Pumpkin Red Bean Buns

I have been very busy at work and couldn't find time to further explore the intriguing world of blogging. :) That also means I haven't done much baking lately too. Ok, today I managed to make something that I used to make often.

This recipe is definitely one of my favorite. Pumpkin buns! The recipe was shared by one of the multi-talented mommy in one of the mummies network groups and it is a sure-win recipe. The dough is very easy to work with and the buns always turns out Oh-So-Fluffy... And the golden yellow color of the pumpkin makes this buns really special & cheery (just discovered "Cheery" is not a proper word... But you guys get what I mean).

So, here it goes... pumpkin buns with a twist. Since I have some red bean filling that was leftover from another baking session, I decided to make the buns with filling this time and it turned out really well too. :D

While the dough was proofing away, I shaped the red bean filling into 30g balls. One tip here is to oil your palms and shape the balls while it is still cool. Took it out of the fridge for about 15-20minutes before using. They kinda look like glossy chocolate balls, don't they? :) By doing this, not only it was easier to shape, but the main benefit is that, it makes it so much easier to put in the filling later and you will see this shortly... 

After 40 minutes of proofing, punch down the dough and divide the dough into 50g dough pieces. This dough is lovely and very easy to handle. It is soft, moist and not sticky at all. Flattened each dough piece into about 3 inches small circle.

Place the cool red bean filling onto the flattened dough.

Bring the sides together and seal the sides by pinching it up. The cool red bean balls will be firm, making it easy to seal. 

Ensure the seal is neat and place the filled dough balls onto a greased 9 x 11 inch baking tray. 

Place a cling wrap over the tray and allow to rest for another 20 minutes. You can preheat the oven to 180 degree C in the final 5 minutes. Then, just before putting the baking tray into the oven, egg wash the balls and sprinkle some chia seeds or any other topping that you prefer. Bake for 15 minutes. Here, I baked the buns for another 5 minutes because the color was quite pale and the browning did not come up like how it normally would previously. After I took a bite into these soft and fluffy buns, I discovered the reason to this... 

You guys will never have guessed! I forgot to add sugar!!! I am so surprised that the buns rose so well despite that it was missing a very important ingredient. Haha! Perhaps it was because of the pumpkin purée in the recipe that was already sweet. Anyway, it worked out perfectly and since I had the red bean filling, the bland buns are a great match and it made the buns less "evil". 

Look at these lovely, golden buns! Cool them completely on a cooling rack before storing into air-tight containers. They remain soft even at day 2, if they can last so long...

Yummy!!! This is definitely a recipe for anyone on their first time making buns as the dough is really easy to handle. I think I have repeated this statement like so many times already... Hehe! Give it a try people! And I promise you will fall in love with these golden buns! :)

Red Bean Pumpkin Buns

Ingredients:

500g ~ Bread flour

100g ~ Brown sugar (I forgot this! Luckily the buns turned out well... phew... )

1 teaspoon ~ Salt

2 tablespoons ~ Milk powder

1.25 teaspoons ~ Yeast

2 ~ Eggs

40g ~Fresh Milk

100g ~ Whipping cream
2 tablespoons ~ Natural yogurt

120g ~ Pumpkin puree

60g ~ Butter
Red bean paste

Pumpkin seeds (optional)

Chia seeds(optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients except butter and knead till well mixed for 10 minutes. I used my beloved bread maker.

2. Add in butter and knead till the dough turns elastic and does not stick to the hands.

3. Let it proof for 40 minutes.

4. Shape cool red bean into 30g balls (Oil your hands before rolling).
5. Divide the dough into 18 equal parts (50g).

6. Place the red bean balls into the flattened dough and pinch to seal.

7. Let it rest for 20 mins.

8. Egg wash the dough and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds on top for garnishing.

9. Bake at a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins.