Pumpkin rolls with rosemary and sea salt
These pumpkin rolls with rosemary and sea salt are the perfect fall bake. They are light, fluffy and coated with a slightly sweet honey butter glaze. You can use butternut squash if you prefer.
I’m a big fan of baking with the squash family. One of my all-time favourite scone recipes is made with butternut. It feels somehow healthier using a vegetable in a scone or roll and replaces some of the fat content. They turn a brilliant yellow and taste delicious. I’m also convinced they contribute moisture.
I slightly adapted this lovely receipt from Country Cleaver and updated the ingredients and method to metric too.
After making them I set them aside to prove next to my heater because it was a rather chilly day and this is my best way to ensure my bread rises properly.
I could have perhaps overproved them slightly. I also realised after they were nicely shaped in balls and tucked under the tea towel that I had left the sugar out. I am normally fastidious about re-reading a recipe after completion to ensure I haven’t left anything out.
Anyway, they tasted great without the sugar but I think I would have preferred the sweeter angle to these rolls. They would have also had a softer texture.
I had some leftover rosemary and honey butter that glazed the top and spread this on the rolls to eat. Absolutely delicious. I also added a slice of nice aged Cheddar which was heavenly.
Freezing bread rolls
To ensure the freshness and flavour of your bread rolls, follow these freezing and thawing instructions:
Freezing:
- Cool Completely: Allow the bread rolls to cool completely to room temperature before freezing.
- Wrap Carefully: Place them in a resealable freezer bag.
- Label and Date: Clearly label the package with the date of freezing to keep track of its freshness.
- Freeze Quickly: Place the wrapped rolls in the freezer, ensuring they are stored in a single layer initially to prevent sticking together. Once they’re firm, you can stack them.
Thawing:
- Refrigerator Thawing: For the best results, transfer the frozen rolls to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight. This gradual thawing method preserves their texture and taste.
- Room Temperature Thawing: If you’re in a hurry, you can thaw the rolls at room temperature for a few hours, but consume them promptly once they’re thawed.
- Oven Reheating: To enjoy warm and crispy rolls, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), then place the thawed rolls on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes until they are heated through and slightly crispy on the outside.
These are dinner rolls designed to be eaten on the day and if made a little smaller could be perfect at a dinner party. You can adapt them using orange sweet potato or butternut.
Here are a few of my other favourite pumpkin recipes:
Roasted pumpkin with chilli yoghurt and coriander sauce
Spicy pumpkin and apple cake with cream cheese and maple frosting
Easy pumpkin and parmesan scones with thyme
More Bread Recipes
Try a few of my other bread recipes.
Recipe – makes 16 – 20 adapted from Country Cleaver
Pumpkin rolls with rosemary and sea salt
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 1/2 cup water between 38 – 40C / 102F -110 F
- 1/4 cup milk Between 38C – 40C / 102F -110 F
- 2 1/2 tsp 1 x 10gm packet Instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 85 grams butter 6 Tbsp, melted and cooled
- 2 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped + extra for topping
- 1 cup mashed pumpkin made from fresh preferable
- 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour (120 grams or a little more) depending on how moist the pumpkin is and therefore the dough
Honey Butter glaze:
- 1/4 cup Butter room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- Sea salt flakes to sprinkle
- Chopped rosemary – optional garnish ( I added this to the butter you almost can’t get enough of it.
Instructions
- Cook your pumpkin any way you prefer. I chopped it into big chunks and steamed it in a pot with a lid until soft. Allow to cool and drain. Then mash and drain off any excess water.
- Heat the milk and water in a small bowl in the microwave until the desired temperature is reached. I use a thermometer here.
- Add the 1 tsp sugar and yeast, stir and set aside to foam up for about 5 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer the dough hook attached, add all the remaining ingredients. Slowly pour in the yeast, milk and water and mix until a soft dough forms. It should start pulling away from the sides but will stick a little to the bottom. It really is a touch-and-feel process here. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour. I found I used just over 5 cups of flour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and give it a brief knead until it comes together in a ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to prove in a warm place for around an hour. It should double in size.
- When it’s proven, return it to a lightly floured surf and cut it into 16 – 20 even pieces. Roll these into balls and place on a lined baking tray allowing space in between for the rolls to double in size. Cover with a tea towel and place back in a warm spot to prove for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Mix the butter, honey and additional finely chopped rosemary together and brush this liberally over the hot rolls as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes such as Maldon salt.
