Vegan Pumpkin Bread Rolls

Happy Mabon everyone!  Mabon is the celebration of the Autumn Equinox. Mabon is the time of harvesting our gardens, orchards, and crops.  It's also a time of letting go, a time to honour our loved ones who have passed, and to say goodbye to summer.

Let's celebrate autumn today by baking and cooking what we have harvested from our gardens or have picked from our trees and vines.

Decorate the dinner table with lit candles, apples, pumpkins, herbs, and flowers.  Treasure this time with your friends and family.

As the autumn winds blow in the darkness, may you be safe and warm in the comfort of your home.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 t yeast
1 cup plus 2 t organic almond milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1/4 cup organics pure cane sugar
5 T vegan butter
1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
1 organic flax seed egg
1 t sea salt
3 3/4 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
15 organic whole pecans

Method:

Line 2 large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper, set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir in yeast, 1 cup lukewarm almond milk, 3 T melted butter, sugar, pumpkin, flax seed egg, and salt.

Gradually add the flour and knead on medium-low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead the dough for 5 minutes; you may add 1 T of additional flour at a time if the dough seems to sticky.

Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Let rise for 1 hour.

Gently punch down the dough after it has risen and divide the dough into approximately 15 balls. Place them on the lined baking sheet.  Slightly press down each ball using the palm of your hand.

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut 6-8 slices into each ball.  Do not slice all the way into the center. 

 Cover and let rise again for 45 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small pot over low heat, melt 2 T of vegan butter with 2 t almond milk.  Remove from heat.

Using the end of wooden spoon, poke an indentation into the center of each roll.

Brush each roll with the melted butter/almond milk mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove rolls from the oven and insert one pecan into the center of each pumpkin roll.

Enjoy them warm under a tree of falling leaves!

*Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat