Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls

These sourdough pumpkin rolls are so soft and fluffy, yet they have just the right amount of tang that you expect from a sourdough bread. 

Serve these rolls with your holiday dinner, and, if you have any leftovers, use them to make tasty leftover Thanksgiving dinner sandwiches. So good! In fact, you might want to make an extra batch for just that purpose. 

With just a small amount of sourdough starter, you can make these naturally leavened pumpkin dinner rolls and spread the process over one to two days, depending on your schedule. 

In addition, even with a relatively small amount of pumpkin puree, these rolls are beautifully colored and super tender. Plus, they stay soft and squishy. 

Ingredients in these Dinner Rolls:

Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher protein level than all-purpose flour. I use bread flour from King Arthur, which has a 12.7% protein level. If you use a different brand, make sure that it is unbleached. 

Pumpkin Puree: I used Libby's brand. Because you will only need about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin puree, buy the smaller can and freeze the leftovers. You can also use the leftovers to make a tasty treat such as pumpkin scones, pancakes, madeleines, marshmallows, or even a pumpkin martini! 

What's interesting is that the dough itself does not have much pumpkin color, but the color seems to get more "pumpkin-y" as the rolls bake. 

Honey: It adds a bit of sweetness to the rolls. 

Salt. 

Water.

Butter: There is a whole stick of butter in these rolls, which is added at the end of the kneading. You soften the butter, cut it into small (1/2 inch) pieces, and add the butter, one piece at a time, waiting until it is incorporated before adding the next piece. 

Egg Wash and Optional Seeds or Sea Salt for the Topping: I topped these with poppy seeds. I also thought about using white sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds. 

To make the egg wash, whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. The salt seems to help the egg fully incorporate the white into the yolk with just a few quick whisks. 

Timing (Same Day vs. Two Day):

This is a fairly slow rising dough and you do not want to rush things. These times are estimates. Definitely go by the rise and feel of the dough. The dough should nearly double on the first rise. For the second rise, the shaped rolls should be visibly puffy and pass the "finger dent" test... meaning, lightly pressing your finger into a roll should leave a dent that very slowly rises back. 

To make these in one day, after shaping the rolls, cover them and let them rise in a warm spot in your kitchen. The rising time will be around three hours. Once they have fully risen, bake them. The sourdough flavor will be milder. 

To make these over two days, after shaping the rolls, cover them and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator. The next morning, remove them from the refrigerator and let them rise in a warm spot in your kitchen, over about four to five hours. 

By spreading the process over two days, especially if you are baking these rolls for a holiday or dinner party, you will be able to serve them the day they are baked. Plus, the sourdough flavor will be more pronounced. 

Sample Two-Day Schedule:

8:00 a.m. Mix the levain. 

11:30 a.m. Mix the final dough. 

12:15 p.m. Bulk ferment. 

4:45 p.m. Shape the dough into rolls, and cover. Place the pan immediately into the refrigerator. 

8:00 a.m. The next day. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and let the rolls rise at room temperature. 

12:00 p.m. Bake the rolls.  

To make these rolls in one day, after shaping, let them rise at room temperature for about three hours and then bake. 

Equipment You May Need:

Stand Mixer: It is really helpful for incorporating the butter into the dough without ending up with a greasy dough. Use the dough hook for mixing this dough. 

Danish-Style Dough Whisk: It's my "go-to" tool for mixing the dough ingredients before transferring the bowl to the mixer. 

Kitchen Scale: If you love baking and don't have a kitchen scale, definitely get one. Along with accurate measuring, kitchen scales are super helpul for saving time and dishwashing (no measuring cups, just add ingredients to the bowl while it sits on the scale!). I've had this scale for years and it sits on my kitchen counter. True confession, I even use it to weigh snacks for portion control. 

9 inch Square Cake Pan: You could also use an 8 inch square pan for taller skinnier rolls.  

If you're intrigued by using pumpkin in yeasted and/or sourdough rolls, you should definitely try yeasted pumpkin dinner rolls; pumpkin rolls with maple butter; cranberry pumpkin rolls; pumpkin, cornmeal, and rye pull-apart rolls; and cinnamon swirl pumpkin rolls. 

This month the Bread Bakers group is baking with pumpkin. Let's take a look at what everyone baked.....

• Food Lust People Love: Cheesy Pumpkin Scones 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Sourdough Pumpkin Bread 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls 
• A Messy Kitchen: Pumpkin Hazelnut Babka
• Sneha's Recipe: Red Pumpkin Paratha

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

 

Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Yield: 16 rolls

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 1 H & 30 MCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 16 HourTotal time: 18 H & 10 M

These sourdough pumpkin rolls are so soft and fluffy, yet they have just the right amount of tang that you expect from a sourdough bread. 

Ingredients

For the Levain

• 48 grams (scant 1/2 cup) bread flour
• 48 grams (scant 1/4 cup) water
• 48 grams (scant 1/4 cup) active sourdough starter

For the Final Dough

• 549 grams (4 1/2 cups) bread flour
• 120 grams (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree
• 90 grams (generous 1/3 cup) whole milk
• 42 grams (2 tablespoons) honey
• 131 grams (generous 1/2 cup) water
• 12 grams (2 teaspoons) salt
• 143 grams of the levain (all of it)
• 113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into eight to ten pieces
• 1 egg plus a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt
• Seeds of your choice (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the levain ingredients in a small to medium bowl. Cover and let ferment for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
2. Once the levain is ready, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, pumpkin puree, milk, honey, water, salt, and levain. Mix with a large spoon or dough whisk. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and mix on low with the dough hook for one minute, then mix on second speed for five minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
3. Turn the mixer to low and add the butter pieces, one at a time, mixing to incorporate each piece before adding the next one. This process should take 5 to 8 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not sticky or greasy. Transfer the dough to an oiled dough rising bucket, cover, and let rise until nearly doubled, about 4 1/2 hours with 2 stretch and folds, one at the 30 minute mark and one at the 60 minute mark.
4. Spray a 9 inch square cake pan with spray oil and line with parchment paper.
5. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, about 70 grams each (weigh the entire dough and divide by 16 for the right weight). Form each piece into a ball and place each in the pan, seam side down in a 4 by 4 pattern. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator (or follow the "same day" schedule outlined in the post).
6. The next morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let rise until the dough has risen to about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan rim, is soft, and passes the "finger dent" test.
7. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F with a rack in the middle.
8. Whisk together the egg wash ingredients (egg, water, and salt). Gently brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with seeds of your choice.
9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and rotate the pan. Continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the rolls have reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Using the parchment paper, lift the rolls from the pan and place them on a wire rack. Slide the parchment paper out from under the rolls. Let cool at least another 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

213

Fat (grams)

7 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

4 g

Carbs (grams)

31 g

Fiber (grams)

1 g

Net carbs

30 g

Sugar (grams)

3 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Cholesterol (grams)

16 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/10/sourdough-pumpkin-rolls.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories - adapted from Adapted from The Perfect Loaf

pumpkin, sourdough, rolls

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Recipe adapted from The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo. He also has an amazing bread book of the same name.