Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

The best homemade pumpkin dinner rolls to slather in butter and serve up this fall. This recipe, made with onion and poppy seeds for extra flavor, will make a delicious addition to your bread basket.

Move over jack o’lanterns and pie, pumpkin can do even more good things. An orange and squat squash, the pumpkin is a member of the gourd family and can be prepared any way that you use winter squash—that is to say, it can be sweet, and it can be savory.

Today, I’m sharing my recipe for pumpkin dinner rolls. Dotted with onion and poppy seeds, these yeast rolls fall on the savory side, but with plenty of pumpkin flavor to keep things interesting.

They are delicious served with butter alongside chili, soup, or on a holiday plate with all the trimmings.

Ingredients for the pumpkin dinner rolls

• Buttermilk
• Neutral Oil
• Egg
• Pumpkin puree
• Dry onion flakes
• Granulated sugar
• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Salt
• Active Dry Yeast

What kind of yeast should I use?

Active or instant will work just fine in this recipe. Active may just take a little while longer to rise than instant.

If you are unsure whether or not your yeast has expired or not (and therefore, still active) you can add the yeast to some of the water called for in the recipe and wait to see if it bubbles. If it does, then you’re good to go! 

How do I make pumpkin dinner rolls?

To make the dough in a bread machine:

• Assemble the ingredients in the bread pan of your bread machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Set on dough cycle.

To make the dough by hand:

• Combine the buttermilk and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.
• Add the oil, flours, egg, pumpkin puree, onion flakes, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine well.
• Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To make the dough in a stand mixer:

• Combine the buttermilk and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to the mixer bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.
• Add the oil, flours, egg, pumpkin puree, onion flakes, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine well.
• Attach the dough hook and run the machine on low until the dough ball forms around the hook and cleans the side of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

How do you form dinner rolls?

To form the rolls:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.
• When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 16 portions.
• Form each portion into a tight round and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Allow the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 ° Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool the rolls briefly on a rack. Serve warm.

Tips for making these rolls

• Make sure your milk mixture isn’t too hot. If it’s too hot then it will kill the yeast! And dead yeast = rolls that won’t rise. 
• Rising time may vary. If you have a cold kitchen then it may take longer for your rolls to rise. 
• Check those dates on the yeast packages you are using. Yeast can expire, and that means rolls that won’t rise. So check the date. If you’re unsure, then double check that your yeast is bubbly and active before you proceed with the rest of the steps.
• Don’t add too much flour. If you’re kneading by hand, and the dough is sticky then dust lightly the surface and your hands. But be careful to not add too much as this can end up being a tough, dense roll in the end.

How do you keep dinner rolls warm?

Here are two fun ways to keep the rolls warm:

1. Roll up some tinfoil into balls. Place them in the oven while your rolls bake. Then place the tinfoil balls in the bottom of your bread basket.
2. Heat up some rice (in a kitchen towel) in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then place the bread basket on top of the kitchen towel of rice, or keep carefully wrapped up in the bottom of your bread basket. 

How do you reheat dinner rolls?

Reheat your rolls in a preheated 300F oven for about 7-8 minutes until warmed through.

Can I freeze these pumpkin rolls?

Freezing baked rolls: You can freeze these after they are baked. Just let them cool completely before freezing them. Place them in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.

Freeze baked rolls for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them at room temperature, and reheat in the oven. 

Freezing unbaked rolls: You can also freeze these unbaked. Freeze unbaked rolls for 1 month, otherwise any longer and the yeast has trouble rising.

Go through the first rise. Then shape the rolls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer. Once frozen you can pop them into a freezer bag for up to a month.

When ready to bake them let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, let the rolls go through the second rise as normal and then bake as directed. 

Some of my favorite yeasted bread recipes include:

• Honey-Sweetened Raisin Bread in the Bread Machine
• Wholesome Energy Bars
• Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels
• Garlic Focaccia
• Whole Grain Cinnamon Rolls
• Easy Garlic Breadsticks
• Hot Cross Buns
• 5-Ingredient Italian Sandwich Rolls
• Hot Dog Buns
• Pita Bread

HOW TO MAKE THIS GOOD AND CHEAP:

You know I don’t typically want to make something if I can’t make it good as well as cheap. Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of pumpkin and buttermilk can help keep the price down. 
• Buying in bulk—It’s rare that I would buy small bags of flour. I also have gotten into the habit of buying cases of flour from Bob’s Red Mill or VitaCost so that I always have baking supplies on hand.

HOW I MAKE THIS RECIPE EASY:

This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.

Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:

• stainless steel mixing bowls
• glass measuring cup
• Rubber spatula
• parchment paper 
• sheet pan 
• Oster Bread Machine 

If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!

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5 from 2 votes

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Homemade pumpkin dinner rolls for your holiday bread basket!

Prep Time1 hr 40 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time2 hrs

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: onion rolls, pumpkin bread rolls, pumpkin dinner rolls, pumpkin onion rolls, pumpkin rolls

Servings: 16 rolls

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup neutral oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp poppy seeds

Optional topping:

• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp Everything Seasoning

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the dough in a bread machine:

• Assemble the ingredients in the bread pan of your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Set on dough cycle.

To make the dough by hand:

• Combine the buttermilk and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.
• Add the oil, flours, egg, pumpkin puree, onion flakes, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine well.
• Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To make the dough in a mixer:

• Combine the buttermilk and sugar in a medium-size saucepan and warm slightly over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to the mixer bowl and add the yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes.
• Add the oil, flours, egg, pumpkin puree, onion flakes, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine well.
• Attach the dough hook and run the machine until the dough ball forms around the dough hook and cleans the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

To form the rolls:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.
• When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 16 portions.
• Form each portion into a tight round and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Allow the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
• If you'd like, add the optional topping. In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg and water. Brush this egg wash over the rolls. Sprinkle generously with everything season.
• Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool the rolls briefly on a rack. Serve warm.

Notes

Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To freeze: store the cooled rolls in a ziptop bag. Remove as much air as possible, seal the bag, and store in the fridge.

Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1 roll.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1239IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

This post was originally published on November 23, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.