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
I just used this idea on some whole wheat dinner rolls and they turned out great! I just linked to this page from my Thanksgiving post at http://www.growwildmychild.com/2015/11/first-time-tradition-black-friday.html
Thanks for the inspiration!
Beautiful post, I love the pictures! :) Thank you Kate!
Also The rolls will be served tomorrow afternoon what do you suggest…should I bake them tonight and reheat before serVing Tomorrow? Or can I form them with string and let sit overnight before baking tomorrow? Any recommendations ? Thanks so much!!
I think it’s better you bake them tonight and reheat before serving. Let me know how it goes and Happy Thanksgiving!
If you have any more questions I will be here! :)
Hi! I am about to try this adorable and delicious sounding recipe. I have 2 questions!
Can I substitute fast acting yeast for regular dry
Hi Holly! I used active dry yeast, you can replace it with instant yeast (the one that doesn’t have to be dissolved in water).
I’m looking forward to trying to make these for Thanksgiving. For the proofing step, did you do more than just let them sit out to rise?
No additional step! :) If it’s too cold where you live, you can put them in the oven switched off with a bowl of hot water, it will speed up the rising process. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you!
Adorable, can’t wait to to try them! We are going to cut some of the steps and use already made dough to simplify even more. Thank you so much for sharing them!
You are welcome! :) Happy Thanksgiving!
These are adorable”…I probably won’t have time but I might cheat and buy pre- made dough
Thank you Patricia! :)
I would assume if using canned pumpkin is the same 10.6 oz vs making your own puree?
If you use canned pumpkin it will be approximately 3/4 cup
These look adorable and sound easy – I want to try a gluten free version. How much canned pumpkin puree would I use? 1o ounces or…? Also, do you add the nut stems after baking and removing the strings? Do you have a photo of the rolls after the strings are added and before they rise, so we know how loosely to fashion the strings? Thanks!
Thank you Sandra! :) Try to use 3/4 cup pumpkin puree. You add the nut stem after baking (sorry I forgot to mention it, I will update the recipe now). The picture in the tutorial is taken before the second rise.
Do you serve them with the strings? Thanks!
Hi Janette! You remove the string before serving :)
Could you use canned pumpkin in this recipe? And how much would you need? (Not sure how much the cooked pumpkin you used yielded in puree) They are adorable!! Almost too cute to eat! Thanks!
Hi Lana! Thank you for the compliment! :) I guess you can use 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
these are adorable, a little too much work for the number of people I cook for each day, but still really sweet. you commented about brushing the roll with melted butter, but there is a better way to make them shiny: brush with an egg wash before baking. you can use an egg yolk and cream whisked together for a real shine, or simply an egg and water will do the trick as well. personally, I like them unwashed, they have a more rustic appearance. nice job.
Thank you for your tips! :)
Elena
I am going to try these although being in the UK we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving!
Can you tell me at what stage you remove the string? Do you cook them with the string on?
Thanks.
Hi Julia! You cook them with the string on. Let me know how it goes! :)
These are beautifully creative..! I am definitely making thesd for Thanksgiving! Love them! ❤
Thank you Leela! :)
These are so adorable! I have added them to our Thanksgiving menu, hopefully they turn out!
I hope so :) Let me know if you have any questions!
Wow, this is pure art! ♥
Elena, you did an AMAZING job, love every single one of them like crazy!!!
Can’t believe how cute they are, pinning, pinning, pinning :)
Hugs,
Diana
Diana, thank you for pinning and thank you for the compliments :)