nonstick spray or canola/vegetable/neutral oilfor coating the kitchen twine
Instructions
There are two ways the dough can be made. If you have a half batch of sweet dough already in your fridge, you can add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and extra flour in later and knead it all together. Or, you can make the dough originally as half the recipe, add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and additional flour while mixing the dough, bulk proof it, and refrigerate it overnight. If you choose the second method, proceed directly to step 3.
Remove the dough from the fridge and flatten it out slightly on a well-floured surface. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and additional flour to the dough and fold it over to enclose. Knead the dough with the pumpkin until a smooth, much less sticky dough is formed (adding more flour as necessary). After the additions are fully mixed in, if your dough is no longer cold or cool you can wrap it up and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Prior to shaping the rolls into pumpkins, coat kitchen twine with nonstick spray or canola/neutral oil. You can do this by spraying each piece or placing the pieces in a bowl and tossing them with the oil. This will make it easier to remove from the rolls once baked. You will need about 2½-3 feet of twine per every roll.
Divide the dough into roughly 3-ounce portions. Shape each portion into a round roll. Take a prepared piece of twine and place it underneath a roll. Bring it up and twist it in the middle of the roll, as if you were putting ribbon on a package. Try to be as loose as you possibly can with the twine. Flip the roll over and, again, bring both sides of the twine up and then twist them the opposite way. Flip the roll over again and continue doing this, spaced a little over each time, until you have the roll divided by the twine into roughly 8 sections. Tie the twine into a knot on the bottom of the roll and snip off any excess. Do this with each roll.
Place tied rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes to an hour, or until rolls just are beginning to puff and are pushing out of the twine.
Bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until they're doubled in size and they bounce back when lightly touched. With the pumpkin color, it will be harder to tell based on browning.
Allow the rolls to cool slightly (about 10 minutes) and then remove the twine by using scissors to cut at the twisted parts. If you coated the twine beforehand, this should be fairly easy. After all twine has been removed, brush each roll with melted butter.
Push a ¼ piece of pecan (half of a half) into the center of each roll for the stem. Serve warm or at room temperature. Rolls can be stored at room temperature, well wrapped, for 4-5 days and will stay soft for a few days after baked. To reheat, wrap in foil and place in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes.
Notes
For homemade pumpkin pie spice, mix 2 tablespoon cinnamon, 4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon allspice in a small bowl until well combined. You'll have extra to use for other purposes, which can be stored in a jar in your pantry.