Pumpkin dinner rolls are a delightful, seasonal addition to any meal, especially during fall and Thanksgiving. They’re soft, slightly sweet, and have a lovely warm color. Pair with your favorite bowl of soup and you have the coziest, most impressive dinner on an autumn weeknight.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Not only are the drop jaw delicious, they’re also one of those special dishes you can only enjoy it if you make it yourself… Since it is very unlikely that you’ll be able to go to a local restaurant and order some pumpkin dinner rolls.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – unfed, inactive sourdough starter that has been stored in the fridge or on the counter.
Yeast – Because we are using sourdough discard, the yeast is what will make the bread rise. This one is a brand I have used for years, it never fails and lasts a long time! I highly recommend!
Flour – I use Kirkland’s organic, unbleached all purpose flour for most of my recipes but use what you have on hand! Keep in mind that organic isn’t totally necessary, but I always recommend using unbleached flour.
Honey – Honey is used 3 different ways in this recipe, a teaspoon to help activate the yeast, honey in the actual dough for sweetness, and melted honey for the butter on top!
Water – Filtered water is best.
Salt – I use pink Himalayan salt but use what you have on hand!
Cinnamon – It’s not a fall recipe without some ground cinnamon, in my opinion.
👩🍳 How to Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- In your Kitchen aid mixing bowl, combine water, 1 tsp honey, and 2 tsp of instant yeast and let rest fo r5 minutes so your yeast can bloom.
- After 5 minutes, add your flour, salt and cinnamon to the bowl.
- On low speed, slowly add in the sourdough discard, pumpkin puree and the egg so it all combines. Once your dough is almost fully together, add in your butter one tablespoon at a time.
- Knead your dough on low speed in the kitchen aid for 5 – 7 minutes until a cohesive dough forms. It might seem like the dough is a little dry, it will eventually come together during the kneading process, but if you have to add in more water do so 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let rest for 2 – 2.5 hours until it has risen and doubled in size.
- When your dough has doubled in size, turn it over onto a clean work surface and using your bench scraper, separate the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. I like cutting the dough into fourths, then cutting each of those pieces into 3 smaller pieces. This is an easy way to divide without a scale. But if you do choose to use a scale, each dinner roll will come out to about 85 grams.
- Transfer the dinner roll dough into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for one hour.
- Preheat your oven to 390 degrees.
- After the dough has rested and doubled in size, bake at 390 degrees for 25 – 27 minutes.
- While the dough is baking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter down with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- When your dinner rolls are done, immediately brush them with the honey butter while they are still warm.
- Let them cool slightly for about 10 minutes and then enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- You can add spices like ginger or allspice for extra warmth, or mix in herbs for a savory twist.
- Use pure pumpkin puree (canned is usually best for consistency and ease). Avoid pumpkin pie filling as it contains added sugars and spices.
- Use all-purpose flour for soft rolls, or substitute part of it with whole wheat flour for a heartier texture. Just note that using more whole wheat flour might require adjusting the liquid.
- Tip: If you’re not ready to bake the buns after the first rise, utilize popping them in the fridge until you’re ready! I like to make the buns in the morning, put them in the fridge for their second rise, and then bake them before dinner and it works great 🙂
🗒 Variations
This is a variation of my hamburger buns which y’all love SO much! Just tweaked a bit and baked at different times, but if you think you love those, these pumpkin ones are just as good!
🗒 Substitutions
For a richer dinner roll, substitute the water for warm milk when adding the yeast! You can also add herbs like sage and rosemary for a deeper flavor. Also, for a chewier dinner roll, substitute all-purpose flour for equal parts bread flour.
- water – milk
- all-purpose flour – bread flour
- add any herbs you like that will compliment pumpkin
🗒 Best served with
- Our favorite way to enjoy pumpkin dinner rolls is as a side to a warm and heart bowl of soup like chili!
- Autumn dinner sides
- Thanksgiving dinner sides
👝 How to Store Leftovers
- Room Temperature: Store cooled rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay fresh for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: If you want to keep the rolls longer, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag or container. They can last up to 3 months. To thaw, simply leave them at room temperature or microwave them for a few seconds.
- Reheating: To reheat, place in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 5-10 minutes until warm.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! If you use active sourdough starter, make sure it is at its peak. Use one cup of bubbly starter and let it rest + rise for double the time.
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Tea Towel
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbs honey plus 1 tsp for the yeast
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 4 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tbs softened butter
- 1 egg
Honey Butter
- 3 tbs melted butter
- 1 tbs honey
Instructions
- In your Kitchen aid mixing bowl, combine water, 1 tsp honey, and 2 tsp of instant yeast and let rest fo r5 minutes so your yeast can bloom.
- After 5 minutes, add your flour, salt and cinnamon to the bowl.
- On low speed, slowly add in the sourdough discard, pumpkin puree and the egg so it all combines. Once your dough is almost fully together, add in your butter one tablespoon at a time.
- Knead your dough on low speed in the kitchen aid for 5 – 7 minutes until a cohesive dough forms. It might seem like the dough is a little dry, it will eventually come together during the kneading process, but if you have to add in more water do so 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let rest for 2 – 2.5 hours until it has risen and doubled in size.
- When your dough has doubled in size, turn it over onto a clean work surface and using your bench scraper, separate the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. I like cutting the dough into fourths, then cutting each of those pieces into 3 smaller pieces. This is an easy way to divide without a scale. But if you do choose to use a scale, each dinner roll will come out to about 85 grams.
- Transfer the dinner roll dough into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for one hour.
- Preheat your oven to 390 degrees.
- After the dough has rested and doubled in size, bake at 390 degrees for 25 – 27 minutes.
- While the dough is baking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter down with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- When your dinner rolls are done, immediately brush them with the honey butter while they are still warm.
- Let them cool slightly for about 10 minutes and then enjoy!
Could I substitute the yeast and discard with active starter?? If so, how much starter? I’d love to try this but I’ve sworn off any yeast in my recipes!
Yes! In the FAQ section I have measurement and time adjustments! 🙂
Do you need to shape the rolls any type of way after cutting into 12 pieces ?
Round 🙂 I hope you love them!
After I made this, I realized that no where in the recipe does it say to add the remaining honey. They were good but definitely could have benefited from some extra sweetness on the inside.
Have made these for two events now. Huge hits every time! Not overly pumpkin-y, but provide a really good warmth to dinner rolls! Great with any soup, chili, etc.