Pumpkin Rolls are a fun way to add a special touch to Thanksgiving & absolutely delicious! No one will be able to resist these adorable rolls.
Can you even even?
Pumpkin Rolls
Makes 8-10 rolls.
You will need cooking twine to shape the pumpkin rolls.
- 1/4 cup water at 110°F or lower
- 2 packages (or 5 teaspoons) yeast
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup scalded milk (heat in a saucepan just until hot then cool to 110°F or lower)
- 5 cups flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice (optional)
- 1 egg, well-beaten
Place water and yeast in a mixing bowl & give a quick stir.
When the yeast & water look a little bubbly, the yeast has activated and you can add the pumpkin brown sugar, butter & eggs. Using the dough hook, mix well.
Add 2 cups of flour and mix in while scraping the sides down as needed to incorporate everything.
Add the salt, pumpkin spice (if desired), and the remaining 3 cups of flour.
Knead for 10-20 minutes on medium speed.
Butter or oil a bowl and, form dough into a ball, place it in the oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a very warm place. This is especially important during the fall and winter when the weather gets cooler. Allow rising for about an hour or until double in size.
Punch dough down.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet (or spray it with non-stick baking spray).
Form the rolls into 8-10 equal-sized balls (of course, if you’d like to make mini rolls, you can divide it more. Cuz, well, mini. Roll them so they look nice and then tie three strings around them (not too tight as they will need some room to rise some more) so they look like pumpkins. Break a couple of cinnamon sticks into about 1-inch pieces and stick one in the op of each roll so they look like pumpkin stems.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cover rolls and allow them to rise for another 30 minutes to an hour or until double in size.
Use a well-beaten egg to brush each roll. This will help make them shiny.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Butter tops, if you like, when rolls are hot out of the oven.
After they’ve cooled to the touch, carefully remove the strings.