Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

4.50 from 2 votes

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are made with Cheddar and are so soft and fluffy! My recipe is special enough for holiday parties, easy to make and freezes nicely.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Proofing Time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Julia Foerster

Ingredients

1 ½ cups milk lukewarm
2 tbsp sugar
2 ¼ tsp instant dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cups - Metric

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm milk. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir gently. Let it sit for 3 minutes until light and foamy.
Add flour, 3 tbsp butter, salt, pumpkin puree, and shredded cheddar cheese. Knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few more minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled.
Lightly grease two 12-count muffin pans with butter. Set aside.
Punch down the dough. Break off small pieces and roll into balls (about 1-inch diameter). Place three dough balls into each muffin cup.
Cover the muffin pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled about 20-30 mins.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Brush the tops of the dinner rolls with butter and bake for 16-20 minutes until the tops are golden. Take the rolls out and brush with more butter, if desired.
Serve warm!

Notes

Make-Ahead Note: The assembled muffin pan can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Freezing: Leftover Pumpkin Dinner Rolls also freeze great. Take them out of the freezer a few hours before you want to serve them and reheat them in the oven at 300°F, about 5-10 minutes.
Dry yeast will last almost indefinitely when frozen.
The more you bake with yeast the more yeast-friendly your kitchen will become and the dough will rise better. Always using the same bowls for yeast dough also makes the dough rise more quickly.
Make sure that the liquid you add is just lukewarm and not hot or you will kill the yeast.
Instant Yeast doesn't need to be activated but if you're not sure if your yeast is still good it's better to do this step. Just dissolve the yeast and a little bit of sugar in lukewarm milk/water and let it sit for a few minutes. If it's still active the yeast will bubble up.

Nutrition