Sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls are a lovely way to incorporate pumpkin into a table staple.
Slightly sweet with a drizzle of honey butter and visually striking with a seedy topping, these sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls are set to the be the star of your table.
You can present these sourdough rolls pull apart style, baked in a cast iron skillet or you could shape them as individual rolls so that they are separate once baked.
It's easy to change the seeds on the top so you can really personalise them to your taste and style.
Why Add Pumpkin to Sourdough Dinner Rolls?
Adding pumpkin to bread dough has a similar effect to adding potato.
You get a very tender crumb - an almost velvety texture. The pumpkin acts as the hydration in the dough that also adds a vibrant color.
The flavor of pumpkin in these rolls is very mild - and in fact they taste more like honey than pumpkin.
The pumpkin really accounts more for color and texture than flavor.
Similarly, you could substitute sweet potato puree for the pumpkin puree if you prefer.
How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
These dinner rolls are very easy to make.
Essentially, you'll need to make a dough enriched with pumpkin puree and then after it has fermented, shape it into rolls.
Here's how to make sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls:
- Mix all of the ingredients together (except the butter and salt) and let it form a rough dough. Leave this to rest.
- Now add butter and salt and knead with a stand mixer until the dough is stretchy and elastic.
- Allow the dough to bulk ferment.
- Shape the dough into small balls (weigh them to ensure uniformity).
- Place the dough balls into a cast iron skillet and allow them to proof and get puffy.
- Bake the rolls in a moderate oven for 20 minutes.
- Brush with honey butter and enjoy.
Shaping Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
These sourdough rolls are very easy to shape.
It's up to you what size you want to make them.
The ones in this photo have been divided into 50g balls of dough (this recipe mades 18 rolls at 50g each).
Flatten each piece of dough out a little then bring the edges in and pinch them at the base. Gently roll into a ball.
You can bake them snuggly in a cast iron skillet for a pull apart effect, or alternatively you could place them further away from each other on a baking sheet to create individual rolls.
Tips For The Best Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
While this is an easy recipe, there are a few things you can do to make sure that you get the best possible dinner rolls.
- Don't add extra flour to the recipe - this will result in tough and dense rolls once baked. The dough is silky and elastic - it needs to be kneaded really well to achieve this consistency.
- Don't be tempted to add extra flour for shaping - the dough will not need it.
- Brush the rolls with the honey butter as soon as they come out of the oven. This will give them such a lovely shine, but also ensure they stay soft and delicious.
- You can substitute sweet potato for the pumpkin if you wish. It will give a very similar result.
- Don't rush the second rise or proof on these rolls. They really will need quite a while to become soft and puffy. This will be instrumental to the softness of the rolls once baked.
Baking Timeline for Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Here's a sample timeline for these sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls.
It's up to you whether you choose to cold proof them or not. This is a great way to pop them on pause so you can bake them fresh the next day.
This baking timeline would be suitable for Thanksgiving Lunch (but the exact times will depend on you particular starter and the temperature of your kitchen):
| Time | Process |
| DAY 1 | |
| 7.00 am | Mix and knead dough. |
| 8.00 am | Allow dough to bulk ferment. |
| 4.00 pm | Shape rolls and place into cast iron skillet. |
| 5.00 pm | Allow the rolls to rise and get puffy. |
| 8.00 pm | Cover and place into fridge. |
| DAY 2 | |
| 8.00 am | Take out of the fridge and allow to come to room temp / proof. |
| 11.00 am | Bake sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls in oven. |
Further Reading
If you love these sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls, you'll love these ideas:
Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scale
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 100 g Sourdough Starter Fed and bubbly
- 150 g Pumpkin Puree Room temp
- 80 g Milk Warm 37C
- 40 g Honey
- 30 g Butter
- 10 g Salt
Honey Butter for Topping
- 20 g Honey
- 20 g Butter
Seeds for Topping
- 50 g Black Sesame Seeds
- 50 g Pumpkin Seeds
- 50 g Oats I processed them in a food processor to make them a bit finer.
Instructions
- Add flour, sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, milk and honey to your stand mixer bowl and use the stand mixer to knead into a rough dough. Allow to rest for around 30 minutes.
- Add the salt and butter and knead the dough until it is silky and elastic. This is such a lovely dough it should be very easy to handle.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and allow it bulk ferment until the dough has risen around 30%.
- Once the dough has finished the bulk ferment, you will need to shape the rolls.
- Weigh out the dough into whatever size balls you'd like. I've done them at 50g.
- Take each piece of dough, flatten it out into a disc. Bring the edges into the middle and pinch then roll to form a ball.
- Lightly spray each roll with water and dip into seeds of your choice (I've used black sesame, pumpkin and oats).
- Place the rolls into a cast iron skillet lined with baking paper. I've used a 12" skillet. Allow them to proof and get puffy (this will take a while, depending on the temperature in your kitchen).
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C/356F.
- Bake the sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls at 180-C/356F for approximately 20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, mix together the honey and the butter. Set aside.
- Once you've removed them from the oven, gently brush them with the honey butter.
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