Harvest Pumpkin Rolls

 I am an avid follower of the Cold Antler Farm Blog.  One of the people on the facebook fan page posted this recipe, and I just had to try it.

The recipe called for pureed pumpkin, so I baked one of the pie pumpkins that I had.  This average sized pie pumpkin yielded 4 cups of puree.  If you have never prepared pumpkin from scratch, it is really easy.  Split the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and fiber, and put in a 350 degree oven, until the meat is soft.  The pulp of the pumpkin will easily scoop out of the skin.  Depending on how stringy the pulp is, I either use a pastry cutter or food processor to puree the pulp.

Once the pumpkin is cooled, gather the other ingredients:
2 (0.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3-3/4 cups bread flour
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup pumpkin (or any winter squash) puree (homemade or canned)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg (+1 egg for wash)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt


Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon honey. Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.

Mix flour, cinnamon, and cardamom in bowl that fits your stand mixer. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture. With mixer on slow speed, mix just until you reach the soft paste stage. (Don't try to completely incorporate—there should be quite a bit of dry flour left at this point.) Cover bowl with a towel and leave until the flour has absorbed the wet ingredients, about 20 minutes.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the honey, pumpkin, oil, egg, and salt. Add to the flour mixture and combine thoroughly on low speed. Mix on next higher speed until dough comes together. If it looks too wet, add flour in small amounts.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and hand knead until smooth and pliable. It shouldn't take but a minute or two. Let dough rest 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in it, turning to make sure all surfaces are covered lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a towel and place in oven (or other warm, draft-free place). Let dough rise until it has tripled in size, 1-2 hours.

Punch down dough, knead it a bit more, and cut it into 16-20 equal pieces. Shape the rolls into balls.


Place rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and then into the freezer until frozen (at least 4 hours, but overnight is fine). Place frozen rolls in large freezer bag, storing in freezer until about 2 hours before you want to bake them. Place them on a parchment-lined (or cornmeal-dusted) baking sheet and let them thaw and rise until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Glaze risen rolls with the extra beaten egg. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.