Soft Pumpkin Buns

Pumpkin provides you with endless possibilities. There are literally hundreds of ways this gourd can be adapted to, from soups to lattes, from risottos to thanksgiving pies, and Cinderella’s preferred mode of transportation.

Often times in cooking, as pumpkins have a milder, earthy flavor, it often relies on stronger spices like cinnamon to bring out its character, or roasting them in the oven, to bring out its sweetness. But it is precisely this reason why I particularly love mixing pumpkins in bread making; its delicate, mildly sweet flavor balances perfectly with milk buns.

Pumpkins are not the most common of ingredients in Asian stores and restaurants. I don’t regularly use them in my cooking, but I absolutely adore them in my bread and cakes. I find its delicate flavor perfect for kids and the elderly. So the next time the household craves for some bread, hopefully you would give em’ pumpkin to think about.

Flavorful enough to eat it on its own, yet plain enough to eat it with a spread. The addition of mashed pumpkin jazzes up these buns with such a beautiful, au naturel sunshine yellow hue. It also leaves you with a velvety soft texture, a simple yet expressive twist on them regular milk buns.  

The best part about home baking is you get to customize them exactly the way you like them! It doesn’t matter whether you shape them into buns or mini loaves, top them with pumpkin seeds or simply just brush the buns with a light coating of egg wash. Go ahead and get creative!

I once had this ingenious idea of shaping them into mini loaves and topped them with some grated mozzarella cheese. They were SO DIVINE!

This soft pumpkin bun recipe uses the cold milk method. I have to say it is AMAZING and definitely a keeper of a recipe. I’ve included two different sets of instructions for making these pumpkin buns – one for those using the bread machine and the other for Thermomix users. If you wish to use a stand mixer, please refer to notes at the bottom of the recipe.

Shaping into Loaf

If you prefer to make a sandwich loaf instead, this recipe can make 1 x 450g loaf using a 8x4x4″ bread tin pan. To do so, at step 6, you would divide dough into 3 equal portions instead and follow the dough shaping steps and baking duration from this recipe.

Few Things to Note

When it comes to bread making, there are many factors that will influence your dough and the end product. Recipes should be used as a guide, as you familiarize yourself with the process and dough.

For instance, your dough may require extra kneading time depending on the flour and its protein content. The method used to knead also needs to be taken into account as some machines work the dough quicker, whilst others may require a bit more kneading time.

Temperature and humidity plays a big part in how your dough rises. The amount of time required to proof your dough also varies depending on where you’re based at. For my second proofing, I usually heat up a cup of water in the microwave for 45 seconds, then proceed to leave my dough inside the microwave to rise for 25-30 minutes. 

It’s also very important to try to get to know your oven, as every oven is different. My oven heats up quickly so when a recipe calls for 180°C, I sometimes drop it down to 160-170°C. Keep an eye out as the bread is baking. Adjust either the baking temperature or duration according to how your oven behaves.

Have you tried this recipe?

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