Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls
Sourdough dinner rolls shaped like mini pumpkins are the cutest addition to your fall dinner. These soft rolls are great for Thanksgiving, beside chili, or any other way you want to serve them.
These cute little rolls are the perfect dinner time companion for a meal. Note that they are pumpkin shaped AND pumpkin flavored because you can’t resist these for falls. Not only are they cute, but they are delicious, too!
Also try my sourdough pumpkin bread for an easy quick bread with fall flavors.
This is a great sourdough bread recipe for beginners because it’s a simple and easy recipe to follow. The pumpkin shape adds a cute fall touch, but you can make this recipe without turning them into pumpkins, too, and just serve them as a pumpkin flavored soft dinner roll.
Top these with a good butter, apple butter, jam, or honey!
Bread is good any time, but when served with a meal to compliment the food you are making, they are even better. I also love Sourdough Cornbread with meals (this is one of my top recipes ever!) and Sourdough Popovers will also always have my heart.
New to sourdough? Read my Ultimate Guide to Sourdough for Beginners to answer all the questions you have!
Equipment Needed:
- Large mixing bowl
- Food scale (affiliate link)
- Fork for mixing
- Plastic shower cap or plastic wrap for covering bowl
- Tea towel
- Food safe twine or cotton string
- Rice flour to prevent sticking
- Baking sheet
- Cooling rack
Baker’s Schedule
Knowing how to fit these rolls into your schedule is the best way to make sure you can easily prepare them and have them done right when you want! I like to work backwards from when I want them to be done to see what time I need to start:
- Activating starter: 3-4 hours (or until doubled)
- Mixing dough: 10 minutes
- Initial rest: 30 minutes
- Stretch and fold: 3 hours
- Bulk ferment: 8-12 hours
- Shaping: 30 minutes
- Final proof:
- Baking: 25 minutes
- Cooling: 30-45 minutes. You can serve these still warm from the oven.
All said, this recipe will probably take you around 17 hours. Remember that this timing is an estimate and that you should always watch the dough and not your clock, as temperature and humidity and the activity level of your starter can affect how quickly or slowly this recipe moves.
How to make these pumpkin shaped dinner rolls
These dinner rolls are fun to make, but not really any harder than making other bread and rolls. For the full set of directions, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
Mix the dough
- In a large, glass mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, flour, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and sea salt (affiliate link). With a fork, mix until combined and the dough starts to come together.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold
- Remove the cover. With slightly wet hands, grab the edge of the dough farthest away from you and stretch it up and then place it back down closest to you. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the stretch and fold. Repeat again until you have done this a total of four times all the way around the bowl.
- Recover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour.
- Remove the cover, and do a second set of stretch and folds all around the bowl.
- Recover the dough and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Remove the cover, and do a third set of stretch and folds
- Recover the dough and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Remove the cover, and do a fourth set of stretch and folds.
Bulk Fermentation
- After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Alternatively: Let the dough rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours) for a slower fermentation. This will increase the sourdough tang of your rolls a bit.
Recipe Note: the timing here will depend on the temperature of your house. If your house is cooler, it could take longer for your dough to double. If your house is warmer, it could take less time. Watch the dough, not the clock!
Shaping
- If refrigerated, remove the dough 1-2 hours before shaping to warm up slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F with a baking stone or inverted baking sheet inside.
- Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
- Divide it into 8 even pieces (approximately 135g each).
- Shape each piece into a round ball by folding the edges underneath.
- Place the string across the center of the dough ball
- Turn the dough over so the string is underneath. Bring both ends of the string up and cross them over each other like you’re wrapping a present.
- Turn the dough over again and repeat the wrapping process, making sure the string is not pulled too tightly.
- Continue wrapping until the dough has eight distinct sections.
- Tie a double knot at the end of the string and cut off any extra string.
- Follow the same steps for the remaining dough balls.
Final Proof
- Place the tied dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with rice flour.
Baking
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven.
- Quickly add 1 cup of ice cubes to a preheated metal pan at the bottom of the oven for steam.
- Close the oven door immediately.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature that’s between 190°F and 195°F
Cool and Finish
- Remove the rolls from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Once completely cool, carefully snip away the strings with kitchen scissors.
- Optional: You can add little stems to the pumpkin rolls by snipping pieces of a wooden skewer and sticking them in the center of the roll. Just make sure to remove them before eating!
- Enjoy your homemade sourdough pumpkin rolls!
What kind of starter do I need for this?
This recipe uses a 100% hydration sourdough starter that has been fed and is active – meaning it has bubbles and has doubled. It does not matter what kind of flour you use to feed your starter with.
Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn how to make a sourdough starter easily.
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Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Twine
- Wooden Skewers optional
Ingredients
- 50 g active 100% hydration sourdough starter
- 300 g water room temperature
- 600 g bread flour strong white
- 7 g sea salt
- 125 g pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- Rice flour for dusting
- 1 cup ice cubes for steam
Instructions
Mix the Dough:
- In a large glass bowl, combine the active sourdough starter, water, flour, salt, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice.50 g active 100% hydration sourdough starter, 300 g water, 600 g bread flour , 7 g sea salt, 125 g pumpkin puree, 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- Mix them until they are well incorporated and the dough comes together.
Initial Rest:
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold:
- Perform four sets of stretch and folds, spaced 1 hour apart.
- Wet your hands to prevent sticking.
- Grab the edge of the dough farthest from you, stretch it upwards, and fold it over itself.
- Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve done this four times.
- Cover the dough between each set.
Bulk Fermentation:
- After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Alternatively: Let the dough rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours) for a slower fermentation.
Shape the dough:
- If refrigerated, remove the dough 1-2 hours before shaping to warm up slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F with a baking stone or inverted baking sheet inside.
- Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
- Divide it into 8 even pieces (approximately 135g each).
- Shape each piece into a round ball by folding the edges underneath.
- Place the string across the center of the dough ball
- Turn the dough over so the string is underneath.
- Bring both ends of the string up and cross them over each other like you’re wrapping a present.
- Turn the dough over again and repeat the wrapping process, making sure the string is not pulled too tightly.
- Continue wrapping until the dough has eight distinct sections.
- Tie a double knot at the end of the string and cut off any extra string.
- Follow the same steps for the remaining dough balls.
Final Proof:
- Place the tied dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with rice flour.Rice flour for dusting
Bake:
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven.
- Quickly add 1 cup of ice cubes to a preheated metal pan at the bottom of the oven for steam.1 cup ice cubes for steam
- Close the oven door immediately.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature that’s between 190°F and 195°F
Cool and Finish:
- Remove the rolls from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Once completely cool, carefully snip away the strings with kitchen scissors.
- Enjoy your homemade sourdough pumpkin rolls!
I am thinking to make these but wondered how long the dough can stay in the fridge? I want to make in advance
You could allow the dough to stay in the fridge for a day or two, but you won’t want to make it too long in advance because the dough will continue to proof, even though that is slowed down due to the cold temperature. I would also stick it in the fridge as soon as you can finished your last stretch and fold, don’t leave it to rest on the counter at all. And then you can let the dough warm back up to room temperature before you shape and bake.