I have always loved kneading, it relaxes me a lot. But since I found out that I am intolerant to gluten, I don’t do it so often anymore.

However, sometimes I make exceptions. I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a long time; pumpkin and cinnamon is a perfect combination, so I’m sharing it with you.

I’ve also added ginger and cloves to really get into the Christmas spirit… you’ll smell it!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 450 g baked pumpkin pulp
• 450 g flour
• 1 egg
• 30 g honey
• 5 g dry brewer’s yeast
• 50 g butter
• 1 pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 50 g soft butter
• 40 g honey
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ginger
• cloves (optional)

Preparation methodology

Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the fresh pumpkin, cut into wedges, for about 30 minutes or until soft. Take 450 g of pumpkin and mash it, while still hot, with a potato masher. Add the butter and honey to the hot pumpkin.

Put the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix and add the pumpkin with the butter, honey, and egg. Knead well until you have a non-sticky dough (if necessary, add a little flour, which you may need if the pumpkin is not very dry).

Place the dough in a bowl, covered with cling film, in the oven turned off but with the light on for about two hours or until doubled in volume.

Now prepare the filling by mixing the soft butter with the honey and spices to form a cream. Turn the dough out onto a pastry board dusted with flour and roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 35cm x 60cm.

Spread the flavoured butter all over the surface and with the help of a sharp knife, cut 4 strips of about 8 – 9 cm in height. Roll each strip up and place them side by side in the lightly floured pan.

Cover and leave to rise for another hour or until the dough has filled the pan.

Preheat the oven and bake at 180°C for about 30-40 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and the inside is dry (insert a toothpick, if it comes out dry then it is ready).

You can serve it warm with a drizzle of honey or glaze it with melted dark chocolate.

Giulia Prandini

“You always cook with someone in mind, otherwise you’re just preparing food”.

“I’m Giulia, I’m 31 years old and I worked in the kitchens of several restaurants for 15 years. But now that I’ve become a mum to Ryan, I’ve decided to dedicate myself to my passion in an alternative way, focusing on new projects based on good but above all healthy cooking.”

This recipe was prepared using