Sugar, spice and all things nice… Autumn is here! As a November baby, I am very much a child of Autumn. Woolly jumpers, big blankets, falling leaves, candles, bonfire night and of course, pumpkin spice! A season that not only represents all of the things I love, but is also synonymous with all of my favourite flavours! As the days and nights start to get chillier, I also love how an afternoon of baking, is the perfect excuse to have the oven on for hours, slowly warming up the home and filling it with delicious smells!
This was my first time making any kind of spiced bun but definitely not my first time eating any!! The sticky spicy sweetness with the soft doughyness, they are definitely one of my favourites! Goodness knows why it had taken me so long to make them myself! Perhaps I was put off by the thought of the excessive kneading and proving, like you may be yourself as you read this! But I assure you, as someone who is in no way a bread/dough expert, this is a pretty straight forward, easy to follow recipe and the result is more than worth it, enjoy...
Ingredients...
500g strong white flour
1x sachet yeast
300ml whole milk
40g salted butter
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp salt
150g pumpkin puree
2tsp pumpkin spice mix- a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves & allspice
2 tbsp maple syrup
50g brown sugar
1tbsp apricot jam
50g icing sugar
Method...
Warm the milk in a saucepan on a low heat, add the vanilla and butter, until the butter has melted.
Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the lukewarm milk and the beaten egg.
Stir until the mix comes together, then tip onto an oiled surface and knead for around 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
Pop the dough back into the lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave to prove for around 1 hour.
As your dough is proving, mix together the pumpkin puree with the maple syrup and spice mix. Taste to check the balance.
Once your dough has roughly doubled in size it is ready, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a rectangle, around 30 by 20cm.
Spread the pumpkin mix evenly over the dough, then from the long side, start to roll tightly to the other side to create a Swiss roll.
Slice the roll into 9 thick rounds, roughly 4cm, and then place in a lightly greased square baking tin. Leave to prove for half an hour as your oven pre heats to 190/170 fan.
Pop into the oven for around 25 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown. Once out, brush the slightly warmed apricot jam over the top as a glaze.
Mix the icing sugar with a splash of vanilla and milk and drizzle over the top of the buns and then enjoy warm!
