Pumpkin Monkey Bread

This was a request from my son for those "monkey balls" I usually make around Thanksgiving....  Hah! How could I refuse that?  Monkey bread is a sweet soft pastry that's made by baking pieces of dough that have been dipped in butter and rolled in spices. This version includes pumpkin and is perfect for an autumn weekend. It's best served warm, drizzled with maple glaze.  Gather the gang around while the turkey is cooking and pull yourself a monkey ball... I mean delicious morsel of pumpkin-spice gooeyness. 

For the dough:
1/4 c warm water
1/4 c warm milk
1 1/2 tsp dry active or instant yeast
1/4 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
​2/3 c pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 3/4 to 3 1/2 c flour

For the coating:
1/3 c melted butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp milk or cream
​teensy dash vanilla

Directions:

1. Proof the yeast by mixing the water, milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of the stand mixer. When it's bubbly, you're good to go.  (Make sure you don't kill the yeast with hot liquids -- they should be body temperature.)
2. Stir in salt, egg, butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until combined, then for another 2 minutes.  Slowly add more flour until the dough is soft but pulls aways from the side of the bowl and doesn't stick to your fingers. Continue to knead for another 4-5 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl, add dough, turning to coat.  Cover and rise in a warm place until double, about an hour.
3. Lightly grease a bundt pan. Set aside. Create a "coating" station by melting the butter in a bowl and mixing the sugar with spices until combined.
4. Punch down dough and cut into pieces about a tablespoon in size. Roll into balls. Dip each ball in melted butter then roll in sugar and arrange in bundt pan. Cover and let rise about an hour.
5. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown or a thermometer reads 200 degrees. Cool 20 minutes, then turn pan upside-down on cooling rack and rest until the monkey bread releases.
6. While bread is cooling, prepare glaze by mixing ingredients together until smooth.
7. Place lightly cooled bread on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. 
8. Gather the gang to pull-apart and devour!