Pumpkin Buns

For the pumpkin filling:
Steam pumpkin till tender. Using an immersion blender, puree the pumpkin and then transfer it to a deep saucepan. Add sugar and vanilla bean to saucepan. Over low heat, stir pumpkin and sugar for 10 minutes till slightly thickened.

In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and water together. Add to pumpkin/sugar mixture and stir till thickened and boiling. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let cool to room temperature and then pop into the fridge to harden till you need to use it.

For the pumpkin yeast dough:
In a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, sugar, mashed pumpkin, salt, non-dairy milk (such as rice milk), vanilla bean paste, instant yeast and vegan butter.

Turn machine on and knead dough for 15 minutes. If the dough seems too wet, add a little more flour; if it seems too dry, add a little more vegan milk to moisten.

After 15 minutes, transfer dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set somewhere warm for 1½ hours to double in volume (see note below).

Once doubled in volume, punch dough down to release air. Knead for a few minutes and then divide into 70-gram portions. Roll each portion into a ball and set aside. Cover with a tea towel and leave it alone for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, working with each ball of dough, roll it into a flat disk and fill with pumpkin filling. Seal the dough, roll it to form a ball again and then place on baking tray lined with baking paper.

Using your palm, flatten ball of filled dough and then press the middle of the flattened disk of dough down again with your fingers.

Using kitchen shears, create 4 slits on the sides of your bun. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Cover with a damp tea towel and let increase in volume for an hour. Meanwhile, make syrup.

For the vanilla bean syrup:
Combine sugar, water and vanilla bean paste in a pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Take off heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Brush the tops of risen buns with a thin layer of soy/rice milk to encourage browning. Bake pumpkin buns for 14 minutes.

Once baked, immediately pull out of the oven and brush with vanilla bean glaze. Using the glaze as a glue, stick pumpkin and sunflower seeds onto the surface of your buns.

Note: If you want to prepare the dough the night before, punch dough down after the first rise and then cover bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge and proceed with the recipe. Don’t worry if your dough has risen even more in the refrigerator. It may take a while longer for your buns to double in size after you have shaped and filled them. Overnight proofing actually develops a much more complex flavor which I prefer.