Pumpkin & Olive Oil Dinner Rolls

It only took me 29 years to figure out my problem. And a debilitating one it was! From September – December, every year, it’s the season of Pumpkin everything. And I didn’t like pumpkin. Survival was a struggle. It was real, ya’ll. So good thing this year, I was able to self-diagnose and resolve my issue. It’s not with pumpkin. I actually like pumpkin (well, in certain recipes). My issue is with pumpkin ‘spice’. Which actually makes me feel kind of dumb, because it’s well documented that I abhor cinnamon, and a lot of other nutty flavors, like nutmeg and allspice, so it is only logical that I would loathe pumpkin ‘spice’.

Now that I’ve gotten that all squared away, I’ve been going a little pumpkin crazy, well with pumpkin purée, not the pie filling, well because the ‘spice’. And these soft and savory rolls are by far my favorite thing I’ve discovered yet. The pumpkin adds extra vitamins and fiber, without altering the doughy, yeasty bread taste in anyway. So basically, they’re more healthy than regular rolls, and they taste amazing, and because they have pumpkin in them they’re pretty much mandatory at Thanksgiving and any other Autumn activity.

Pumpkin & Olive Oil Dinner Rolls

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing/brushing
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup, plus 1 tbsp, pumpkin puree
2 cups, plus 1 tbsp, all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to mix all of the ingredients listed together, at a medium speed, until evenly incorporated and everything pulls together into an elastic, slightly sticky dough ball.
   2. Use the extra olive oil to grease the inside of a large bowl. Use your still oiled hands, and then pick up the dough and transfer to the prepared bowl, turning it over just until all sides are coated with the older be oil too. Cover the bowl, we use plastic wrap or a dish towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has sufficiently risen (but not necessarily doubled in size), about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Grease a work surface, such as a clean, clear kitchen counter, with olive oil and then turn out the dough onto the prepared surface. Knead the dough For about a minute and then pull it apart into roughly 8 equally-sized pieces, gently rounding out each into a ball again.
   3. Grease a 9″ round cake pan with olive oil and place all 8 rolls in the pan with equal spacing between. We got seven in an outer circle with the eighth in the middle. Cover and let the dough rise again for 30 – 45 minutes, or until the rolls have expanded to cover the surface of the pan and are touching each other and the sides of the pan.
   4. Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and carefully form a loose aluminum foil tent over it and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and brush the tops of the rolls with some additional olive oil. Let the rolls rest and cool for five minutes , and then gently run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the rolls before removing them individually.

recipe adapted from My Sequined Life

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