Pumpkin-Shaped Rolls with Pumpkin in the Dough

Pumpkin Rolls

For these Pumpkin Rolls I actually used a pumpkin dough (complete with pumpkin puree!) I think the pumpkin adds a nice moisture to the rolls. The recipe calls for eight cuts around the pumpkin, but the rebel in me switched it up depending on the size of the roll. At first I found myself guesstimating cut distances by cutting around the dough willy-nilly, and my estimates were never quite spot on. The easiest way to get a uniform pumpkin is to snip the four cardinal directions and cut those sections in half.

I think the pumpkins that looked the most realistic were ones that had a less deep of cut. While the pumpkins turned out pretty orange, I wish I would have thought to add in a bit of orange food coloring to create a bit of depth to the color. While I was letting the rolls cool I had several people come in and ask what the pumpkins were for. They seem realistic, and are, of course, delicious.

Definitive Ranking

The pumpkins were my favorite to make. They were easy to shape, and even the bad ones looked great!

By Jordan Hildebrand

Items List

For the Dough:

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
4 ½ tablespoons margarine or butter
3 ¼ teaspoons package active dry yeast
1 ¾ cups lukewarm water (110-115°F)
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
8 - 8 ¼ cups bread flour

For the Stems:

32 sliced pecan pieces

Instructions

For the Dough

Get the recipe at NationalFestivalofBreads.com. Scale the dough into 32 (2 ½ oz.) doughballs.

Shaping the pumpkins

Get the instructions at handletheheat.com

Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Place a sliced pecan piece into the indentation of each roll.
Check out more Halloween inspirations.