Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup whole milk, scalded
- 6 Tbsp. butter softened
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 env. (about 4 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. white sugar
- 1 egg
- 5 cups plus extra all-purpose flour
- 10 pecan halves sliced into 3 vertical sections
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Directions:
- Pour hot milk in a large mixing bowl, add butter and stir to melt. Add sugars, pumpkin puree and salt to the milk and butter mixture; mix well.
- In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Wait 5 minutes for yeast to proof.
- When it gets foamy, add it to the pumpkin mixture, along with the egg and mix well.
- Add the flour gradually and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, beat on the low-speed setting until the dough itself pulls from the side of the bowl, about 5 minutes. You can add a little more flour if the dough seems too wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a wooden board dusted with a little flour. Knead with your hands for 1 minute.
- Form the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
- Punch the dough to deflate. Knead the dough for a few seconds on a wooden board. Divide the dough into halves and cut each dough half into 15 pieces, for a total of 30 pieces.
- Roll each dough piece into a ball with your hand. Flatten the piece with palm of your hand a little.
- Using a knife, give eight cuts on the edge to mimic flower petals but leave the center uncut. Poke the center with your finger to give a deep indentation. Repeat the same procedure to the remaining pieces.
- Place them, 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Let them rise again until they double in volume, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- If the center indentation doesn’t look obvious on the rolls, poke them again with your finger. Brush with egg wash and bake for 9-12 minutes, until tops get slightly golden.
- Brush the hot rolls with melted butter immediately. Insert pecan slices on the center of the rolls to mimic the stem.
