I was originally going to finish off our spooktacular month with a sweet pumpkin bread recipe for this week and shape it into a Jack o’ Lantern, but then I remembered that pumpkin bread is more of a cake recipe in that it’s initially a batter rather than a dough before baking. So, obviously that wasn’t going to work since I didn’t have a pumpkin mold. So instead, I had to think of another way of making a sweet pumpkin treat and I think this recipe turned out even better than I was expecting!
I was wanting to make this recipe using fresh pumpkin puree, but it was a bit too labor intensive as well, so I decided to base the amounts of ingredients on the amount included in the canned version and I think this recipe ratio works really well to streamline the process and make it easier to make. Though, if you do want to use fresh pumpkin puree, keep an eye out for my future pumpkin recipe coming next month!
Speaking of substitutes, I originally was going to substitute the cream cheese for the ricotta cheese that I still have from last week’s episode, which you can do, by blending it up with some lemon juice to make a really nice lower calorie cream cheese substitute. But, I didn’t want to do too much experimenting, since this was my first time making this recipe I created based on a mix of different recipes I saw online. But, you are more than welcome to experiment with this if you have some ricotta or even cottage cheese to use up.
Speaking of experimenting, I had based this recipe partially on my bao recipe I made a while back, so if you’re feeling a bit more on the savory side, I highly recommend trying to fill these buns instead with some char siu or experimenting with any other type of filling, whether it be sweet or savory. The bun itself is quite neutral in flavor and I think even without adjusting it, it would go well with a lot of other flavor pairings.
But, regardless of the type of filling you choose to use, for your leftover buns, once you’ve fully baked them, if you wish to store them, they should last for about a week or so in the fridge, but if you wish to make a whole bunch at once to store for longer, you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months or so, by first freezing them individually on a baking tray and then transferring them to a plastic bag to save on space. Then, to reheat them, you can microwave them individually for about 30 seconds or so, or if you want to reheat a whole bunch, preheat the oven to 300°F and bake the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 8-10 minutes until hot throughout, brushing or spraying the buns lightly with water halfway through. And with either method, they should be almost as good as fresh! Though, I recommend holding off on adding any of the decorations like the stem and the face until after you defrost them since they don’t work well in the reheating process.
With all of the other recipes this month being more on the creepy monster side of Halloween, I really wanted to end off with a nice, sweet treat that you could share and make with your friends and family, and I think that this recipe was a great representation of that. So, if you’re looking for a sweet pumpkin treat to fulfill your halloween sweet tooth with no tricks to ruin the spooky night, I highly recommend making some of these Pumpkin-shaped Pumpkin Buns.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Bun Dough:
- 5 cups of flour
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1 can, or about 2 cups, of pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup of milk or water
- 1 packet, or 2 1/4 teaspoon, of active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- A pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
- Some flavorless oil, like avocado oil (for greasing the bowl during the dough proofing stage and for oiling your baking strings)
- Pumpkin Cream Filling:
- 1 can, or about 2 cups more, of pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp or so of pumpkin pie spice (or if you have it, you can make your own mixture with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace, and/or cloves)
- 1/3 cup more of sugar
- 1/2 cup of cream cheese
- 4 more tablespoons of butter
- Decorations:
- Egg Wash: 1 more egg and some water to give your pumpkins a nice shiny surface
- Stems:
- Some small cinnamon sticks (to add a nice fragrance to the buns)
- Some almonds or pecans (if you want the whole pumpkin to be edible)
- Jack O’ Lantern Face: Some chocolate or edible marker/icing
Special Equipment:
- Some kitchen or baking twine to give the buns a pumpkin shape and add the ridges in the buns
Step 1: Proof Yeast Before Mixing Dough
First, we’ll prepare the dough, so heat up your milk in the microwave or stovetop to 110 to 115°F and then dissolve your yeast into this, as well as 1 teaspoon of your sugar, incorporating some air in as you mix, and then let it rest for a few minutes.
You should eventually see it start to bubble, but if not, your yeast has gone bad or your milk was too hot or too cold, so grab another packet and try this step again, until the yeast produces a bunch of bubbles like so, and has a strong, yeasty smell to it.
Step 2: Mix Together Dough
Once your yeast has proofed, take out your butter and cream cheese from the fridge to allow them to soften for later and then, in a large mixing bowl, add in your pumpkin puree, egg, your yeast-milk mixture, and the rest of your sugar, and give this a mix.
