Chef Johns Pumpkin Bread Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.
• Combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon white sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Pour pumpkin puree, cream, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, ginger, allspice, 2 cups flour, and the egg into stand mixer bowl with the yeast mixture. Mix with dough hook attachment until combined, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour and mix on low with the dough hook, adding more flour if the mixture is too sticky, until dough is slightly sticky, smooth, and elastic, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Remove dough and shape into a ball. Coat the bowl of the stand mixer lightly with vegetable oil, return dough to the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with aluminum foil and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Generously butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.
• Transfer dough to a well-floured work surface. Use your hands to flatten into a rectangular shape about 1-inch thick. Generously sprinkle flour over both sides of the dough; roll out to about a 20x12-inch rectangle. Pour melted butter over the top and brush evenly over the surface, leaving 2-inches along one wide edge unbuttered. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough and moisten the unbuttered edge with water. Starting at the wide edge with butter, roll dough tightly into a log; press firmly along moistened edge to seal.
• Trim uneven ends from the roll and discard. Cut rolled dough into 16 equally-sized pinwheels. Place the pinwheels, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes; set aside to cool slightly while mixing glaze.
• Whisk cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until smooth; drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over the rolls to serve.

NO KNEAD HOLIDAY PUMPKIN BREAD

Steps:

• Place pumpkin puree into a large mixing bowl and whisk in 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water, salt, yeast, and pumpkin pie spice until thoroughly combined. Beat in flour to make a dry crumbly dough. Keep stirring until dough becomes smooth and sticky, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cover bowl with a damp towel and let dough stand 12 to 16 hours to rise.
• Generously sprinkle cornmeal onto center area of a baking sheet. Scrape dough out of bowl, using a floured spatula, onto a heavily floured work surface. Dough will be very sticky. Dust dough with flour and gently flatten into an oblong shape. Fold 2 opposite rounded ends together to meet in the center; fold remaining 2 rounded ends to meet in the center, creating a rectangle of dough. Using well-floured hands, gently form into a round loaf with the seams on the bottom.
• Transfer dough round onto center of prepared baking sheet. Dust top and sides of loaf generously with more flour.
• Dust a dry towel with flour and place towel with floured side down over loaf. Let rise until loaf has almost doubled in size, 1 1/2 hours. Use a sharp knife to cut a 1/2-inch deep slit across the top of the loaf.
• Place a loaf pan containing about 2 inches of water onto a bottom rack of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake on center rack of the preheated oven for 30 minutes; turn bread around in oven. Continue to bake until bread is golden brown and crusty, about 20 more minutes. Let bread cool completely on a rack before slicing.

PUMPKIN-SHAPED DINNER ROLLS

Steps:

• Combine warm milk, yeast, honey, and butter in a bowl; stir. Add salt and most of the flour, reserving the rest for dusting. Stir using a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.
• Dust a work surface with the leftover flour. Knead the dough until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed. Form dough into a ball that springs back lightly when pressed.
• Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased foil, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, cut kitchen string into 4 dozen 8- to 10-inch strands. Place strings in a bowl and toss with oil to coat; set aside.
• Press risen dough down on a work surface; reserve 3 to 4 tablespoons for forming "stems." Cut remaining dough in half and cut each half into 6 wedges. Roll each into a round ball by cupping your hand over the dough and pressing and rolling lightly in a circular motion for 10 to 15 seconds. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners.
• Place 4 pieces of string on your work surface. Crisscross strings over a center point into a star formation. Place a dough ball, smooth side-down, onto the center point. Firmly tie each string into a knot over the center of the roll. Snip off excess string using scissors.
• Place tied roll onto a prepared baking sheet, knot side-down. Repeat with remaining strings and dough balls.
• Let rolls rise for about 30 minutes.
• Sift a little flour on top of rolls. Shape reserved dough into "stems" and place them on the sheet next to the rolls.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool until safe to handle, about 15 minutes. Cut strings off of each roll at the tops and peel down carefully and slowly to remove. Cut a small hole in the tops of each roll and press "stems" into each hole. Transfer pumpkin rolls to a serving platter.

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Whisk together pumpkin puree, egg yolks, and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and Chinese 5-spice powder; whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Fit pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges.
• Pour filling into the pie shell and lightly tap on the work surface to release any air bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until just set in the middle, 30 to 40 more minutes. A paring knife inserted into the filling, 1 inch from the crust, should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Mix butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Stir in pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and pine nuts until just combined.
• Sprinkle a work surface with 2 tablespoons flour. Turn out dough onto the floured work surface. Shape into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the rectangle in thirds, sprinkle with more flour as needed, and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Repeat 2 more times. Cut final rectangle into 6 equally-sized squares. Cut each square into triangles and transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet.
• Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl. Lightly brush the top of each scone with egg wash. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over scones.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.