Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Shaped Like a Pumpkin!)
These soft, fluffy pumpkin-shaped rolls are made with real pumpkin purée and warm spices. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or cozy fall dinners—simple to make, fun to shape, and utterly adorable on the table! 🌕🎃
Servings: 8
Calories: 331kcal
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (420) white bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast suitable for bread makers
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (80ml) milk semi-skimmed
- 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter cubed
- ½ cup (120g) pumpkin purée
- 2 large eggs
Egg Wash and Topping
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)
To decorate
- pretzel sticks
You will also need
- sunflower oil for greasing
- kitchen string
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast, nutmeg and pumpkin spice in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.3 ½ cups (420) white bread flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp instant dry yeast, 1 ½ tsp salt
- Heat the milk in a saucepan or the microwave until warm (but not hot, do not scald it). Add the butter and allow it to melt. Stir in the pumpkin purée and eggs.⅓ cup (80ml) milk, 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120g) pumpkin purée, 2 large eggs
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and beat together with a hand or stand mixer. Initially the dough will be very sticky and shaggy but it will become smoother the longer you mix it and eventually form a ball. Mist the bowl with a little oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Rise for about 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled.
- Deflate the dough and tip onto a lightly floured worktop. Cut into eight equal pieces. Flatten each piece onto a disk and fold the edges towards the middle. Roll in the palm of your hand to form a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough to form eight rolls.
- Shape the pumpkin rolls
- Cut four pieces of string or kitchen twine to approximately 12 inches / 30 cm length. Dip them into sunflower oil and pass through your fingers to get rid of excess oil.sunflower oil, kitchen string
- Arrange the oiled string in a crisscross pattern on your countertop. Place a dough ball into the center of the strings and tie them (not too tightly to allow the dough to rise) so that the roll is divided into eight equal sections. Trim any excess string and repeat with the rest of the rolls.
- Place the rolls on a lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and cover with plastic wrap. Let them rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- Beat an egg with a little water and brush the rolls. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if using. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden. Cool until you can handle them and snip off the string.1 egg , 1 tbsp water, 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- Create little stalks for the pumpkins using pretzel sticks or small cinnamon sticks. Adorable AND delicious!pretzel sticks
Video
Notes
- Can't be bothered to do the shaping? These pumpkin bread rolls taste just as delicious simply shaped into balls, brushed with egg wash and baked!
- You can use my Air Fryer Dinner Roll recipe to make these rolls. These don't contain pumpkin purée but they use the Tangzhong method which creates deliciously fluffy bread!
- Store the pumpkin dinner rolls in a bread bag for two days or slice and freeze them. Toast from frozen to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