Then, add in your flour and salt, if needed, and then mix this all together until it forms a dough. If it’s too dry add in some more milk, or if it’s too wet, add in some more flour, until the dough forms together, but don’t knead it too much.
Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let this rest in the fridge for 20 minutes while we make the filling.
Step 3: Mix Together Pumpkin Cream Filling
For the filling, in another mixing bowl, add in your other can of pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice or your own mixture of spices, room temperature cream cheese, 4 tablespoons of your butter, and sugar, and give this a mix until everything is mixed together evenly.
Give the mixture a taste, and once it’s to your liking, cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it firm up in the fridge for later.
Step 4: Knead Butter into Dough & Then Knead into Smooth Ball & Let it Proof for 1 Hour
Once you’re done making the filling, grab the dough from the fridge and then scrape out the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and add your other 4 tablespoons of butter and knead this into the dough until it’s fully incorporated.
Continue kneading the dough until it becomes nice and smooth and you can pull the dough really thin without it ripping, about 10-12 minutes or so.
And then, once your dough is ready, brush a bowl with your oil, shape your dough into a smooth ball, and then roll it in the bowl to coat it with the oil and then let it proof in the bowl, covering it with more plastic wrap, letting it rest on the counter for an hour or until it doubles in size.
Step 5: Divide Dough into Pieces & Prepare Kitchen Twine
Once your dough is ready, knock it back by punching the dough down to degas it, and then divide the dough into 16 even pieces.
Then, for each piece, knead the dough a little bit to form it into a ball and then let these rest a little while we prepare the kitchen twine, by soaking some of it in some more of your oil. This is optional, but it helps with the removal of the strings later.
Step 6: Fill Dough w/ Filling & Wrap in Strings
Then, when you’re ready, grab your filling from the fridge, and then for each dough ball, flatten it into a round disk about 4 inches in diameter using a rolling pin or your hands, and then add two heaping tablespoons or so of your filling into the center of the dough.
Then, wrap the filling in the dough, sealing the bun by lifting up the edge of the dough and pinching the seams closed and then shape these back into balls. This step is a bit tricky, but don’t worry if you can’t get it to look super pretty since we’ll be placing these seam-side down when we bake them. The most important thing is to have the bun sealed, so if you have any holes like this, just try to pinch them closed to keep the filling from spilling out.
If you’re having trouble keeping the filling from spilling out, try putting it in the freezer for 10 minutes to help it firm up some more, and it should be easier to fill your buns. I found it easiest to pinch one side together and then pinch the other side together to form an X and then pinch everything together, sealing the filling inside. But do what works best for you!
Then, when your bun is sealed, grab your kitchen twine, and cut 4 8-inch or longer strings and form these into a cross on your work surface with two of the strings and then add an X on top of this with the other two strings and then place a filled bun into the center of this and then tie the strings around the dough tightly so they don’t move around but loose enough so that the don’t cut into the dough and cause the filling to explode out while in the oven. It seems the best method is to NOT knot the string as it allows the dough to stretch the bindings a little, keeping the sides from exploding.
Then, set this aside on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper while you continue to fill and wrap the rest of your buns.
Step 7: Let Buns Rest for 30-40 Minutes Before Baking Them
Once your buns are all ready, cover them loosely with some more plastic wrap and let the buns proof on the counter for 30-40 minutes until they are about 1.5 times in size. The buns should hopefully start to develop a pumpkin shape during this time.
Step 8: Preheat the oven to 350°F, Add Egg Wash if Desired, & Bake for 15-18 Minutes
Then, when your pumpkin buns are ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. While we wait, we’ll prepare the optional egg wash, so in a small bowl, mix your egg with a tablespoon or so of water to help thin out the mixture, and then brush your buns with the egg wash, if desired.
Then, once the oven is done preheating, bake your buns, leaving the strings on, for 15-18 minutes until they turn golden brown.
Step 9: Remove from Oven; Let Them Cool, Remove Strings, & Decorate w/ Stem & Chocolate Face & Enjoy!
Remove these from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack. Then, carefully remove the strings and then add your stem of choice by pushing it into the center of the bun. Then, once your buns are cooled, use some melted chocolate or icing to add your Jack O’ Lantern face if desired, and with that, your Pumpkin Shaped Pumpkin Buns are ready to eat.