Adapted from Beyond Kimchee’s Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Recipe

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 3/4 cup whole milk (recommended), scalded
• 6 Tbsp of butter, softened
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 envelopes (about 4 1/2 tsp) of active dry yeast
• 1 tsp of white sugar
• 1 egg
• 5 cups + a little extra all-purpose flour
• 10 pecan halves (note: can substitute pretzel sticks in a pinch)
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

Instructions:

1. Pour scalded milk into a large mixing bowl, add softened butter, & stir to melt. Add brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin puree, & salt to the milk & butter mixture – mix well.
2. Combine lukewarm water, yeast, & 1 tsp of sugar in a small bowl. Allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. Once the yeast mixture becomes foamy, add it to the pumpkin mixture. Add egg and then mix. Gradually add flour & mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. The dough will be sticky.
3. Use an electric mixer with a dough hook attached to beat the mixture on a low-speed setting until the dough begins to pull from the side of the bowl (~5 min). If the dough seems too wet, add a little more flour.
4.  Dust a wooden board with a bit of flour & then place the dough on the board. Knead by hand for one minute, Form the dough into a large ball shape, place into a greased bowl, & cover it with a cloth. Let dough rise until it doubles in volume (~1 hour).
5. Give the dough a punch to deflate. Knead the dough for a few seconds then divide the dough into half and cut each half into 15 pieces for a total of 30 pieces.
6. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball shape using your hand. Gently flatten the pieces with the palm of the hand. Then, using a knife, give 8 cuts around the edge of the dough piece but leave the center uncut. Repeat with all dough pieces.
7.  Poke the center of the dough pieces with your finger, leaving a deep indentation. Then, place the dough pieces, 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them rise for ~45 minutes or until the dough pieces double in volume.
8.  Preheat oven to 350º F. Poke the center of the rolls again if you can no longer see the indentation. Brush with egg wash, then bake for 9-12 minutes or until the tops become golden.
9.  Take the rolls out of the oven and brush with melted butter immediately. Insert the pecan slices to the tops of the rolls to mimic a pumpkin stem.