Pumpkin Buns With Herb Butter

How cute are these little Pumpkin Buns?  These dinner buns are made with cooked pumpkin puree mixed into a butter-enriched dough and topped with a little pumpkin seed.  You’ll love these pumpkin buns with herb butter.

Now that Labor day is over it is officially Pumpkin Season!  I’m kicking the fall harvest off with these adorable pumpkin-shaped dinner buns or rolls.  Served with an amazing fresh herb butter that you will want to eat with a spoon!  These Pumpkin Buns will go great with a pot of soup or alongside a bowl of chili.  

What is an enriched dough?

This is a simple enriched dough made with pumpkin puree.  An enriched dough generally means the dough has a higher concentration of fats, sugar, and dairy.  This dough produces a super soft interior with a tender crumb. It’s often termed ‘billowy” as the dough is so soft that it just billows and pulls apart so tenderly.  

How To Make Pumpkin Buns with Herb Butter

• Gather and measure the ingredients to make the pumpkin dough.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer add only 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.  Stir to blend the ingredients. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan melt the butter.  Add the pumpkin puree and milk to the melted butter.  Heat just until the mixture reaches 110℉.  If the mixture gets much hotter than this it can kill the yeast and the dough will not rise! 
• Using a dough hook slowly mix in the warm milk mixture.   Mix for just a minute or two then the egg.  Once the egg has completely mixed into the dough, add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time.  Only add enough flour to make the dough soft and just a little sticky to the touch.  Continue to mix on low speed for approx 5 minutes.   Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow the bread to rise until doubled in size.  

The Rise

Why should the dough have a “rising time”?  This step is also called “proofing,” because if the dough rises, you’ve proven that the yeast is alive. The main purpose of this step is to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by way of the yeast.  A slow-rising dough will, also, give the dough more flavor.

• Once the dough has mixed it needs time to relax and “rise”.  Place the dough in a draft-free and warm location.  Cover with plastic wrap.  This will help the top of the bread stay moist and not cause a “skin” to form on the top allowing the dough to rise more.
• Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size.  Once the dough has doubled in size the buns can be shaped.

How To Shape Pumpkin Buns

• Divide the dough into approximately 16 equal balls.  If you want smaller buns, then you can divide the dough into 18 equal balls.  If you want to make larger buns, you can divide them into 12 equal balls.  
• After the dough has been divided, slightly flatten each ball into a thick disk.  Using a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife, make 6 cuts around the disk.  I like to use my thumb as a guide in the middle of the dough and only cut to my thumb.  It helps to make 2 cuts on each side of my thumb then 2 more cuts between giving me a total of 6 cuts.  

The Second Rise

During the process of shaping the dough, the air and gas have been punched down from the first rise.  Allowing the dough to rise twice results in a finer gluten structure than allowing it to rise once. It results in a smaller crumb. 

• Place each cut and shape bun on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.  Cover gently with a plastic wrap.  Give them plenty of room to grow because they will get bigger during the second rise and also during baking. The second rise will take about 30-35 minutes or lightly flour your index finger and press it gently into the dough a bit. If the indentation remains and doesn’t spring back/fill in, then the bread is well risen and ready for the oven.
• Bake in a preheated 400℉ oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden in color. Remove from oven and serve warm or cold with fresh herb butter or honey butter.

Serve with this amazing Fresh Herb Butter

How To Make Herb Butter

• Roughly chop the fresh herbs.
• Add the fresh herbs to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
• Add softened butter and herbs. Pulse the food processor just a few times to blend together.
• With the processor running drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Only process a few seconds.
• Makes about 1/2 cup. Sprinkle lightly with flakey sea salt before serving, if desired.

Tip:  I like using European butter for this recipe.  I have used salted and unsalted.  My favorite is a brand called Isigny Sainte-Mère Salted Butter With Coarse Salt.  It was amazing, but using an unsalted butter and adding your own flaked sea salt will result in wonderful herb butter.

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Pumpkin Buns with Herbed Butter

Cute little Pumpkin shaped and flavored buns served with fresh herb butter

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Keyword Dinner Pumpkin rolls, Fresh Herb butter, Herb butter, Pumpkin Buns, Pumpkin Rolls

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

rise time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes

Servings 16 Buns

Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons yeast rapid rise
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg

Herb Butter

• 1/2 cup softened salted butter
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs*
• 1 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish

• 16 Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Instructions

Pumpkin Rolls

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine, 2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. In a medium size saucepan melt the butter. When the butter has melted add the pumpkin puree and milk into the pan. Continue to barely warm the milk until it reaches a temperature of about 110-115 degrees.

2. Remove from the heat and pour over the flour mixture while the mixer is running. Continue to beat for about 5-7 minutes. Make sure the yeast has dissolved. Beat in the egg. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Add enough flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough or until the dough begins to pull away from the edges of the bowl while mixing. Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

3. Divide dough into 16 equal balls of dough (approx . 62 gr each). Slightly flatten each ball of dough. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut 6 slits all the way around the flattened dough. Use your thumb as a guide. Place your thumb in the middle of the dough and cut the slits just up to the thumb. Place on a lighted greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a cloth. Let rise until slightly double in size. Gently brush each pumpkin-shaped dough with a beaten egg. Gently press a pumpkin seed into the top of the roll. Bake in a preheated 400℉ oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve warm or cold with herb butter.

Herb Butter

1. Roughly chop the fresh herbs. Add to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add softened butter and herbs. Pulse the food processor to blend together. With the processor running drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Only process a few seconds. Makes about 1/2 cup. Sprinkle lightly with flakey sea salt before serving, if desired.

Recipe Notes

• How to tell if the dough has risen enough before baking?  Press your finger gently into the dough If the indentation remains and doesn't spring back/fill in, then the bread is well risen and ready for the oven.
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More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

1.  No-Knead Pumpkin Harvest Bread

2.  Pumpkin Coconut Cake

3.  Pumpkin Liege Waffles

4.  No-Knead Pumpkin Pecan Bread