Soft, pillowy pumpkin dinner rolls that are ready in one hour. These pumpkin-flavored dinner rolls need just 4 ingredients and are easy to make. No yeast is required.
These rolls are so easy to make and great for serving as a side dish. I love that they take only about one hour to make from start to finish including baking time.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree
- Self-rising flour
- Heavy cream
- Eggs
Pumpkin puree: I used canned pumpkin puree but you can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is all purpose flour that is already pre-mixed with baking powder and salt. Since this bread doesn’t use yeast, it relies on baking powder to rise. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can also make your own by combining all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream gives the bread a softer, lighter texture.
Eggs: Eggs help with the structure and texture of the bread.
How to Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- The pumpkin puree, heavy cream and one egg are first mixed together. The flour is then added in. The dough is kneaded briefly using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer, until it is soft and elastic.
- The bread is divided into 9 equal portions and rolled into taut balls. Place the bread rolls into your prepared baking pan. Let the bread dough rest covered for about 20-30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax.
- The bread rolls are then brushed with egg wash and then baked until done, about 25-30 minutes.
- If desired, you can brush the tops of the bread with melted butter before serving. The bread rolls come out slightly shiny from the egg wash but adding the melted butter will give them an extra shiny surface. You can also sprinkle some flaky salt on top if you prefer.
Bread texture
These bread rolls have a nice pumpkin flavor to them and are naturally orange yellow from the use of the pumpkin. The bread is very soft. It is not quite as chewy as a yeasted bread but I think that works well for a dinner roll. The bread rolls are not meant to be sweet dinner rolls but do have a subtle natural sweetness from the pumpkin and heavy cream.
More Bread Rolls
4 Ingredient Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (112 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup (5 fl oz, 146 ml) heavy cream
- 2 large eggs divided
- 3 cups (384 g) self rising flour see note before starting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the pumpkin puree, heavy cream and 1 egg. Using the dough hook attachment, mix ingredients on low speed until evenly combined.
- Add the flour and continue to mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together, about 1 to 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium (I did 2-3 speed on my kitchenaid) and knead the dough briefly until the dough is smooth, elastic and is no longer sticking to the bowl (this should only take about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions (use a scale if possible). Shape each portion into a ball, kneading and gathering the edges of the dough toward the center to make a taut, round ball with a smooth top.
- Place the balls of dough in a greased 8-inch square baking dish in rows of 3. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes to let the gluten relax.
- While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg. If desired, you can add 1 tbsp of water to the egg to make it easier to break up the egg whites.
- Right before baking, brush the top of the rolls with egg wash. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through (mine took 30 mintues). If desired, brush tops of bread rolls with melted butter before serving.
Notes
- Self-rising flour amount. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup (30g)) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30 g)). Brands like King Arthur Flour and White Lily make the low protein flour. Brands like Gold Medal* and most store/generic brands contain a regular protein amount. The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, you want a flour with a regular amount of protein. Please use a self-rising flour with 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup (30 g). Or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Combine 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1.5 tbsp baking powder and 3/4 tsp salt. Whisk to evenly combine. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill. You do not want a high protein flour for this bread. It will make the bread dense and dry.
- To properly measure flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off with a knife. Do not directly dip the measuring cup into the flour because this results in too much flour. Use this method of measuring whether you are measuring self-rising flour or measuring all purpose flour to make your own self-rising flour.
- If desired, you can sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the bread rolls before baking.
- Estimated nutrition does not include egg wash.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Can a hand mixer be used instead of a stand up mixer?
Yes! Just make sure everything is still evenly combined.
How long are these shelf stable?
We recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer and not keeping them at room temperature.
Would this work using the same amount of mashed sweet potato instead of pumpkin puree?
We have not tried that but it should work as well! Let us know if you do try it.
Hi Kirbie, your Pumpkin rolls look Delicious, but do you have a gluten and dairy-free option to this recipe?
Hello! We have not tested this recipe with a gluten free flour or dairy-free option!