Gooey Pumpkin & Raisin Cinnamon Buns

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (not boiling)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin, mashed (can or fresh)
• 1 cup whole milk, divided
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup raisins
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (not margarine)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice (from the zested orange)

Recipe

• 1 glaze:.
• 2 in a small mixing bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, whipping cream, vanilla and spice. pour into a 9x13x2-inch square baking pan. sprinkle with pecans; set aside.
• 3 dough:.
• 4 combine the yeast, water and sugar in a large ceramic mixing bowl. use a wooden spoon to gently stir until the yeast is dissolved; allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes.
• 5 meanwhile, combine the pumpkin, 1/2 cup milk, brown sugar and maple syrup; stir to make a paste.
• 6 after the yeast has rested, add a 1/2 cup of flour and stir for 2 minutes. mix in the pumpkin paste, the egg, remaining milk, and butter; stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined. stir in the orange zest, salt, baking soda and remaining flour, - 1/2 cup at a time. mix in the spices and raisins and work with wet hands until the dough forms - a dough that is tacky but can be handled with wet hands. when the proper consistency is achieved, remove from the bowl and knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes to get the gluten developed; form into a ball. do not knead alot since you want this to be a softer bun.
• 7 set the dough aside to rise in a well-oiled extra-large ceramic mixing bowl; toss it around to get it well-greased so that it stays nice and elastic as it rises. cover the bowl loosely with a clean kitchen towel (or plastic wrap), and let the dough rise in a warm place that is free from drafts. let the dough rise until it doubles in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. cook's tip: turn your oven on to 250 degrees f and set the bowl on top (ceramic holds heat nicely).
• 8 after the first rise, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface like your countertop. dust with a little more flour and let sit for 4 or 5 minutes. using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (approx. 10 x 18-inches).
• 9 spread dough evenly with the filling:.
• 10 begin by mixing together in a small bowl the spice and brown sugar; break up the sugar clumps. next, stir the orange juice into the melted butter and use a pastry brush to brush the mixture over the entire dough's surface. lastly, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the dough. leave at least a 1/2-inch border.
• 11 roll up the prepared dough - jelly-roll fashion, starting at a long edge. cut into 12 slices. cook's tips: (1) cut the long roll in half, then each half in half, and then those into thirds - this will give you evenly sized buns. (2) use a 10-inch length of thread or un-waxed floss to slice dough since a knife will squish your dough. slide the thread/floss underneath the dough, bring the ends up and pull towards each other (as if you were about to tie a knot) and keep pulling until you've sliced through dough.
• 12 arrange the buns cut side down in the prepared baking pan. it's preferred that they not touch each other so that they'll get bigger. let the buns rise a second time in a warm place, for about 30 minutes or unitl they double in size and 'kiss' each other.
• 13 cover top of the baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees f for 10 minutes. uncover and bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. remove buns from the oven and let cool a few minutes; invert buns and transfer to a cooling rack or a serving platter. let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then let your family and friends devour! (for an evening desset treat: add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a warmed bun.).
• 14 cook's tip: instead of dressing your buns with the 'gooey glaze topping', try this cinnamon orange honey butter:.
• 15 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 16 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 17 1/8 cup honey
• 18 juice of one orange.
• 19 in a small bowl mix all the ingredients together. shape into a ball and serve with your warm pumpkin-cinnamon buns.