Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Shaped Dinner Rolls

The most delicious pumpkin shaped dinner rolls, with a hint of pumpkin flavor and cozy fall spices. Based on my soft and fluffy milk buns recipe, the yeast dough for these pumpkin rolls uses a tangzhong starter, a simple step which makes an exceptionally tender bread roll. These are the perfect homemade rolls to make for Thanksgiving dinner!

You might also love these Thanksgiving recipes for Parker House dinner rolls with maple butter, best apple crumb pie, sweet potato casserole with brown sugar streusel topping, and classic pecan pie.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect for Thanksgiving. If there’s ever a time to make homemade rolls, it’s Thanksgiving. And these pumpkin shaped dinner rolls are extra special for a holiday dinner. Be sure to scroll through the whole post for step-by-step photos on making these delicious buns.

Make Ahead for the Holidays. With all the dishes you’re cooking and baking for Thanksgiving, it’s always helpful to have some make ahead options, so that the big day is less stressful. See my notes below for how you can prep these pumpkin rolls in advance.

Soft and Fluffy. These light, pillowy rolls have an extra soft and fluffy texture that’s truly melt-in-your-mouth, especially when served warm with softened butter.

Fall Flavors. You’ll love the subtle hint of pumpkin, complemented by cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

High Altitude Tested. I test all the recipes on my site at Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet, so mountain bakers can bake with confidence that they’ll get amazing results.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Tangzhong

• The tangzhong starter is a simple mixture of water, milk and flour. Cooked into a paste and then added to the dough, it keeps the buns soft, pillowy and fluffy.

Dough

• Butter. Unsalted butter adds moisture, richness and flavor to the buns.
• Milk. Be sure to use whole milk for the best flavor and texture.
• Yeast. The yeast is the leavening agent which makes the buns rise.
• Sugar. Adds sweetness and helps to activate the yeast.
• Flour. For the best texture, use bread flour, not all-purpose flour.
• Salt. Flavor.
• Spices. A blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg adds coziness and warmth.
• Egg. Gives the dough structure and a richer flavor.
• Pumpkin. Adds moisture to the dough and a subtle pumpkin flavor.

Egg Wash

• An egg beaten with a little milk and brushed over the buns before baking makes them golden and shiny.

Instructions

Make the Tangzhong

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk and flour. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a paste.
• Remove from the heat, scrape the tangzhong into a small bowl, and refrigerate to cool it down while you make the dough.

Make the Dough

• In the same saucepan you used to make the tangzhong (no need to wash the pan first), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk, and warm the mixture just until it reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until it starts to get bubbly.

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all but 1/2 cup of the flour with the remainder of the sugar, the salt, spices, the warm yeast mixture, the cooled tangzhong, egg and canned pumpkin.

• With the dough hook, knead the dough for 10 minutes, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. The dough should be smooth, and will wrap around the dough hook, but may still stick to the bottom of the bowl. Don’t be tempted to add more flour, though, or the buns will be dense.

• Scrape the dough into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the freshness/brand of yeast, and how warm your kitchen is.

TIP: If your oven has a bread proof setting, you can use that. Otherwise, preheat your oven to the lowest setting, turn it off, then set the dough inside to rise.

Shape the Buns

• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top of the dough, too. Gently roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick.
• Cut the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper or sharp chef’s knife.

TIP: Inevitably, you’ll end up with some portions of dough that are smaller or larger, as you can see in my photos, where my corner pieces of dough ended up as the smaller rolls. If some of your rolls are significantly larger, you may need to bake them for 2-3 minutes longer than the smaller rolls.

• Take a piece of dough, cup it in your hand, and pinch the dough together to form it into a bun, so that it’s smooth on top and pinched on the bottom.
• Place the buns, smooth side facing up, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel, set the pan in a warm place, and let the buns rest for 15 minutes.

Tie with Twine

• Cut 12 pieces of kitchen twine, each piece measuring 32 inches long.
• Gather the twine up into a bowl and spray it thoroughly with nonstick baking spray, or rub several tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil into it. Greasing the twine will help it to not stick to the buns as they bake, so that you can easily remove it after baking.

TIP: As you wrap the twine around the rolls, it should be just snug enough that it doesn’t fall off, but you shouldn’t be squeezing the twine into the dough.

• Lay a piece of twine on your counter, and place one of the rolls in the very center of the twine, with the smooth side of the roll facing up.
• Cross the twine over the top of the roll, then rotate it a quarter turn, to divide the roll into 4ths.

• Flip the roll over, cross the twine over the bottom of the roll, then rotate it to divide one of the 4th sections.
• Flip the roll over one more time, cross the twine over the top of the roll, and rotate it to divide the last section, so that the roll is now divided into 8 sections by the twine.

• Lastly, tie the twine underneath the roll, trim the excess ends of the twine, and place the roll back onto the baking sheet, with the smooth side facing up. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

• Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel, and let them rest in a warm place for about 15 more minutes, just until the dough is gently puffing against the twine.

Bake

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and milk, and lightly brush the egg wash over the rolls. This will give them a beautiful shine as they bake.
• Bake the pumpkin rolls for about 15-18 minutes, until golden and baked through.
• Let the rolls cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then cut the twine and gently pull it off the rolls. Insert a small cinnamon stick into the center of each roll to make the stem.
• Serve the rolls warm, with softened butter.

Make Ahead Options

• Freeze the Baked Rolls. You can bake the rolls in advance, let them cool, and then freeze them in an airtight container. On Thanksgiving Day, let the rolls thaw at room temperature for 2 hours. Just before serving, reheat according to the instructions in the next section.
• Freeze the Unbaked Dough and Bake Later. Another make ahead option is to make the dough, shape the rolls (without the twine), and freeze the unbaked rolls in an airtight container. On Thanksgiving Day, let the rolls thaw at room temperature, loosely covered with a clean kitchen towel. Let them sit in a warm place, just until they start to puff a little, then proceed to wrap them with the twine and bake as instructed in the recipe.

Storing and Reheating

• Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• To reheat, place the rolls in the oven and warm them at 300 degrees F for about 5-7 minutes, or in the microwave for 30-40 seconds at 50% power.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is tangzhong?

Tangzhong or tang zhong is a simple roux or paste made of water, milk and flour. The tangzhong method is quick and easy. Just cook the ingredients in a saucepan for a minute or two until the mixture thickens into a paste. When this paste is added to yeast dough, it plays a very important role in improving the texture of the dough and the baked bread.

• It helps the starches in the flour absorb more liquid, which in turn makes the dough less sticky and easier to knead and shape into buns.
• It can help the bread rise higher and fluffier as it bakes.
• The baked bread, rolls or buns will stay soft and fresh for longer.

Can I make these rolls without the canned pumpkin?

If you want to make pumpkin shaped dinner rolls that don’t taste like pumpkin, you can leave out the pumpkin puree and increase the milk in the dough to 3/4 cup.

Will this recipe work with all purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes, it will work, but personally I prefer bread flour for yeast dough, as it gives it a chewier, more bready texture.

Can I replace the sugar in the dough with honey or maple syrup?

Yes, you can use honey or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.

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