Add the water, yeast and maple syrup to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Leave for about 5 minutes while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.

Add the pumpkin puree to the yeast mixture and stir to fully incorporate.

Add the flour and salt and stir until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Alternatively, mix for 5 minutes in a stand mixer.

Place the dough into a greased bowl and let rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Once doubled, punch the excess air out of the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each one into a ball and pinch the bottom together. Take a long piece of string and find the halfway point. Place the half way point on top of the ball and flip the whole thing over. Pull the two pieces of string together and cross them over to create a cross on the bottom of the ball. Flip it over again and do the same thing until the ball is divided into 8 equal pieces. Tie the string at the top and cut off any excess. See the pictures below for the process. Cover the 8 rolls with cling film and let rise again for 30 minutes. The dough will puff out around the string and make pumpkin shapes.