• In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour the warm milk into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
• Add the flour, salt, pumpkin puree, spices, and egg to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix to form a thick dough.
• Add in the softened butter. Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10-12 minutes until the soft dough is smooth and strong and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes. If you need a break, take it. The dough responds well to resting time.
• Once kneaded, form the dough into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover.
• Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1- 1 1/2 hours. The exact time the dough rises will depend on your room temperature. If making the dough ahead of time, it can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 16 hours, which will rise more slowly.
• After rising, pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into around 40 small pieces and roll each piece into a small ball.

Coating - Two options

• Option 1 - Melt some butter in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Dip the balls in butter, then coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Option 2 - Add all the small dough balls to a large container with a lid and shake over cinnamon sugar to stop them from sticking together. Shake the container to coat all the dough pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then drizzle over the butter and shake again to coat.
• Grease a 10-inch bundt pan, and layer the coated little dough balls in the pan.
• Cover the bundt pan with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise again until about doubled in size.
• When the dough has almost finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.
• Melt brown sugar, butter, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly.
• Take off the heat, then stir through salt and vanilla. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then drizzle this carefully all over the dough. You might need need to give it time to seep through so it doesn't overflow.
• Bake the monkey bread for 35-40 minutes until deeply browned on top. If the top is browning too fast, lay a piece of aluminum foil on it. Sometimes the butterscotch sauce can spill out so you can place a tray or a sheet of foil underneath to catch any spills.
• Once baked, let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate.