Pumpkin Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls

4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets)

1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)

½ cup honey

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

8 tablespoons melted butter, divided 

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

7 cups all-purpose flour, divided

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add yeast, warm milk and honey. Swirl with your fingers or a spoon to dissolve the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit until the yeast starts to bubble and becomes aromatic, about five minutes. 

Add pumpkin, eggs and six tablespoons melted butter. Mix on medium speed until mostly combined. Add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and four cups of flour. Mix on low speed until smooth. 

Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl (I had to use the entire three additional cups).
You should have a ball of tacky (but not sticky) dough at this point. When you touch the dough and pull your fingers away, there should not be any dough on your fingers. 

If it is sticky, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it becomes tacky (does not leave dough on your fingers when you touch it). Run the mixer to knead the dough for about five minutes. 

Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead about 10 turns, then form it into a loose ball. Place dough into the stand mixer bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.

Punch dough down and place it on a countertop; form dough into a loose ball. We are going to cut this ball into 24 (somewhat) even pieces. 

First, use a bench scraper or butter knife to cut the dough into four quarters. 

Roll each quarter into a log, then cut each log into three equal pieces. Finally, cut each piece into two equal pieces. When you are done cutting, you will have 24 pieces.

Place rolls on a greased 13×19-inch jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet (or two 9×13-inch pans). *At this point, you can refrigerate the dough and continue the recipe the next day. 

Cover and let rolls rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake pumpkin rolls for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Brush tops and sides with remaining two tablespoons of melted butter. Allow to cool before serving.

Patti Kappel

St. Louis