Ingredients
Method
Mix and Ferment the Dough
- Whisk the active sourdough starter, pumpkin purée, warm milk, honey, and egg together in a large bowl.
- Add the bread flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Work in the softened butter a small piece at a time. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and begins pulling away from the bowl. It may remain slightly tacky; avoid adding extra flour unless it is genuinely unmanageable.
- Cover and bulk ferment for approximately 8–10 hours, or until the dough has risen by about half and looks aerated. Fermentation time will vary with room temperature and starter strength.
- During the first 2 hours of fermentation, perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced approximately 30–40 minutes apart. Keep covered between sets.
- If the dough reaches the desired rise before you are ready to shape, cover and refrigerate until needed.
Shape and Bake the Buns
- Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a tight log approximately 6 inches long.
- Arrange the logs parallel to one another in the pan, leaving approximately 1/2 inch between them where possible. They should expand into one another during proofing.
- Cover and proof for approximately 2–3 hours, until visibly puffy and touching. Refrigerated dough may need longer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden on top and baked through.
- Cool completely as a connected block. Lift out of the pan and slice between the buns to separate them.
- Cut a slit down the top of each bun, stopping before you reach the bottom.
Make the Quick-Pickled Onions
- Place the thinly sliced onion in a clean, heatproof jar or bowl.
- Bring the apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup, salt, and peppercorns to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt.
- Pour the brine over the onions and press them beneath the liquid. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Refrigerate once cooled. Drain the onions you will use before assembling.
Make the Apple Butter Aioli
- Whisk together the apple butter, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, and salt until smooth.
- Taste and adjust. The sauce should taste tangy first, with apple sweetness underneath.
- Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Cook, Griddle and Assemble
- Cook the chicken apple sausages according to their package directions, browning them in a skillet. Raw chicken sausages should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Melt some butter in the skillet over medium heat. Griddle both flat sides of each bun until deeply golden and crisp, adding more butter as needed.
- Spread apple butter aioli inside each bun. Add a sausage and a generous pile of drained pickled onions.
- Finish with chives or scallions and a little flaky salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- Nutrition estimate: Includes approximately 2 tablespoons griddling butter across the batch. Excludes optional finishing salt and discarded pickle brine. Values vary considerably by sausage brand, sausage size, mayonnaise, and apple butter.
- Starter readiness: Use active, bubbly starter near its peak. This dough relies on sourdough for its rise.
- Pumpkin consistency: Thick canned pumpkin is more predictable than watery homemade purée. Drain homemade purée if necessary.
- Butter timing: Adding butter after the initial rest helps the dough develop strength before the fat is incorporated.
- Fermentation: Follow the dough’s expansion rather than the clock alone. Warm kitchens can shorten the suggested rising time.
- Split-top shape: Baking the buns together creates soft, flat sides that can be griddled in butter.
- Make ahead: Prepare the buns, aioli, and onions ahead. Cook the sausages and griddle the buns just before serving.
- Pickle storage: Refrigerate the cooled onions in their brine and use within 2 weeks. These are refrigerator pickles, not shelf-stable preserves.