Best Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Soft, fluffy, and chewy—these pumpkin dinner rolls are perfectly finished! They are brushed with a sweet milk-maple syrup wash and topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds.
Servings 15 roll
Calories 149kcal
Ingredients
- 70 ml/grams (1/3 cup) warmed whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 70 ml/grams (1/3 cup) warmed water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 7 grams (2 ¼ tsp) instant or active dry yeast
- 25 grams 2 tbsp cane or brown sugar
- 240 grams (1 cup) pumpkin puree
- 420 grams (3 1/2 cups) bread or all-purpose flour
- 8 grams (1 ½ tsp) sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ teaspoon ginger
- ⅓ teaspoon nutmeg
- 37 grams (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- Washing & toppings: 2 tablespoons whole milk + 1 teaspoon maple syrup for washing, and 3 pumpkin seeds for toppings
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the milk, water, yeast, and the cane sugar. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this step in a large mixing bowl and in the next step mix the dough by hand or with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the pumpkin puree to the foamy yeast mixture and whisk it thoroughly until it is completely combined. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Using the dough hook attachment, beat the dough for 4 minutes until the dough comes together and gathers around the dough hook. Scrape down the side of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough seems too sticky or is clinging to the bottom of the bowl, just add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it pulls away from the bottom while still remaining slightly tacky.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, or transfer the dough into a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. Halfway through the kneading process, stop the mixer and remove the dough from the hook to ensure even kneading throughout the batch. If the dough becomes too sticky during kneading, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add too much flour, as the dough should remain smooth, not dry. After the kneading process, the dough should feel smooth, uniform, and elastic. Poke the dough with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough has been kneaded long enough. Alternatively, you can do the "windowpane test" to check if your dough is ready for the addition of the fat: simply pinch off a small piece of the dough and gently stretch it out. If you can stretch it thin enough that light shines through without the dough tearing, the dough is ready for the fat. If not, keep kneading for 1 minute intervals until it successfully passes the windowpane test.
- Incorporate the oil: With the mixer running on low speed, add the olive oil, just 1 tablespoon at a time. Be sure to wait until that tablespoon of olive oil is completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next one. Use a spatula to help ensure all the oil is picked up by the dough. This process of incorporating all the oil should take about 2-3 minutes total. You might notice that about half of the dough adheres to the bottom of the bowl, while the other half clings to the dough hook—that's perfectly fine and normal. Once all the oil has been added, continue mixing on low speed for another 3 minutes, until the dough becomes very soft and shiny. The dough should gather around the dough hook and slap the sides of the bowl again.
- Refrigerate the dough: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Grease a metal or glass 9x13-inch baking dish. You can also bake the rolls in two 9-inch square or round baking pans, a cast-iron skillet, or on a lined baking sheet.
- Shape the rolls: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, about 56g each. A kitchen scale is helpful for this step. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Here is what I usually do: Take one piece at a time and stretch the top while pinching and sealing the bottom. Make sure the rolls are smooth on the top and sealed on the bottom. Arrange in the prepared baking dish.
- Rise: Cover the shaped rolls with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm environment for 60-90 minutes or until it puffs up. *Rise time can vary depending on the weather conditions. See the recipe note below for more details.
- Adjust an oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the wash: Combine 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Using a pastry brush, brush the bread with half the amount of the wash mixture, then sprinkle pumpkin seeds over the top of the rolls.
- Bake: Bake the rolls for about 25–28 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Turn the baking dish halfway through the baking time. If the top browns too quickly, simply cover the rolls with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack; brush the rolls with the remaining wash mixture while they are hot.
- Cover leftover pumpkin rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
The temperature when I made this recipe: 59 Fahrenheit (15 Celsius).
Make-ahead Instructions: See Step 5. The dough can rest for up to 16 hours in the refrigerator.
Freezing Instructions: Prepare the recipe through Step 5 or Step 8. Place the dough in a greased bowl, or use a 9x5-inch loaf pan if you prefer shaping it before freezing. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you plan to serve the bread, let the dough or loaf thaw for about 5 hours at room temperature. Continue with Step 6 or Step 9.
Rise Time: Rise time can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen (that's why you need to look at the dough, not the clock!). I make this recipe when the kitchen temperature sits around 59°F (15°C), which means the dough takes longer than it would in a warmer room. If your kitchen is warmer, think of keeping the bread rising at room temperature, and keep an eye on it. If your kitchen is cooler, give the bread extra time—it will still rise, just slower.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale with Liquid measuring cups / Measuring Cups & Spoons | Stand Mixer / Steel or Glass Mixing Bowl with a Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Bowl Scraper | Bench scraper | Metal or Glass 9x13-inch Baking Dish | Pastry Brush | Wire Rack.
Baking Pan: I prefer baking the rolls in a metal or glass 9x13-inch baking pan. If you don't own either, you can use two 9-inch square or round baking pans, or a cast-iron skillet.
Flour: You can use bread flour or all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most people, but bread flour produces chewier bread. The bread will still turn out soft and fluffy, no matter which one you choose! Either flour works perfectly fine, and you do not need to make any other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other.
Fat: I prefer using extra virgin olive oil as the fat in this recipe. You can certainly use butter if you prefer, but keep in mind that you must use 25% more by amount.
