These pumpkin rolls are incredibly soft, fluffy, and flavorful. These rolls are made with a dough based on pumpkin puree that gives a slightly orange color and great flavor and softness. The dough is very simple and can be made either by hand or with a mixer. Just mix all the ingredients, and in a few minutes, you create a mixture that we work to give it more elasticity and just let it rise for no more than an hour and a half. After rising, forming the rolls will be very simple. We can leave them plain or decorate them with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or oats to give them a more rustic appearance and flavor.
The preparation is very simple: we combine all the ingredients and work them quickly first with a spoon and then with our hands. We perform rounds of folds and then let the dough rest for an hour and a half or until it doubles in volume. Form the rolls and let them rise again for 30 minutes, then brush them with milk and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
A great autumn alternative to classic bread, these rolls are also ideal for stuffing like we do with burger buns. For lunch at home or away and for dinner (as we also suggest in the notes at the end of the article), we stuff them with burgers, salad, and a really amazing pumpkin sauce. But these rolls are also suitable for other types of fillings with cold cuts, cheese, vegetables, and even being filled with jam, Nutella, or other sweet spreads like pistachio butter or chocolate hummus. In this way, they become a great idea for a healthy breakfast or homemade snack. Are you team sweet or savory? Try the pumpkin rolls and let us know what you think.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Thanksgiving
Ingredients for making Pumpkin Rolls
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup pumpkin (puree)
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 2 tsp salt
Tools for making Pumpkin Rolls
- 1 Bowl
- Food wrap
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- 1 Oven
How to make Pumpkin Rolls
Prepare the pumpkin rolls by first dissolving the yeast in lukewarm water.
Pour the flour with the salt into a large bowl and add the pumpkin puree.
Also pour the dissolved yeast in water and the oil.
Start mixing with a spoon, then when the dough starts to become more compact, work it with your hands until it becomes soft and elastic.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then perform rounds of folds at least twice.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in volume, for about an hour and 30 minutes, 2 hours.
When the pumpkin dough is perfectly risen, deflate it and divide it into four parts.
On a floured pastry board, form the pumpkin rolls by lightly flattening each piece of dough with your fingers to obtain a flat disc. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center of the disc and press gently to adhere the dough. Continue folding until you feel tension or resistance in the dough. Turn the ball of bread with the folds facing downwards. Gently stretch it, then turn the roll 90 degrees and repeat the operation until they have assumed the shape of rolls.
Let them rise again in the turned-off oven for about 30 minutes.
Brush the rolls with milk or a beaten egg and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes.
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To obtain the pumpkin puree, you can steam, boil, or roast it in the oven or air fryer until it becomes very soft. Once soft, use a potato masher or blender to turn it into a smooth puree. Let it cool before using it.
Pumpkin rolls can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.
With the same dough, you can make a single loaf, or you can make mini pumpkins using kitchen string by following the procedure found in the mini pumpkin pizza recipe.
A suggestion for filling these rolls: prepare a pumpkin sauce with yogurt, pumpkin puree, mayonnaise, mustard, oil, turmeric, and other seasonings and fill the rolls with the pumpkin sauce, a meat or vegetable burger, and salad.
