These pumpkin dinner rolls are the ultimate dinner rolls for this season. Dinner rolls are usually meant to be eaten as a side when having a big meal (or dinner of course). They are meant to have this neutral flavor. Which is great because they can actually be eaten as a sweet treat or paired along with some savory things.

These pumpkin dinner rolls have indeed pumpkin in them. Plus, they are shaped as little pumpkins. So charming! They come out with this orange color that looks simply great.

For that orange color we use some tumeric, which also helps with the flavor, you will see. This is because the pumpkin puree does not really color the bread as much as one would hope. So, since we want this stronger color, and because we like the flavor, we use tumeric. You will see you will like it too!

As for the shape of these dinner rolls, don’t you worry, because it isn’t as difficult as you would think. It is actually pretty easy to make them look like small pumpkins. The thing is that it can be time-consuming. So make sure to have enough time to dive into this recipe.

In the end, you will get beautiful shaped dinner rolls that taste delicious. You can use them for a special gathering, a dinner party, and of course, they are the perfect dinner roll for thanksgiving!

An important thing to note is that, to be able to shape the dinner rolls into pumpkins, you will need butcher’s twine, it is essential. So make sure to have it at hand when starting this recipe if you want the dinner rolls to be shaped as pumpkins.

If you like this recipe, make sure to check out our pumpkin cinnamon rolls, a recipe you will absolutely love!

Pumpkin dinner rolls

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time: 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

For the dough:

• 2 1/4 tsp (7 gr) dry active yeast
• 1/3 C (66 gr) brown sugar
• 1/2 C (120 ml) whole milk, lukewarm
• 4 tbsp (60 gr) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, big
• 2/3 C (160 gr) pumpkin puree, unsweetened, natural or canned
• 3 1/2 C (450 gr) bread wheat flour (with 13-14% gluten)
• 1 3/4 tsp (8.7 gr) salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp tumeric powder

To finish:

• 1 egg yolk, for varnishing the bread
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) whole milk
• Melted butter

Get Recipe Ingredients

Equipment

• Butcher's twine

Method

 

For the dough:

1. In a large bowl place the yeast, half of the sugar, whole milk and mix with a spoon. Let stand for 15 minutes for the yeast to activate.
2. After it has rested, add the rest of the sugar, melted butter, egg, pumpkin puree and mix again.
3. Add the flour with the salt, cinnamon powder and turmeric powder. Mix with the same spoon or using your hands until a sticky dough forms. Place the dough on the clean counter and knead by beating and folding it over itself for 10 minutes until it takes more shape.
4. Knead for 10 more minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It is important not to add more flour as the kneading is what will shape the dough (the whole kneading process can also be done in a mixer with the dough hook on).
5. Once ready, form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean bowl with a little vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour and a half to double in size.

To form the dinner rolls and to finish:

1. Grease with a little butter or line a rectangular baking pan of about 15.80 inches xx 9.80 inches (40 cm x 25 cm) with parchment paper. Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a clean, floured counter and divide it into 12 equal parts.
2. Take a portion of dough and shape it into a ball by inserting your fingertips under it. Then, take the ball of dough with all the fingers of one hand and turn it over itself making firm circular movements with your hand.
3. To shape the breads into pumpkins, take a long piece of butcher's twine and place it horizontally on a clean surface. Place a small ball of dough in the middle point of the string. Take the edges of the string, cross them over the ball without tying a knot and then place them vertically on the same ball, forming a quadrant. Turn the ball over and cross the yarn again, but now place it diagonally, to form sixths. Turn the ball over one last time and cross the yarn diagonally, but this time on the opposite side, to form eighths. Tie the ends of the yarn in a final knot and cut off any excess yarn. It is important not to tie the knot too tight, so that the bread has room to grow.
4. Repeat the same process with the remaining dough balls. Place the formed dinner rolls in the pan, at least 5 cm apart from each other. Cover the pan with kitchen plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the dinner rolls rise again for 1 1/2 hours until they double in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 374º F (190° C). Separately, in a small bowl mix the egg yolk with the tablespoon of milk and beat with a fork. Once the dinner rolls have doubled in size, brush them with the egg mixture using a kitchen brush and bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
6. Once ready, take the dinner rolls out of the oven, brush them with melted butter and let them cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. They keep perfectly at room temperature in a tightly closed plastic bag for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!