The recipe for these wonderful pumpkin rolls I share with great joy after at least a year of waiting to make them! I couldn’t tell why it took me so long to decide, perhaps distracted by other projects or simply because they were too trendy to be the umpteenth to replicate them! It must have been the combination of both factors that made me desist, but I admit that I was quite tempted and the scenic effect pleased me quite a bit! But what I didn’t know is that they are incredibly delicious, and now I kick myself for not trying sooner! After studying a little, I managed to find the right balance of doses which, needless to say, I customized according to my tastes and needs! Without too much false modesty, I believe I have conferred an overall fabulous aftertaste, a taste on the palate that is sweet and at the same time balsamic, truly unique and special! All this is thanks to the use of two ingredients that I added inspired at the time of execution and of which I do not regret at all, on the contrary, I congratulate myself! Some time ago, having received a dried licorice root as a gift at the pharmacy downstairs, I thought the only thing I could do with it was to infuse it in hot water for good teas. But I was wrong, I could give a particular taste to my desserts and in this case to my rolls! The anise pleasantly crowns this aromatic aspect, which with the pumpkin matches incredibly! Once baked, an enveloping aroma will peep into the kitchen and then flood the whole house. The slightly crumbly texture on the outside and soft inside thanks to the pumpkin pulp makes them irresistible! However, if you don’t have the time or desire to engage in creating these scenic shapes, don’t worry, you can very well prepare simple round loaves. Certainly, the visual effect will be lost, but certainly not the taste, among the best I have ever tasted.

Other bread recipes:

Rest time: 5 Hours
Preparation time: 45 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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1 lb pumpkin (already cleaned, Butternut type)
4 cups Manitoba flour
1/2 cup milk (warm)
1/3 oz fresh brewer's yeast
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp turmeric powder
4 sticks dried licorice root
2 tbsp anise seeds
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt

Tools

1 Knife
1 Baking pan
1 Baking paper
1 Mixer
1 Stand mixer
1 Saucepan
1 Dough scraper
1 Tea towel
1 Kitchen twine

Preparation

Place the already cleaned pumpkin in slices not too thick on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 30′. Once dried, you should obtain a weight of about 9 oz. (fig. 1).
Place the slices in a mixer, drizzle with 1/4 cup of milk taken from the total and blend for a few seconds (fig. 2).
You should obtain a homogeneous puree (fig. 3).
In the meantime, in a saucepan, warm the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of anise seeds and 2-3 sticks of licorice root and let it infuse for a few minutes (fig. 4).
Activate the brewer’s yeast with the milk deprived of the licorice root but not the anise seeds, together with the honey. Then add it to the bowl of the stand mixer, where you will have already added the flour, the oil, the pumpkin puree, and 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder (fig. 5).
Turn on the stand mixer with the hook attachment at medium speed for 2′, when the mixture becomes a bit more solid, finally add the salt and continue working (fig. 6).
Let it work for at least another 12′ until the dough has detached from the sides of the bowl and has wrapped around the hook (fig. 7).
Form a ball, leave it inside the bowl, cover it with a clean and dry tea towel, and place it in the switched-off oven with the light on to rise for 2 hours (fig. 8).
After this time, it will have doubled in volume (fig. 9).
Then transfer the dough onto a floured work surface with 1 tablespoon of turmeric. Stretch it with your hands, trying to widen the edges and flavor it with the rest of the anise seeds (fig. 10).
Make the four folds and let it rise for another 2 hours (fig. 11).
Once this time has passed, form a dough and divide it into 5 equal pieces of about 7 oz. each with the help of a dough scraper (fig. 12).
For each piece, bring the edges of the dough towards the center, continuously turning it clockwise (fig. 13).
Then fold to form a sausage, turn the dough with the shorter side towards you and roll it on itself (fig. 14).
Round each one into a ball. Tie it with kitchen twine if you like the idea of making a pumpkin effect, otherwise you can very well skip this step (fig. 15).
Place the rolls thus formed on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover with a tea towel for another hour, until their volume doubles (fig. 16).
Then bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30′ until fully golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly (fig. 17).
If you opted for the pumpkin-shaped version, I suggest breaking the remaining half of the licorice root into pieces and inserting them in the center of the rolls while they are still hot.
You’ll get a truly incredible scenic effect, don’t you think?
Here’s a shot of the color of the crumb inside.
And voilà…the pumpkin rolls with anise and licorice seeds are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Final photo, I promise, because they were so beautiful that I couldn’t stop photographing them.