Pumpkin Brioche

I'm still in my pumpkin love period and added puree into a brioche dough. To half of the dough I added pumpkin seeds and shaped into a medium size "brioche a tete" and a few teeny tiny ones. I divided the other half into eight portions and filled them with sweetened and pie spiced pumpkin puree. I love them both. They're fragrant and slightly sweet; very autumn-y.

Pumpkin Brioche
3½ to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup warm milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg yolk mixed with ½ tablespoon water for egg wash

• In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attached, stir together 1 cup flour and yeast. Add water, milk, eggs, and sugar. Mix on low speed until well combined. Leave for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and salt; mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Stir in more flour, half cup at a time. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl if needed. Remove paddle and replace with dough hook. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and add butter one tablespoon at a time. Knead for 5 minutes until dough cleans sides of bowl, is smooth and shiny, and you are able to pull out long taffy-like strands.

• Transfer dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and transfer into a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly to remove bubbles and let rest for 2 minutes. Divide in half. Form into desired shapes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost double in bulk.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Transfer into a rack to cool completely.