Serious, Serious Treats

Look.

I made these this morning.

And it's a good thing I did, because quite frankly, IT'S BEEN A DAY.

If I hadn't had these to comfort me, I may have turned to the hard stuff.

(Like that big bowl of Halloween Candy over on the kitchen counter)


These are Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns, an adaptation of a recipe from Smitten Kitchen

These, my friends, are yeast buns, and that makes them bigger and better than any old muffin.

I was a little worried about the dough as it is very sticky and almost stringy, but all my fears were dashed the minute I got my first taste.

  
Please, please, please take the time to make them. You won't be disappointed.

Guaranteed!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns

Dough:

1/3 cup warm milk

1/3 cup plain pumpkin puree

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tablespoons unsalted, softened butter

Filling:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

8 ounces (1 cup) chocolate chips, or chopped bar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1 Tablespoon cream

sugar for sprinkling (I used Turbinado sugar)

In measuring cup, combine milk with yeast and a pinch of sugar. Allow to proof 5 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and the egg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the yeast-pumpkin mixture and mix on low to combine. Add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, mixing until the butter is incorporated before adding the rest. Scrape dough from the paddle, add the dough hook attachment  and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky and stringy. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

(I let mine rise closer to two hours...)

While the dough rises, make the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, process all ingredients until all of the butter is distributed and you have an uneven, gravely mixture. Set aside.

Liberally butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.

Once dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Allow to rest 5 more minutes, before rolling the dough out into a large rectangle, the short end measuring about 12 inches–the long edge can be about 18-22 inches. Sprinkle the chocolate filling evenly over the rectangle, it will be bumpy, and begin rolling from the short end all the way up into a 12-13 inch log and pinch to seal. Gently saw off about 1-inch spirals, placing each into a prepared tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350*F.

Whisk together the egg and cream, brush gently over the tops of the proofed buns and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 15-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Oh! I added a glaze (because, duh, a glaze makes everything better) made of orange juice, lemon juice, and powdered sugar.

Enjoy!