First, warm the milk in the microwave for about 60 seconds or until it reaches around 105°F-110°F. Use a cooking thermometer to ensure it’s not too hot, as excessive heat can kill the yeast. If it’s too hot, let it cool slightly before proceeding. Set the warm milk aside.
2/3 cup milk
Once the milk mixture is at the right temperature, pour it in the stand mixer bowl, stir in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir and let it bloom for about 5 minutes.
2 tsp active dry yeast
In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, the other tablespoon of granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice ad the salt. Whisk until fully combined and set aside.
2 & 2/3 cup all purpose flour, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp salt
Add in the melted butter vanilla, egg, and pumpkin puree to the milk mixture and mix using a paddle attachment.
3 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
Add in the flour mixture, change the mixer attachment to the hook attachment and knead the dough for 7-10 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. if the dough looks too wet add in 1 tbsp of flour at a time until the dough still looks slightly wet but pulls out of the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the stand mixer bowl, form it into a ball using your hands and place it back in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit somewhere warm for 30 minutes.