Golden Pumpkin Dinner Rolls for Thanksgiving
Pumpkin dinner rolls need space in the day for two rises, not just room in the oven. King Arthur’s version makes twenty-four round rolls; pumpkin is an ingredient rather than a promise of pumpkin-shaped buns.
Some links below are paid links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Source formula: King Arthur Baking. Explanatory copy is original; this project has not kitchen-tested the recipe.
Selected formula and sequence
Ingredients
- 2.25 tsp instant yeast
- 53 g packed brown sugar
- 113 g lukewarm milk
- 57 g softened butter
- 2 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs
- 170 g pumpkin puree
- 480 g all-purpose flour
- Optional finish: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash; melted butter for brushing, if used.
Method
- Mix/knead dough ingredients to soft, smooth dough. Rise in greased bowl 60–75 min until puffy.
- Deflate; divide 24 equal pieces; shape round balls. Put all 24 in greased 9 × 13 in pan, or 12 each in two 9 in round pans.
- Cover and rise 90–120 min until crowded/puffy; heat 350°F near end. Optional egg wash; bake 25–30 min; center roll at least 190°F by source quality target.
- Tent foil late if browning fast. Optional melted butter finish; remove to rack after a few minutes.
Yield: 24 round dinner rolls
Timing: Source 15 min hands-on, 25–30 min bake, 3 h 10 min headline total; stated rising intervals can make elapsed time longer; schedule by dough condition and include cooling
Allergen checks: Wheat; Milk; Egg
Schedule backward from the meal
Keep both rises visible on the plan. The stated ranges can exceed the source headline total once handling and cooling are added. Dough condition matters: plan for puffy dough and crowded, risen rolls rather than declaring them ready because a short timer ended.
Divide before shaping
Divide the dough into twenty-four similar portions on a work board, then shape round balls. A bench scraper helps make the divisions but does not weigh them. Keep the metal edge out of a coated baking pan. If you already own a scraper or use a suitable knife on your board, no extra purchase is needed.
Choose one pan arrangement
This treatment uses all twenty-four rolls in a greased nine-by-thirteen-inch pan. The source also offers two nine-inch round pans; do not mix arrangements mid-batch without considering available oven space. The generated image shows the selected rectangular arrangement.
Finish and cool deliberately
The source’s center-roll temperature is a baking-quality target. Brush with the optional egg wash only if you are using that version, and keep the optional butter finish separate from the dough quantities. Let the rolls cool completely before wrapping for storage. Several days in the source is not converted here into an invented precise deadline.
Useful equipment, if you need it
Check what you already own before buying. These are source- and specification-based selections, not hands-on product tests. Check the exact variant and current instructions before use.
USA Pan Rectangular Cake Pan
The USA Pan nine-by-thirteen-inch pan fits the selected twenty-four-roll arrangement. Use grease compatible with its care directions, hand wash and avoid aerosol spray. Its interior size matters more than a generic rectangular-pan label.
This is a paid Amazon product link.
OXO Scraper and Chopper
The OXO scraper and chopper has a stainless blade with inch markings for dough work on a board. It can divide the dough without pulling it apart. Markings help orientation; they do not establish equal dough weights.
This is a paid Amazon product link.
For related planning, see Check parchment and baking-pan fit. Follow that article for its own use case; it does not change this recipe or product’s instructions.
Storage and serving limits
Source: completely cooled, wrapped at room temperature several days; freeze longer. Do not convert several into an invented exact interval.
For perishable-food service, follow FDA buffet guidance: keep hot food at 140°F or warmer and cold food at 40°F or colder; limit time outside temperature control to two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Recipe storage advice is separate from buffet holding.