Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (With Video)
Sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls are the perfect addition to your holiday table. They're soft, lightly sweet, and simple to make. Your family and friends will love them!
Want to impress your loved ones this holiday season? Try making these cute sourdough pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls!
The dough is super easy to make, soft, and fun to shape into little pumpkins. This recipe makes 12 rolls, and the best part? You can make them ahead of time and freeze them, so they’re ready for the big day.
Just wait to add the stem and leaf until you're ready to serve. They taste delicious warmed up or at room temperature.
If you don't want to shape them into pumpkins, you can shape them into regular rolls, like our sourdough sweet potato rolls, or in a baking dish, like our soft sourdough dinner rolls, using your active sourdough starter.
If you have leftovers, use them as little sandwich buns with ham or turkey and cranberry sauce!
Amy's notes
Hey friends!
I'm so excited to share this holiday recipe with you. I love finding new ways to start family traditions, and these soft sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls are perfect for that!
Happy holidays!
Sample Baking Schedule
Here’s a simple baking schedule to help you plan. Keep in mind that your kitchen’s temperature and humidity can impact the dough, especially in warmer weather. Adjust as needed to get the best results!
- 7 PM: Feed your sourdough starter.
- 7 AM: Mix the dough and let it rest at room temperature for one hour.
- 8 AM: Knead the dough for one minute then let it rise at room temperature until it has risen by 75%. (In my 72°F (22°C) kitchen this takes about 7 hours.)
- 3 PM: Place the dough in the fridge overnight or for up to two days.
- 8 AM: Divide the dough and shape the rolls. Cover them with a clean tea towel and let them rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
- 10:30 AM: Bake the rolls for 20 minutes. Let cool and decorate.
Ingredients & Equipment
- pumpkin puree
- sourdough starter
- all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
- butter
- milk
- egg
- light brown sugar
- salt
- decorations: pretzel rods and fresh sage leaves
- kitchen twine (string)
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- bench scraper
- kitchen scale
How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
The night before you mix the dough make sure to feed your sourdough starter so that it is active and bubbly!
Step 1: Mix the dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine:
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) melted butter
- ½ cup (120 g) milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons (10 g) salt
Stir everything together using a stiff spatula until well-mixed.
Add 4 ⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons (540 g) of all-purpose flour to the wet ingredients. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. You may need to use your hands to ensure all the dry flour is fully mixed.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for one hour to hydrate the flour and develop flavor.
Step 2: Knead
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it for 30-60 seconds until it forms a smooth ball.
Step 3: First rise
Place the dough back into the bowl, cover it, and let it rest at room temperature until it rises about 75% in size.
This usually takes about 7 hours in a kitchen at 72°F (22°C). If your kitchen is colder, it will take longer; if it is warmer, it will rise faster. Adjust the rising time as needed.
Step 4: Second Rise
Cover the bowl of dough in the fridge and let it chill until ready to bake the next day.
If you do not wish to ferment longer in the fridge, the dough can be shaped and baked at this point. Please note that it will be a little stickier to work with if it is not cold.
Step 5: Prepare the twine
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cut 36 pieces of 16" twine and set them aside.
Step 6: Divide the dough
About 2-3 hours before you are ready to serve the rolls, take the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a floured surface. Work quickly to divide the dough into 12 equal portions that weigh about 105g each.
Step 7: Shape the dough
Working with one portion at a time, use your hand to flatten the dough onto the work surface. Pull the sides of the dough into the center, turn it over, and twist the dough on the surface to form a ball.
Step 8: Arrange the twine
Arrange three pieces of twine in a crisscross shape on your work surface.
Step 9: Tie the twine
Gently tie each piece together at the center on top of the dough ball to hold it in place.
Step 10: Make a knot
Gather three ends in each hand and tie a simple knot to secure them. Use sharp scissors to trim the extra twine on top.
Step 11: Final rise
Place the rolls on the baking sheet. Cover them with a clean towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Step 12: Bake
Place the oven rack in the center position and preheat to 400°F (204°C).
Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
Step 13: Decorate and serve
- Use sharp scissors to cut the twine on top of each roll, then carefully pull it away to remove it without tearing the dough.
- Break a 2-3 inch piece off each end of a pretzel rod and insert it into the center of the roll to act as a "pumpkin stem."
- Next, remove the pretzel rod, tuck a small sage leaf next to it, and insert the rod back into the roll to secure the leaf in place.
How to Store
Store the dinner rolls in a bread bag, plastic bag, or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
Freeze the rolls in a freezer-safe container for the best taste and texture. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Make ahead: Make the rolls but don't decorate them. Place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze until the day before serving. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, gently warm them up, and decorate before serving.
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Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) melted butter
- ½ cup (120 g) milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons (10 g) salt
- 4 ⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons (540 g) all-purpose flour
Decorations
- 6 large pretzel rods
- 12 fresh sage leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed your sourdough starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter, ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour, and 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (You can also mix this in the bowl you plan to mix your dough in.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- To a large mixing bowl, add ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter, 1 ½ cups (300 g) pumpkin puree, 4 tablespoons (56 g) melted butter, ½ cup (120 g) milk, 1 large egg, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons (10 g) salt. Use a stiff spatula to mix the ingredients until well combined. Add 4 ⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons (540 g) all-purpose flour and mix it into the wet ingredients. You may need to switch to your hands to make sure all of the dry bits left in the bowl are incorporated into the dough. Cover the dough and let rest for one hour.
Knead the dough and first rise
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it for about 30-60 seconds or until it comes together into a smooth ball.
- Place the dough back into the bowl, cover and allow it to rest at room temperature until it has risen about 75% in size. (In my 72°F (22°C) kitchen, this takes about 7 hours. Adjust rising time according to your kitchen's temperature. Cold temperatures need longer to rise, while warmer temperatures need less time.)
Second rise in fridge
- Place the bowl of dough in the fridge and let chill until ready to bake the next day. (The dough can be shaped and baked at this point if you do not wish to ferment longer in the fridge. Please note that the dough will be a little stickier to work with if it is not cold.)
Shape and final rise
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cut 36 pieces of 16" twine and set them aside.
- Divide the dough. About 2-3 hours before you are ready to serve the rolls, take the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a floured surface. Work quickly to divide the dough into 12 equal portions that weigh about 105g each.
- Shape each portion into a ball. Working with one portion at a time, use your hand to flatten the dough onto the work surface. Pull the sides of the dough into the center, turn it over and use your hands to twist the dough on the surface to form a ball. Press the ball into into a disc shape.
- Add the twine. Arrange three pieces of twine in a crisscross shape on your work surface. Gently tie each piece together at the center on top of the dough ball to hold it in place. Then, gather three ends in each hand and tie a simple knot to secure them. Use sharp scissors to trim the extra twine on top.
- Final rise. Place the rolls onto the baking sheet. Cover them with a clean towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Bake
- Bake. Place the oven rack in the center position and preheat to 400°F (204°C). Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Decorate. Use sharp scissors to cut the twine on top of each roll, then carefully pull it away to remove it without tearing the dough. Break a 2-3 inch piece off each end of a pretzel rod and insert it into the center of the roll to act as a "pumpkin stem." Next, remove the pretzel rod, tuck a small sage leaf next to it, and insert the rod back into the roll to secure the leaf in place.
I am so excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year! I'm interested in adjusting this recipe to one large pumpkin loaf versus small rolls. Would you just adjust the baking time or is there anything else you'd recommend changing? Thank you!
Hi Rachel, I would bake it like you would the artisan loaf. 450°F 30 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered.