Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs

Ingredients

• •¾ stick unsalted butter
• •2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• •¼ cup warm milk
• •1 tablespoon honey
• •2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• •1½ teaspoons salt
• •⅓ cup canned pure pumpkin
• •2 large eggs
• •½ teaspoon orange zest
• •2 tablespoons orange juice
• •1 tablespoon water
• •1 piece muffin pan

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   Butter muffin cups with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

   5 min

2. 2.

   Stir together yeast, warm milk, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)

   5 min

3. 3.

   Mix flour, salt, pumpkin, 1 whole egg, yolk, orange zest and juice, and remaining 5 tablespoon butter into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.

   10 min

4. 4.

   Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

   120 min

5. 5.

   Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Roll half of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands into a 12-inch-long log (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap).

   5 min

6. 6.

   Cut log into 6 equal pieces, then cut each piece into thirds. Roll each piece into a 1-inch ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Put 3 balls side by side in each of 6 muffin cups.

   15 min

7. 7.

   Make more rolls with remaining dough in same manner. Cover rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough is about 1 inch above rim of muffin cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

   90 min

8. 8.

   Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

   10 min

9. 9.

   Whisk together remaining egg and water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.)

   5 min

10. 10.

    Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.

    40 min