Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

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These Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are soft, buttery, delicious pull-apart rolls made with pumpkin puree, which creates a tender interior and a beautiful golden color throughout.

Prep Time15

Cook Time18

Rise Time2

Total Time2 33

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: dinner rolls

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

1 cup warm water 227g
3 tablespoons honey 63g
7 g instant yeast
8 tablespoons butter melted
½ cup pumpkin puree 113g
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk egg white reserved for brushing on the rolls
1 tablespoon salt
4 ½ cups flour 630g

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water and honey and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast and let sit for a few minutes, until slightly bubbly. Add the melted butter, pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk, and salt, and combine. Add the flour and roughly combine.
Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed (setting #3) for 10 minutes. The dough will be quite soft.
Transfer the dough to a clean, well-floured work surface. Shape into a ball and place into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Butter a 9x13 metal baking dish and line with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (to create 5 rows of 3 in the baking dish), or 16 if that makes dividing the dough easier. Shape each piece into a round ball and place it in the baking dish. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Add the reserved egg white to a small bowl along with a few drops of water and whisk to combine. Gently brush the tops of the rolls with the egg white.
Bake at 350°F for 18-19 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.

Notes

Preheat the Oven: Preheating the oven for at least 30 minutes prior to baking helps to ensure that your oven is at the right temperature. Many ovens say they are preheated when they aren’t. A separately purchased oven thermometer can help to see what the temperature is actually inside the oven, or determine where hot spots are.
Bread Flour: It is important to use bread flour rather than all-purpose flour for this recipe since it has a higher protein content, creating a stronger gluten network, allowing it to stretch and accommodate more bubbles.
Measure Flour: There is no standardized way to measure flour by volume. I use 140g per 1 cup of flour. For the best results, weigh your ingredients, particularly flour, by weight in grams. If you do not have a kitchen scale, use the dip and sweep method to measure a cup of flour.
Stand Mixer: Let the stand mixer do the work for you. I find that for this recipe, unlike Focaccia or Neapolitan Pizza Dough, it’s easiest to just let the stand mixer do all the kneading. Let it run for ten minutes, shape into a large ball, and let it rise.
Warm Place to Rise: To speed up the process, let the dough rise in a warm place, like in front of a sunny window, at the back of the stove when the oven is preheated (if you have a stove/oven combo), or in the microwave with a mug of hot water (do not microwave).
Shaping the Rolls: To create a smooth ball of dough, pull the dough out and over and tuck it underneath the ball, working around the entire ball of dough. Twist the rough ends tucked underneath to pinch them together. Flip it upside down and scoot it with your hands to do a final round out, or keep the ball of dough upright and roll it around under the palm of your hand gently to smooth out the bottom of the dough.

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