Squash & spice sticky buns

Step by Step

Step 1

Defrost the pizza dough according to pack instructions. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Put the squash in a small roasting tin and drizzle with the oil; toss with a pinch of salt and cook for 25-30 minutes until tender. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Tip into a food processor or blender and blend until almost smooth. Add the butter, sugar, spices and a pinch of salt, then whizz again until smooth (don’t worry if it looks a bit split at this stage).

Step 2

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 20x30cm roasting tin. For the caramel topping, put the butter and sugar in a small pan with a pinch of salt and heat over a low-medium heat until melted. Tip into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter over the chopped pecans and set aside.

Step 3

Once the squash purée is ready, tip the dough pieces onto a work surface and push them into 1 ball. Roll out to a rough 25x40cm rectangle. Spread with the squash purée. Starting at the longer side, roll into a log. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 even-sized pieces. Arrange the slices, cut-sides down, over the pecans and caramel. Loosely cover with a clean tea towel and allow to prove for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.

Step 4

When the buns are ready and a little puffed up, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and just cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before carefully inverting onto a cooling rack, scraping any residual caramel from the tin over the buns. Cool for a further 10 minutes before tucking in.