Notes
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These look truly amazing. Definitely on my “to make” list
Those look delicious. I’m heading to the kitchen now…
Fresh baked rolls are my ultimate weakness. I’d inhale these beauties!
Hi Sam,wonderful article of you in the Star this week.Very proud of you..
Pretty little rolls, defnitly one of the better recipes out of this prehalloween pumpkin recipe flood. I love that rosemary honey butter glaze, shiny bread always looks so soft and tasty.
Wow these rolls look incredible!
The colour of these rolls are beautiful, I love them so much Sam. I’ll take a dozen!
Hi Brian, lovely to hear from you and thanks for the message. Best Sam
Hello Sam… I am a little confused.. possibly missed something.. I am about the make the rolls, and was wondering why the 1/3 of a cup of sugar is divided? The teaspoon of sugar is to go into the yeast mix… but am at a loss about the divided sugar?
Hi Suzannah, sorry the ‘divided’ was confusing as its 1 tsp for the yeast and the balance of the sugar goes into the dough. I hope you came right
These were amazing! I didn’t even have time to let the dough rise for two total hours—I probably did one total—and they still came out great! I also used less than half the sugar, so they wouldn’t be sweet, and that was perfect for us.
Im so glad the recipe worked out for you 🙂
Oh my gosh these are amazing! My whole family loved them!
That’s so lovely to hear Coby
I’m wondering what I did wrong here. I let them rise the full 2 hours and followed everything exactly, but the rolls came out very dense and not very fluffy. They were still delicious just too thick. Any ideas on how to improve them for next time?
HI Meghan, it’s very hard to know exactly what went wrong because I can’t see what happened but I’m going to assume that they didn’t prove correctly (they prove twice). They need to really double in size. Also, perhaps you didn’t knead the dough in the beginning. They should be very light and fluffy. (also check you didn’t add too much pumpkin / liquid)
If these rolls are made in advance (say morning for the afternoon) would you suggest puting them in the oven to warm up and only glazing them at that stage?
Hello. I wouldn’t suggest glazing them after they are baked and I haven’t tried to re heat them so I’m not sure. I can’t see how heating them up in a low oven (covered) would be a problem)
Omg they look super fantastic, and I’m not really a huge bread fa! But the color,shine, the flavors, all are fantastic. Saving these and looking into other recipe of you as well, thanks a lot for sharing!
Thanks Farida – I hope you enjoy
Would there be any tweaks if using pumpkin puree?
Hi, we don’t get pumpkin puree here in South Africa, but I would just use a cup of that instead of a cup of the fresh pureed pumpkin.
These were amazing! Wondering if I could do half whole wheat flour in place of some of the bread flour?
Hi Dolly, I haven’t tested it with WW flour but I’m sure it will work fine.
Would buttermilk work as a replacement for regular milk?
Hi Emily, I haven’t tested it with buttermilk so I am not sure.
Can these be placed in the fridge after the first rise until ready to cook for dinner. Obviously I would need to place on the counter for the second rise once I remove them from the fridge (I assume it would take more than an hour?).
Or would it be better to go ahead and bake and then just warm them in the oven at dinner time?
HI Elizabeth I think better to bake and reheat. I havent tested it out and think you run the risk of over proving the dough unless your fridge is very cold. It could work but you would need to try it out.
Hello! these were so delicious! How do you recommend storing them?
Hi Ellie, these are best eaten on the same days as they are made (as with any fresh dinner roll) – otherwise store in an airtight container. They also freeze well
By far my favorite rolls I’ve ever made!!! I don’t say that lightly!
Hi Marie – so glad you enjoyed the pumpkin rolls. I am so keen to make these again soon
I’ve made these rolls so many times and they are a favorite in my home. Thank you so much!
That’s so lovely to hear Tammye and thanks for letting me know. I need to make these rolls soon too.
I made these last night for a family dinner and they were top shelf amazing! Best rolls I’ve ever made. We loved the rosemary honey butter. I like that it made 20 rolls although they were all gone before dinner ended. The color was beautiful, they rose beautiful and they tasted divine.
These rolls are light and fluffy. I can’t even describe how delicious that are “heavenly”! Making them again today. You must try them. I did extend both rising times by 20 to 30 minutes.
I’m so glad you loved them Theresa
I’m so glad you loved these rolls Chelsea