Pumpkin buns? Yes, it’s a thing! I made these last year for the first time and they were a big hit. So these soft whole wheat pumpkin buns are on the menu again this year!
I don’t make bread a lot, but when I do it is usually around the holidays. And I always use this recipe; it never fails. Never change a winning team they say, right? It has a hint of sweetness. And even though bread dough has to rise and therefor takes long to make, the actually manual work you have to do is just 5 minutes of kneading and 5 minutes of shaping your buns!
Last year I decided to give my go-to bread recipe a Thanksgiving twist by adding a bit of pumpkin spice and purée to it. And for an awesome visual effect, I shaped them into pumpkins! What do you think? Aren’t these pumpkin buns the cutest thing ever!? Shaping them like this does add some extra time to it, but it is totally worth it I think. Having said that, making regular pull-apart dinner rolls by filling a deep pan with almost touching dough balls will still leave you with incredibly tasty buns!
How to make these soft whole wheat pumpkin buns?
prepare the yeast
I always start by sprinkling yeast onto lukewarm milk. I give it a quick stir and leave the mixture for 5 minutes. You will notice it will start to foam. That is exactly what you want to happen!
prepare the dough
I add all ingredients for these pumpkin buns including the foamy yeast mixture to a mixer. I mix it all on low-medium until it comes together. Then I turn it onto my floured countertop and knead the dough by continuously stretching it out like this:
Kneading dough like this, causes the gluten strands to get stronger and longer. You will notice that the dough becomes stretchier and smoother. Be careful not to over-knead the dough, otherwise it becomes tough and chewy. Anyway, enough with the technical talk; knead the dough for 5-7 minutes stretching it out like this and you will end up with the perfect dough.
The first rise
I leave the dough for these soft whole wheat pumpkin buns in a greased mixing bowl and let it rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size.
Dividing the dough
When the dough has doubled in size I turn it onto my lightly floured countertop and punch the air out of it. I then divide it into 12 equal parts.
Forming the pumpkin buns
Roll all 12 into balls. Now cut 12 pieces of kitchen twine (I actually used cotton craft twine the kids use to make bracelet out of). It should be your arms length (so from hand to hand when you stretch your arms out sideways/horizontally).
Now place a dough ball in the middle of a piece of string and flip the whole thing over. Pull the two pieces of string together and cross them over on the bottom of the dough ball. Flip it over again and do the same thing until the ball is divided into 8 equal pieces. Tie the string at the top, like you can see in the picture above.
The second rise
Now that all pumpkin buns are formed and twined, transfer them to a greased and lightly floured baking tin. Cover the tin with a tea towel and let them rise for another hour more or less.
Buns in the oven
Now that the buns have doubled in size they are ready to hit the preheated oven. Bake them for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown. They will actually be a little bit orange because of the pumpkin puree that is in it!
Take the twine off
Untie the knot and gently take the string off of each bun.
Letting them shine
This is totally optional, but brushing them with melted butter or even better my maple butter glaze will make them look even better! But before you do, stick a cinnamon stick in them so they really look like pumpkins. I actually cut my cinnamon sticks in half (with scissors) so they wouldn’t stick out too much.
And that’s it! That’s it?? I know, it sounds hard, but the dough comes together fairly easily. And just keep in mind that most bread doughs have to rise twice (once as an entire dough and the second time as individual buns). Yes, twining the buns takes some time and effort, but I did it and so can you! Or opt to make regular pull-apart rolls and you will still end up with delicious bread!
I just love the look of these pumpkin buns. So festive! My kids are making them for Thanksgiving to bring over to our friend’s house. So we will all be huddled in the kitchen together next Thursday morning, because I will be making my annual turkey and stuffing! Already looking forward to it!
You can easily make these ahead of time and freeze them. This way you won’t have to stress out on Thanksgiving morning. You just have to thaw them and quickly heat them up right before your Thanksgiving feast is served.
I actually think this is my kids’ favorite Thanksgiving dish. And I can’t blame them. I hope you will give these pumpkin buns a try as well. They are
soft and fluffy – spiced and a bit sweet – too cute to look at – and so so delicious!
We brought these pumpkin buns to our friend’s Thanksgiving celebration last year together with a big turkey and stuffing. Are you looking for some healthy Thanksgiving inspiration? Our other favorite Thanksgiving sides are these roasted carrots, herby mashed sweet potatoes and this festive salad. And what about dessert? This pecan pie will be the star of your Thanksgiving show!
Another great festive bread recipe is this garlic herb bread wreath, a pull-apart bread. Great for Christmas or Thanksgiving!
Pumpkin buns
Equipment
- Mixer (or mix everything by hand)
Ingredients
- 3 tsp active dry yeast
- 200 ml lukewarm almond milk (or other type of milk)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp coconut sugar
- 360 gr white whole wheat flour (or use regular whole wheat flour if not available to you. The consistency of the dough will alter slightly and it will taste more 'nutty')
- 1 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 150 gr pumpkin puree (homemade or store bought)
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice (homemade* or store bought)
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast: start by sprinkling the yeast onto the lukewarm milk. Give it a quick stir and leave the mixture for 5 minutes. You will notice it will start to foam.
- Prepare the dough: add all ingredients including the foamy yeast mixture to a mixer and mix on low-medium until it comes together. Turn it onto a floured countertop and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.
- First rise: place dough in a greased mixing bowl and let it rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size.
- Form dough balls: When the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a lightly floured countertop and punch the air out of it and divide it into 12 equal parts.Roll all 12 into balls. Now cut 12 pieces of kitchen twine (I actually used cotton craft twine the kids use to make bracelet out of). It should be your arms length (so from hand to hand when you stretch your arms out sideways/horizontally).
- Form pumpkin buns: Place a dough ball in the middle of a piece of string and flip the whole thing over. Pull the two pieces of string together and cross them over on the bottom of the dough ball. Flip it over again and do the same thing until the ball is divided into 8 equal pieces. Tie the string at the top.
- The second rise: Transfer the buns to a greased and lightly floured baking tin. Cover it with a tea towel and let them rise for another hour more or less.
- Preheat oven to 360F/180C.
- Bake the buns: Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown.
- Finish the pumpkin buns: Untie the knot and gently take the string off of each bun. Optionally: brush the buns with melted butter or even better my maple butter glaze** And stick a cinnamon stick in them so they really look like pumpkins.
Notes
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