If you don’t normally make homemade rolls for Thanksgiving, you might just want to consider taking a little extra effort to make these rolls this year. They are just that good. In fact, I’ve tried literally hundreds of roll recipes over the years and this recipe is hands-down the best one I’ve ever made.
Now before you start thinking about the combination of pumpkin in dinner rolls and wondering how that might taste, let me reassure you that you probably won’t even taste the pumpkin in these rolls. It just serves to make a softer dough and the color a bit richer. But other than that, your picky eaters in the family will likely not recognize any pumpkin taste in these!
These rolls are best served within an hour or two of making, so if you’re planning to serve them on Thanksgiving, you’ll want to make sure and allow extra time to whip up the dough. While it’s rising, you can do your last minute Thanksgiving meal preparations and then stick these in the oven to bake an hour or
so before you’re planning to eat.
Yes, it’s a little bit of extra work but I think you and your guests will agree it was worth it!
My Favorite Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Recipe modified slightly from the original recipe found at Tammy’s Recipes–a cooking blog you ought to be reading, if you’re not already!
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 cup warm milk
- ¼ cup butter, softened or melted
- 2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (I usually use one can of pumpkin.)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup wheat germ (can omit and use flour instead)
- 10-12 cup all-purpose flour (I usually use a mixture of whole-wheat and white flours. I’d recommend going about 1/3 whole-wheat to 2/3 white flour.)
- 7 teaspoons dry yeast
In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well. Add wheat germ, 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast.
Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.
Place dough in greased bowl; grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Divide each third into 16 pieces and shape into balls.
Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. (Note: These rolls usually look somewhat dry when first coming out of the oven. Wait about 15 minutes and they will look and taste beautifully. Don’t ask me why, but that’s how it always works for me!)
Yield: 4 dozen rolls (If you’re not expecting a large crowd for Thanksgiving, I’d recommend halving the recipe. I often do this for smaller groups and it works great!)
For more of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, click on the following links: Sweet Potato Casserole, Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, and Crumb-Topped Apple Pie.
Do you usually make homemade bread for Thanksgiving? If so, I’d love if it you shared a link to the recipe in the comments section.
Donna S says
I made these for Thanksgiving this year and they were delicious! They will be a permanent addition to our holiday menus! thanks!
Amy J says
I made these for our early Thanksgiving and they were delicious! I always disliked making rolls because they were always dry- not these! They were the prettiest thing on the table! Thanks so much! I have many batches to make for Thursdays crowd of 40!
Julie says
New to baking with yeast. Do you put the yeast in dry or do I need to mix with warm water as on yeast packet?
Okalea says
Hi, I just want to let you know. I made these rolls tonight to go with our roast. They were wonderful. My husband ate so many I thought he would bust. I had so many left. I shared them with three of my neighbors. Next time I will have to make a half batch. Thanks for the recipe. I will be making these again. 🙂
Lucky says
Yesterday’s Washington Post had a recipe for sweet potato rolls that were similar to this and it included directions for baking ahead. I thought it might be of interest because a lot of people were asking how to do this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/17/AR2009111700748.html?sub=AR
(you may have to register, but it’s free)
Carrie says
Does anyone have an amazing bread machine recipe for rolls? Or know how to modify this one for the bread machine? It’ll be all hands on deck for the big meal, so there won’t be much space or time for kneading. I’m hoping someone out there has made these on the dough setting and can clue me in on how to modify it! {if so, could you email me at makinglemonadeblog at gmail dot com? THANKS!}
Jeannie says
We made these a few weeks ago with all whole wheat flour. They were amazing with cinnamon-honey butter but were a little bitter when served with just butter. I plan to make them again and use mostly white flour- I will certainly try your recommendation of 1/3 wheat to 2/3 white! I made a full batch and froze 1/2 of the rolls just before baking. On Thanksgiving Day, I’ll just thaw them out and stick them in the oven!
Kendra says
These sound wonderful! Infrequent bread baker question…how close do you put the dough balls on the cookie sheet? How many fit per sheet generally? Have you tried these on a baking stone?
Thanks!
peggy says
I do have a recipe I have used for years called Double Quick Dinner Rolls and we love them and they are very easy. I want to try this recipe that you have given us and see how that goes.
Melissa says
Hi Crystal,
You said that these were better when ate within a few hours after baking, but are they still good the next day? Almost everything tastes better fresh, I just want to know if they’re still good the next day even if they’re not as good. After your Hassle-Free Bird post I like the idea of cooking everything in advance.
Tammy L says
Jim,
We’ll be traveling about 45 minutes on Thanksgiving Day as well, so I plan to make and bake these rolls the day before and take them wrapped in foil, to warm them in the oven (for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees). 🙂
Monica says
I really want to make these, but my son can’t have butter or margarine. 🙁 Any ideas on what I could substitute?
Mandi says
Does anyone know if I can make these up the day before and keep them in the fridge and then take them out to rise and bake the day of Thanksgiving? I’m trying to avoid the 4 women in the kitchen rush that I know will be taking place right before the meal!
Thanks!
