Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Impress your dinner guests this Thanksgiving with these adorable pumpkin dinner rolls!
They’re super soft, tender and look so impressive even though they are so easy to make, and are ready from start to finish in under 3 hours.
The pumpkin puree adds moistness, a hint of flavor and a festive orange color. Be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar and spices added to it.
To form the creases of the pumpkin you just need kitchen string. Tie the string around the dough without pulling too tight as it will rise and it will be very difficult to remove it afterwards. Use sliced pecans, shortened pretzel sticks or cloves as stems! Cute… aren’t they? :)
If you wish, once the rolls are out of the oven, brush them with melted butter to give a little shine (I didn’t).
The recipe makes 9 dinner rolls. If you are having guests, double or triple the recipe as they will quickly disappear from the bread-basket on your dinner table.
Dinner rolls are best fresh out of the oven… and with a slathering of butter… amazing!
I promise you – the extra effort is totally worth it! Give these pumpkin dinner rolls a try and let me know what you think! Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #aseasyasapplepie on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
For more dinner roll recipes
How To Make It: Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz (300 g) pumpkin (weighed when cut up and peeled)
- ⅓ cup + 1½ tablespoon (100 ml) water lukewarm
- 1½ teaspoon dry yeast
- 3¾ cups (450 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- kitchen string
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin into cubes and bake on an oven tray lined with parchment paper in a pre-heated oven at 355°F (180°C) for 20/25 minutes.
- Once the pumpkin is cooked, puree it with a hand blender.
- Dissolve the yeast in the water.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the flour, pumpkin puree, and water.
- Start mixing and, when all the ingredients come together, add the oil and salt .
- Continue to mix until the dough becomes soft and smooth; this will take about 10/15 minutes.
- Make a ball and place it into a bowl covered with cling film.
- Let it rise until double in size (more or less 1 hour and 15 minutes).
- Divide the dough into 9 pieces of approximately 3 ounces (85 g) each.
- Shape each piece into a tight ball
- and tie a piece of kitchen string around it without pulling too tight as it will rise and it will be very difficult to remove it afterwards.
- Place the dinner rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- and proof for about ½ hour or until the dough springs back very slowly when pressed with a fingertip.
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) and bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
- Cool the pumpkin dinner rolls on a wire rack then carefully remove the string and place a pecan slice on top.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Do you think it would be possible to make these ahead of time and freeze them? With so much to do the day before, I won’t have time, and I would love to try them!
Hi Mary! You can make them ahead of time, and freeze them for up to one month. Allow the baked roll to cool completely, put them in a large ziplock bag, and seal tightly. To reheat, let them thaw on the counter, and then warm them in oven at 150 degrees C ( 300 degrees F) for 15 minutes.
Let me know how it goes! :)
Thank you! I will let you know after Thanksgiving!