Method

1. Heat the milk until lukewarm and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Add the yeast and mix to dissolve.
3. Allow to stand for 15 minutes or until it begins frothing.
4. In the meantime, combine the flour, half the pure ground vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, spices, sugar and salt together.
5. Add the eggs to the milk mixture along with pumpkin puree and mix well.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix to form a soft dough.
7. Add ½ stick of soft butter and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof until doubled in size. 
9. Preheat oven to  350°F.
10. Prepare the filling by mixing the remaining tsp of pure ground vanilla, 1 stick butter and brown sugar.
11. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into 18 pieces.
12. Roll each piece of dough into a circle and place 1 tsp of the butter filling into the middle. Close the dough around the filling and pinch to close and form a ball. 
13. Cut 18 pieces of string long enough that it can wrap around the dough ball four times.  Carefully place the centre of the string over the first dough ball, flip over, cross the string over itself so it creates tension, flip the dough over again, and repeat. 
14. You want to create four equal cross-sections of the ball but the string shouldn’t be too tight.
15. Tie a double knot at the end, and trim the ends of the string.
16. Place onto a baking sheet, and repeat for all remaining dough balls.
17. Cover the dough balls loosely with greased plastic wrap (or put the tray inside a large clean plastic bag and tie it closed), and let rise for about 1 hour, or until you can press a finger into the dough and it leaves an indent (if it bounces back quickly, it needs more rise time).
18. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden.
19. Remove and allow to cool slightly before cutting and removing the string.
20. Brush with melted butter and dredge in cinnamon sugar, if desired.