Pumpkin cinnamon sugar rolls

Simple pumpkin yeast buns made with pumpkin purée, transformed into delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls coated in cinnamon sugar. These cinnamon swirls are baked in a muffin tin, where they rise above the edges to create wonderfully quirky little twists ;). Once baked, the rolls are brushed with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar. They are soft, delicious, moreish and beautifully sunny yellow inside. Perfect for elevenses or dessert :).

Which pumpkin should I use for baking? In Poland, Hokkaido pumpkin is a good variety for baking. In the UK, it is known as Red Kuri squash. It has a delicate flavour, floury flesh and an intense orange colour, and is very versatile in cooking.

Makes 24.

Ingredients for the yeast dough:

• 700 g strong white bread flour
• 14 g dried yeast or 30 g fresh yeast
• 300 ml milk
• 360 g pumpkin purée
• 120 g caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 70 g butter

Grease two standard 12-hole muffin tins with butter and dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.

Mix the flour with the dried yeast (if using fresh yeast, first prepare a yeast starter). Add the remaining ingredients and knead, adding the melted butter towards the end. Knead for long enough to obtain a soft and elastic dough. Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Once risen, divide the dough in half and set one half aside.

Roll the first half into a 30 x 40 cm rectangle, lightly dusting the work surface and rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking. Brush with half of the melted butter from the cinnamon filling below, then sprinkle evenly with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the dough tightly along the longer side to form a log. Using a sharp knife, cut it into 12 equal pieces. An even better trick is to use a piece of thread: slide it underneath the log and cross the ends over the top, pulling firmly to cut through the dough without squashing it. Place the pieces in the prepared muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough. Cover both tins with tea towels and leave to rise for approximately 30 minutes, until the rolls have doubled in size.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. While still warm, brush the rolls with melted butter and coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture (see below).

Ingredients for the cinnamon filling:

• 60 g butter, melted and cooled
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 2½ tsp ground cinnamon

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

Ingredients for coating:

• 100 g butter, melted and cooled
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Method for bread machine users:

Place all the yeast dough ingredients into the bread machine in the following order: liquid ingredients first, then dry ingredients, and finally the yeast. Select the ‘dough’ programme (kneading and first rise). Once the programme has finished, remove the dough, knead it lightly, and continue according to the main recipe above.

Enjoy!