Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

These dairy and egg-free pumpkin dinner rolls are made with pumpkin puree for a lightly sweet, soft, and tender roll perfect for autumn.

Course Autumn, Bread, Side Dish, Sides, Winter

Cuisine American, Canadian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Rising Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings rolls

Calories 223kcal

Author Alexandra Daum

Ingredients

180 ml non-dairy milk or dairy milk
20 grams honey or maple syrup
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast or ½ cube fresh
250 grams pumpkin puree
30 grams oil I use olive - any light-tasting oil can be used
550 grams light spelt flour
2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just warm to the touch, about 35°C (95°F). Pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the honey. Sprinkle the yeast over top and set aside to bloom for about ten minutes.
180 ml non-dairy milk, 20 grams honey or maple syrup, 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
Once the yeast has bloomed, whisk in the pumpkin puree and oil. Stir in the flour and salt to form a shaggy dough.
250 grams pumpkin puree, 30 grams oil, 550 grams light spelt flour, 2 teaspoons sea salt
Knead the dough until it forms a soft, smooth ball. If using an electric mixer, this should be about five minutes, or about eight minutes by hand. It should be elastic when ready but will not pass a windowpane test. Don't add more flour when kneading.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the mixing bowl. Set it in a warm, draft-free place, covered tightly, until doubled in size, about one hour.
Once the dough has risen, lightly grease a rectangular baking dish (approximately 31x21cm (~9×13 in.)). Deflate the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces.
Rotate each ball with your hand on a clean work surface to create some surface tension on the buns, then place into the prepared baking dish. Cover with a damp tea towel and place into an enclosed space like your (cold) oven to rise again until doubled in size, about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Once the buns are fully risen, bake for 20-25* minutes, until golden.
Immediately brush the tops of the buns with a little coconut oil or butter when they come out of the oven to keep the crust soft. Cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

* The baking time will vary slightly depending on the type of baking dish you use. A metal dish will cause the buns to bake more quickly than oven-safe glass or ceramic.

Storage: keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days. Any longer and they will start to spoil due to the added pumpkin. Refrigeration dries yeast breads out and I don't recommend it.

Freezing: transfer fully cooled buns to an airtight container and freeze up to three months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh by spritzing with a bit of water and warming in the oven for the best texture. Freeze the same day of baking.

Adjust the flour: since this recipe is made with pumpkin puree, the moisture level can vary slightly (based on the amount of liquid in the pumpkin). You may need to add slightly more or less flour based on this.

Rise in a warm, not hot, place: on top of a radiator or right beside is a bad place to prove your dough - it will rise too quickly and damage the yeast activity. Choose a warm, draft-free spot, like the oven with a light on or on top of the refrigerator.

The dough should double: think about the size of the dough and don't focus too much on timings. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your home, the dough will rise more quickly or slowly - look for a dough that's doubled in size and reference the step-by-step photos above.

Use whole grains: if you want to add whole grain flour, I recommend reducing the amount of added flour by about 20 grams and let the dough autolyse (rest) for ten minutes before kneading. I've tried these with 50% whole grain spelt flour and it works well but the buns are, of course, not as soft.

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