hook attachment with your mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until all of it is absorbed. Cover, and let dough sit for 20-25 minutes to allow the dry ingredients to hydrate completely.

With the mixer on low, add one tablespoon of butter at a time and let it completely incorporate into the dough before adding more. Once all of the butter is worked in, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for 6-8 minutes. The dough should smooth, the sides of the bowl will be clean and the dough will still be sticky.

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth to complete the bulk rise-9 to 12 hours- until it is doubled in size and domed. (This will take at least 9 hours, if my house is cold it has taken 12+ hours. Letting the dough rise overnight works well and if you have a proofing area in your oven 76° F is ideal for sourdough to rise.)

Once proofed, turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll into a 17” x 12” rectangle. Spread the butter over the surface completely, except leave a ½” edge on the long side farthest from you (this will help you seal the filling inside after rolling). Sprinkle with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Roll up the dough from one long edge to the other (a bench scraper is a handy tool to help this process) as tightly as possible. When you reach the end, stretch the filling-less edge up and over and pinch it into place to seal. Using a bench scraper or a very sharp knife, cut the log in half, then each side in half, and each of those in half again to make 8 even sized pieces.

Cut 8 pieces of baker’s twine into approximately 14″ lengths. Tie around each roll to make a six sided pumpkin. Evenly space the rolls in a liberally greased sheet pan and once again cover with a damp towel for the second rise- 3 to 4 hours- until the rolls have risen about 1.5 times their size.

Just before the rolls are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 ° F, and once inside, bake for 30 minutes. The rolls should be just lightly browned, and you can always make sure a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the twine while the rolls are hot, then let them cool on a wire rack and mix all of the glaze ingredients well. While still warm spread the tops of the rolls with the glaze and top with a cinnamon stick stem.