Super Soft Pumpkin Doughnuts

I've bought Japanese pumpkin several times before but haven't tried making bread or doughnuts with it. So yesterday, I decided to use up the leftover in the fridge after cooking a pumpkin dish for dinner two nights ago. I decided to use the super soft Potato Doughnut recipe by Madam Fatmah  which I've used before. I replaced the potato with pumpkin & made  some other minor modifications.

As expected, the doughnuts are very soft. The pumpkin flavour is very subtle, so much so my kids don't know I've actually added pumpkin. And unlike the pale-looking potato doughnuts, these doughnuts are beautiful, taking up the beautiful orange colour of the pumpkin.

By the way, I've also used the Potato Doughnut recipe  to make Sweet Potato Doughnuts before. So, after making the pumpkin version,  I can certainly say the recipe makes a very good base recipe. Now, what other version should I experiment it with......? Do you have any suggestions?

Super Soft Pumpkin Doughnuts
Ingredients:
250g high protein flour or bread flour
5g instant yeast
50g sugar
100g cooked pumpkin (mashed)
50ml cold milk
2 egg yolks
30g butter
1/4 tsp salt
icing sugar for coating

Method:

1. Combine flour, yeast & sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
2. Add the mashed pumpkin, milk & egg yolks & mix using the dough hook until well combined, about 2 minutes. 
3. Add in butter and continue mixing until the butter is well incorporated into the dough, about 2 minutes. 
4. Finally, add in salt and mix for another 3 minutes until the dough is smooth.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl & shape it into a ball. Then place it in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl & leave it to prove for about 45 minutes.
6. Punch the dough down & shape it into a ball. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1 cm thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. (OR, divide the dough into small portions of about 30g each & mould them into smooth balls. Leave them to rest for 10 minutes. Then shape them into ring doughnuts.)
8. Cover doughnuts loosely with a cloth & leave to rise for about 35 minutes. 
9. Deep fry doughnuts in medium hot oil till golden brown.
10. Coat the doughnuts with icing sugar. 

Notes:

1. I microwaved about 200g of cut raw pumpkin (unpeeled) & once cooked, I scrapped the soft flesh. I got about 100g.
2. I mixed the dough in the late morning & left it in the fridge to proof for about 5 hours. After taking it out from the fridge, I left it in room temperature for about 20 minutes before proceeding with step 6.
3. I wanted to coat the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar but I ran out of cinnamon powder. I think these doughnuts would go very well with cinnamon.

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up May 2014 (Milk) organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House