Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread/Cinnamon Rolls

I love pumpkin... one might say I'm obsessed. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, pumpkin kisses, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin deliciousness... Lucky for me, there's such a thing as Pinterest that has endless amounts of pumpkin recipes all for me!

This bread (originally from  Sunny Side Up) epitomizes the essence of autumn... perfectly pumpkin with just the right amount of sweetness in the Rum Glaze.  It goes perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast or dessert.  The second time I made a double batch, making half into cinnamon rolls instead of pull-apart bread and topped it with Cream Cheese Frosting for the hubby. Both forms are equally heavenly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/14 teaspoon (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/12 cups bread flour

Filling:
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Glaze:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown usgar
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. rum extract

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool to about 100-110 degrees F. Add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir on low speed until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time (I used about a 1/2 cup extra).

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.  When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Melt two tablespoons butter and brush evenly over the doug.  Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips into a greased 9" x 5" loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Alternately, if you'd prefer cinnamon rolls: After spreading butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture over rectangle, roll dough into a log, then cut into 12 equal pieces and place in a greased 9"x13" pan.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes  or until top is a very deep golden brown. (Like most breads, it tasted much better when it was a little underdone).

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum extract and powdered sugar.