That’s one before the last pumpkin recipe this Autumn (and get ready for some Christmas recipes). And it’s a naughty one – made with flour and regular sugar. So if you’re on a strict keto diet or absolutely can’t eat gluten, do not even look! I’ve stopped fooling myself that keto pizza dough or keto bread or buns, will taste “almost” the same as the regular one. This “almost” makes a BIG difference, and you won’t achieve the same result without using wheat flour. So I decided that sometimes when I’d like to be good to myself or others (which in some cases means you eat something unhealthy) I’ll make a REAL pizza or REAL fluffy hot cinnamon pumpkin buns. Even though my belly will have a lot to digest.

Gluten. It helps dough rise by trapping gas bubbles during fermentation and gives buns its unique texture. Gluten makes bread and pizza airy and satisfyingly chewy – it’s hard to imagine enjoying a chewy cake or a bread that crumbles like a cookie. That’s why sometimes you decide to eat gluten. If you can of course. If you can’t, don’t try it!

But if you can, and you desire to stuff your mouth with sweet, cinnamon, fluffy bun, go for it. A large sheet of hot pumpkin buns can brighten up even the most cloudy and rainy Autumn evening. Even those who do not like pumpkins will not resist the sweet, fragrant and sunny-yellow buns. The buns take some work and time, but absolutely worth it. You won’t regret spending this time in the kitchen.

The given amounts give you a full, large oven-sized tray (about 20) of buns. If you need 10-12 buns, reduce the amount of ingredients by half.

sweet cinnamon pumpkin buns

NOTE: my measuring cup is regular 250ml glass

INGREDIENTS for about 20 buns:

• 250 ml milk
• 150 g butter
• 400 g pumpkin puree (I used tinned one, but you can bake or stem pumpkin to make your own puree)
• 4 tbsp sugar (needed, so the yeast can work)
• 2 tbsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp natural rock salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 tsp dried yeast
• 4 cups plain flour
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ½ cup powdered sugar or powdered sugar replacement
• 1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat the milk in a pot. It should be warm not hot, you should be able to put your finger in it (if it will be to hot it will kill the yeast). Add half the butter, 4 tablespoons of white sugar and yeast. Stir everything together until the yeast dissolves. Leave it for couple minutes so the yeast starts working.

In a large bowl, mix together: pumpkin puree, spice, salt and egg. Add warm milk and combine again. Then add the flour and combine, first with a spoon, and when it gets very thick, start kneading the dough with your hand. Knead the dough adding some flour if necessary. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave it for an hour in a warm place (I heat the oven to 50°C and switch off, then put the dough inside).

After an hour knead the dough again and sprinkle it lightly with flour, using rolling pin roll it out into a 5 mm thick rectangular shape. Spread the entire surface with a mixture of: second half of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Then roll it along the shorter side.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using a sharp knife cut the rolled dough into pieces of a few centimetres. Place the buns on the baking tray leave some distance between them. About 20 rolls came out of the given amounts. Put the baking tray back in a warm place for another hour (I just put it back in the oven).

Within an hour buns should double their size. If, like me, you have kept a baking tray in the oven, take it out, heat the oven to 180ºC. Put the buns in a preheated oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown.

Prepare the icing: mix the powdered sugar with lemon juice and warm water – add the spoonful of water and mix. Add some more water if needed to get a thick but liquid frosting. Decorate hot buns with the finished frosting and wait for them to cool down a bit, and the frosting to set.

Of course, the buns taste best when fresh and warm, but you can easily store them for the next 2-3 days. They taste great when dipped in coffee or tea.

Enjoy!