Pumpkin Dinner Rolls With Cinnamon Butter

While pumpkin dinner rolls are the perfect complement to Thanksgiving dinner, they are also a great choice for any time of year. They are delicious served with butter or cinnamon honey butter, the same recipe that I use for my copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls.

My youngest is convinced that he simply cannot enjoy a slice of toast or a roll without cinnamon butter. I always have a small bowl on the counter. It's perfect for spreading on pancakes, waffles, French toast, rolls — or basically anything. The ingredients are simple: butter, powdered sugar, honey, and cinnamon, and it is the perfect spread for these rolls.

Why I Like This Recipe

• Ridiculously soft rolls. My kids like using these for sliders in their lunches. They are pillowy soft and stay that way for days.
• Golden in color. What makes these rolls different than the rest? Canned pumpkin. The pumpkin gives them a golden color and richness, but they don’t have a lot of pumpkin flavor. If you’re looking for that signature pumpkin spice flavoring you can add a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin spice to the dough.
• The rolls freeze well. This recipe makes 24 rolls and you can easily make a half batch if you prefer. The rolls freeze well and are delicious served with cinnamon honey butter.

What Others Are Saying

I'm new at bread making and these rolls turned out delicious!---Laurie on Pinterest

Tips and Tricks

1. Bread-making tip: if you don't have a stand mixer. Stand mixers make mixing and kneading a breeze, but not everyone has one. I like mixing my dough by hand using my Danish dough whisk. If you're a die-hard wooden spoon fan, I challenge you to try a dough whisk. Works like a dream to mix the dough, and then you can knead it by hand.
2. Letting the dough rise: The dough will rise faster in a warm spot. I preheat my oven for 1 minute, then shut the heat off. It makes the oven just warm enough for the dough to rise.
3. How to store rolls. Store rolls in a plastic bag or airtight container to keep fresh. These rolls also freeze beautifully for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe bag.

Ingredients

Rolls

• Warm water: warm water (not hot water) allows yeast to proof beautifully.
• Active dry or instant yeast
• Sugar
• Egg: Adds richness and texture to the rolls.
• Pumpkin puree: 100% puree, not pie filling.
• Melted butter: You can use oil if you'd like, but butter adds amazing flavor.
• Salt: For flavoring.
• All-purpose flour: You can also use bread flour.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

• Softened butter
• Honey
• Powdered sugar: Honey already gives the butter sweetness, but I highly recommend adding a bit of powdered sugar for a rich and creamy texture.
• Cinnamon

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Pumpkin Rolls

Step 1: Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast looks foamy.

Step 2: Add egg, canned pumpkin, and melted butter to the water and yeast mixture.

Step 3: Add salt and flour (1 cup at a time) and stir until combined. You can mix the dough in a stand mixer on low speed or mix by hand (a Danish dough whisk works great for this).

Step 4: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (if using a stand mixer use the dough hook attachment). Add enough additional flour to keep your hands from getting too sticky while kneading.

Step 5: Add a tablespoon or two of oil to a large bowl. Place dough in the greased bowl and turn the dough over once to coat in oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Step 6: After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and form into 24 rolls.

Step 7: Grease two 9x13 baking dishes (or a large baking pan) and divide the rolls between the two pans. Cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes.

Step 8: Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes. Brush with melted butter while hot.

Step 9: Combine ingredients for the honey butter and place in a small bowl. Split each roll in half and spread with cinnamon honey butter or regular butter.

Dinner Roll FAQs

More Pumpkin Bread Recipes To Make

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