Jim says
Anyone know how well these keep/travel? We’re having Thanksgiving up @ the wife’s mom’s house (about 45 mins away), so it’d be great if we could do most of the prep and cooking and finish them there (or all of the prep & cooking, and just heat them up there)
Abbi says
Pumpkin (or squash) makes a wonderful addition to homemade bread or rolls. We are blessed with a lot of it and so I put it in my bread regularly. It makes 100% whole wheat stuff breads much softer.
Here is my favorite roll for Thanksgiving:
http://proverbs31living.blogspot.com/2007/11/making-rolls-to-share.html
I will sometimes add pumpkin puree to them in place of some of the liquid too. These rolls are always enjoyed where ever I bring them. I recently won the bread division in a contest with them as well.
Tammy L says
I’m making these next week… can’t wait! 🙂 I’ll probably double the recipe so we can have some at home as well as taking a bunch to the family Thanksgiving gathering! 😀
P.S. Thanks for the link to my site! 😉
Chels says
I wasn’t thinking correctly when I asked you about the canned pumpkin. Large is 29.5 oz. and a small is 15 oz. so I know it’s the small size. Thanks! I’m excited to try them out on my fam!
Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free says
Oh how I wish we were hosting Thanksgiving so I could make these rolls! Would be a great way to use up some of my extra pumpkin we froze.
Maybe I’ll make these for our Christmas gathering instead.. 🙂
Emily says
Wow, those sound great. I’m hungry!
Kristie says
I make rolls using my bread recipe which I blogged here:
http://www.kristiemcnealy.com/basic-yet-tasty-homemade-bread-recipe/
You can easily form the rolls ofter the first rise and then freeze. Just take them out about 3 hours before you want to put them in the oven to allow time to thaw and rise. They won’t rise quite as much on your counter, but they will puff up nicely in the oven.
They will also be fine of you bake them a day ahead, or you can make up the dough and refrigerate it for up to a week.
Lucky says
I make these buttermilk onion pull apart rolls every year:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/buttermilk-onion-pull-apart-rolls?autonomy_kw=onion%20rolls
They’re kind of a pain but worth it! Just be careful getting them out of the pan.
I also post cranberry oat knots recently that would would be good for Thanksgiving:
http://cookingluck.blogspot.com/2009/10/cranberry-oat-knots-quick-rise-yeast.html
These were very good, and much easier and quicker than the pull apart rolls. Can’t mess with tradition though!
Chels says
This Freezer Crescent Roll recipe is the best but I’m willing to try out the pumpkin one you’ve suggested!
http://fantasticfind.blogspot.com/2009/10/recipes-freezer-crescent-rolls-and.html
You say you use one can of pumpkin small (8 oz.) or large (14.5 oz.)? I’m assuming large because it’s close to 2 cups.
Haleigh says
Can the initial step be done in a bread machine on the ‘Dough’ setting?
Jessica Nunemaker says
These sound — and look – wonderful!
I think I will have to try out this recipe in my bread machine. 😉
I’m also lovin’ the links people are throwing out! Looks of great ideas for this holiday. Woo-hoo!
kathaleen says
On your Farmhouse Chicken do you cook it before you put it in the freezer?
Trixie says
Hello,
These sound (and look) fantastic. I can’t wait to try them.
Love, love, LOVE sweet potato casserole. Here’s my recipe — it’s so good, people think it’s a dessert.
http://farmhomelife.blogspot.com/2007/11/best-sweet-potato-casserole.html
Rae says
OMG, you read my mind! I was just thinking the other day if there was some sort of roll that I could do for thanksgiving that would use some pumpkin (because I’m planning on making the homemade pumpkin puree that you posted a while ago). Now I don’t need to search for one (or wonder if one even exists lol) so thank you thank you thank you!
Dee says
I make either the pumpkin rolls, or just good ol’ standard white/wheat dinner rolls from my Betty Crocker Bride’s edition cookbook. The second recipe can be made into crescent rolls, parker house, cloverleaf…any form you want.
Next year – I’m going to try and make sourdough rolls as well a la the 5 Minute a Day artisan bread recipe.
Angela says
I made these last year when you posted them. We absolutely loved them. So glad you posted the recipe again. I have tons of pumpkin in my freezer just wanting to be used! 🙂
Courtney says
Could you make and freeze these before the second rising…then let them thaw overnight in the fridge, do the second rise and bake the day of?
Rachel S says
Ah- just noticed the “what’s coming up” section… haha- I should have kept reading! 🙂
My favorite homemade whole wheat bread recipe is:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Homemade-Bread/Detail.aspx
Gotta Love Allrecipes.com!
Rachel S says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these dinner rolls- they are Smashingly devine (as far as dinner rolls can be, that is) I made them just a month or two ago just to get some practice for Thanksgiving- and my 10 year old niece thought that they were yummier than the plate of muffins that I’d also cooked that day- the whole plate of rolls were gone and the muffins were left behind- now what does that tell you? 🙂 Thanks Crystal!
Ps: Are you gonna post the make ahead mashed potatoes too? I’m intrigued by them- and am considering these for the meal this year. thanks!
Kathy Martin says
These do look yummy! I was wondering would I be able to make these ahead of time and freeze them? Than thaw and warm in oven the day of? I make other rolls that way and they usually taste just as good.
Thanks