Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Baked Until the Tops Set

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Baked Until the Tops Set keeps the shopping list focused on dry active yeast — 1 packet, whole milk — 100°F, and sugar. It serves 12 rolls.

Count on 25 minutes of prep, 22 minutes of cooking, 1 hour of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

Sponge

• 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast — 1 packet
• 14 tablespoons whole milk — 100°F
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ¼ cups bread flour

Dough

• 3 cups bread flour
• 4 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter — softened
• 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Spice Mix
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

How the cooking goes

Make the sponge

1. Warm the milk to 95–100°F. In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, warm milk, and sugar. Mix with your hands until the mix looks even, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm spot until visibly bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Make the dough

1. In the bowl of a electric mixer, add the remaining flour, dark brown sugar, salt, softened butter, pumpkin puree, spice mix, egg, and the sponge. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mix looks even.
2. Switch to the dough hook then mix on medium speed until the dough passes a rough window pane test: pinch off a piece, gently pull and rotate into a square shape. The dough should not tear, and you should be able to see through portions of it without it ripping.

Proof & Shape

1. Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof for 30 minutes in a warm place, then fold: grab one side, pull it upward, and fold it over one-third of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat twice more until you have a tight square packet.
2. Cover again and allow the dough to double, about an additional 30 minutes. Meanwhile, oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

Proof & Bake

1. Turn the doubled dough out onto an un-floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions, approximately 99g each. Place equidistant in the prepared dish, cover with plastic wrap, and proof until doubled, about 30 minutes.
2. Warm the oven to 350°F. When the rolls have doubled and feel light and airy, brush with beaten egg.
3. Oven-bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 185°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, a cake tester should come out with clinging crumbs and no streaks of raw dough.
4. Immediately brush the hot rolls with melted butter and serve warm.

After it comes off the heat

Wait until the loaf is cool before slicing. Wrap it at room temperature, and freeze slices you will not eat in a couple of days.

If you want another plate from Dinner rolls, open Potato Rolls Baked Until the Tops Set and Savory Pumpkin Rolls with a Soft Crumb.