How cute are these Gluten Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls? Simple to make and so soft, they’re as impressive as they are delicious!
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Who else has been seeing cute little pumpkin shaped breads all over the internet? When I saw them, I just knew I had to concoct a gluten free version because they are so impressive and, yet, looked so easy to shape and they'd look so good on any Thanksgiving table. It came down to which dough I was going to use and I decided on my gluten free sweet dough, mainly because it’s such an easy dough to work with. These gluten free pumpkin dinner rolls are by far the cutest things to come out of my kitchen in a while, but they’re also so, so tasty and as soft as can be!
Here's What You'll Need
- Gluten Free Sweet Dough -- these rolls are made with my sweet dough, the same that’s used for my cinnamon rolls and SO MANY more of my recipes. A half a recipe is all you need.
- Real pumpkin puree — make sure not to buy the pumpkin PIE filling. It’s not the same.
Making Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Working with sweet dough straight from the fridge (the colder, the better), knead or mix in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, along with an additional ¼-1/2 cup (35-70g) of Kim’s gluten free bread flour blend until a smooth, barely sticky dough forms.
- Divide dough and shape each into a round roll. Cut a long string and tie it around the rolls, like you’re tying ribbon around a package.
- Cover and let rolls rise until noticeably larger and puffy, but not doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
- Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove string while rolls are still warm and brush with melted butter.
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can definitely do that! Divide the recipe in half when making the dough, add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, and an additional ½-3/4 cups of gf bread flour. Bulk ferment and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, knead dough, adding as much flour as necessary so dough isn’t too sticky, divide, and proceed with recipe as directed.
It’s not necessary to make these rolls into pumpkins, but they are really cute. If you want to forgo the string, no worries. Just shape them into round rolls, place in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, allow to rise for a second time, and bake for about the same time. They will be more like pumpkin Hawaiian rolls.
These rolls will stay fresh for days in a ziptop bag at room temperature, but can also be wrapped and frozen for 2-3 months.
An Easy Way to Make ANY of My Roll Recipes
I know not everyone wants to make cute little pumpkin rolls, and sometimes we don't even have time to divide the dough and roll each one into a tight little round. That's where this new method I created comes in handy! You'll get the same rolls in half the time and they'll be just as good as those you hand shaped.
Pat dough into a square baking pan.
Use a bench scraper or small knife to mark a grid pattern across the top of the dough.
Cut all the way through with a bench scraper or small knife to make 9 square rolls. Cover and let proof until nearly doubled.
Brush butter onto risen rolls and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Brush more butter onto fully baked rolls.
More Gluten Free Roll and Bun Recipes
- Potato Brioche Buns
- Pillowy Soft Dinner Rolls
- Olive Garden Style Breadsticks
- Soft and Buttery Brioche
- Mexican Conchas
- Hot Cross Buns
- Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns
- Brioche au Chocolat
- Hawaiian Rolls
- Kolaches
Everyone will think you slaved in the kitchen for hours to make these beautiful Gluten Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls, but only you will know how easy they were. They’ll forget all about it, though, when they taste these soft and fluffy rolls!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Gluten Free Sweet Dough
- ½-¾ cup (70-105g) additional Kim's gluten free bread flour blend
- ½ cup (120g) pumpkin puree
- 1-2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (store bought or homemade--see notes below)
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- nonstick spray for coating kitchen twine
Instructions
- There are two ways the dough can be made. If you have a half batch of sweet dough already in your fridge, you can add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and extra flour in later and knead it all together. Or, you can make the dough originally as half the recipe (as above) add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and additional flour while mixing the dough, bulk proof it, and refrigerate it overnight. If you choose the second method, combine all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and knead on medium for 5 minutes, proof until doubled, and refrigerate overnight. Then proceed directly to step 3.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and flatten it out slightly on a well-floured surface. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and additional flour to the dough and fold it over to enclose. Knead the dough with the pumpkin until a smooth, much less sticky dough is formed (adding more flour as necessary). After the additions are fully mixed in, if your dough is no longer cold or cool you can wrap it up and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Prior to shaping the rolls into pumpkins, coat kitchen twine with nonstick spray or canola/neutral oil. You can do this by spraying each piece or placing the pieces in a bowl and tossing them with the oil. This will make it easier to remove from the rolls once baked. You will need about 2½-3 feet of twine per every roll.
- Divide the dough into roughly 3-ounce portions. Shape each portion into a round roll. Take a prepared piece of twine and place it underneath a roll. Bring it up and twist it in the middle of the roll, as if you were putting ribbon on a package. Try to be as loose as you possibly can with the twine. Flip the roll over and, again, bring both sides of the twine up and then twist them the opposite way. Flip the roll over again and continue doing this, spaced a little over each time, until you have the roll divided by the twine into roughly 8 sections. Tie the twine into a knot on the bottom of the roll and snip off any excess. Do this with each roll.
- Place tied rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes to an hour, or until rolls just are beginning to puff and are pushing out of the twine.
- Bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until they're doubled in size and they bounce back when lightly touched. With the pumpkin color, it will be harder to tell based on browning.
- Allow the rolls to cool slightly (about 10 minutes) and then remove the twine by using scissors to cut at the twisted parts. If you coated the twine beforehand, this should be fairly easy. After all twine has been removed, brush each roll with melted butter.
- Push a ¼ piece of pecan (half of a half) into the center of each roll for the stem. Serve warm or at room temperature. Rolls can be stored at room temperature, well wrapped, for 4-5 days and will stay soft for a few days after baked. To reheat, wrap in foil and place in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes.
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