Pumpkin Bread Rolls

Instructions

Whisk together the yeast, with ½ tsp of the brown sugar and ⅓ of the milk until the yeast has dissolved. Leave to rest for 5 - 10 minutes until foamy. Whisk in the remaining milk, sugar, pumpkin puree and egg.

Stir in the flour, salt and spices to form a rough dough. Mix for a couple of minutes then gradually add the butter a tablespoon at a time, mixing well.

Continue to mix for 20 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. (It should still be quite soft and sticky but should not be wet, if it is then you can add in a little more flour as needed).

Place the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, (around 1-2 hours).

Knock back the risen dough and divide it into 12-15 even pieces. On a lightly floured clean work surface, shape each one into a ball. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

To shape the buns using scissors, oil your scissors (or a sharp knife) and make 8 cuts equally spaced around the ball of dough, leaving the centre uncut.

To shape the buns using string, take a long piece of string and find the halfway point. Place the half way point on top of the ball of dough and flip the whole thing over. Pull the two pieces of string together and cross them over to create a cross on the bottom of the 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 and cut off any excess. Make sure that you don't pull the string too tight as the dough will expand a lot as it rises and in the oven.

Place the buns spaced apart on the prepared trays. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and set aside to rise until puffy and the dough springs back slowly if you press it with a finger (about 45 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the buns for about 20 minutes until golden and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Remove the buns from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes then very carefully remove the string. Brush the buns generously with melted butter and store in an airtight container.