Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Holidays are approaching, and if you want to surprise your family and friends with these soft and flavorful sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls, you came to the right place!

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 8 g sourdough starter
• 30 g water
• 60 g bread flour
• 5g sugar

Dough

• 250 g bread flour (100%)
• 100 g pumpkin purée 
• 30 g heavy whipping cream 
• 75 g sweet stiff starter 
• 1 large egg
• 30 g sugar
• 50 g soft butter 
• 5 g salt (2%)
• 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

• 10 pm dissolve sugar in the water, add starter and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, place in a jar, cover and let it sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times.
• Stiff sweet starter will have lower hydration then regular liquid starter and will help us to lower the acidity of final product (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am in a mixer bowl add flour pumpkin purée, heavy whipping cream, an egg, sugar, stiff sourdough starter (75 g) and let autolyse for 1 hour.

• During the autolyse period flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 9 am mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt and mix it for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter, increase the speed of mixer, mix for 10 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together.

• Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-26C.

• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.

• 1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation until next morning.

Day 3

• 7am take the dough out of the fridge.
• Divide into 9 equal pieces (about 60g each).
• Pinch the edges to the bottom of each roll, try to round it tightly.

• Transfer the shaped rolls into a square baking pan.
• Cover the rolls and let them proof for 3-4 hours, 76-80F/24-26C, until they double in volume.

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Bake for about 25-28 minutes until they turn golden brown.

• Brush with melted butter, while they are still hot.

Enjoy your sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls!

Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

221kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 25 minutes mins

Overnight Sweet Stiff Starter Build 8 hours hrs

Total 23 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Soft, pillowy, and vibrant yellow-gold dinner rolls enriched with pumpkin purée, heavy whipping cream, egg, and butter. Utilizing a sweet stiff sourdough starter build minimizes acidity to keep these holiday rolls sweet, tender, and mild.

Servings 9 Dinner Rolls

Cuisine American Side / Holiday Baking

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night 1)

• ▢ 8 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 30 g Water
• ▢ 5 g Sugar
• ▢ 60 g Bread flour

Main Dough (Day 2)

• ▢ 250 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 75 g Sweet stiff sourdough starter (30% – from stage above)
• ▢ 100 g Canned pumpkin purée (40%)
• ▢ 30 g Heavy whipping cream (12%)
• ▢ 1 Large Egg (50 g / 20%)
• ▢ 30 g Sugar (12%)
• ▢ 50 g Softened butter (20%)
• ▢ 5 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 0.5 g Dry yeast optional, to reduce sourness

Topping

• ▢ 1–2 tbsp Melted butter for brushing after bake

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (or KitchenAid mixer)
• ▢
  Square Baking Pan
• ▢
  Pastry Brush for brushing melted butter

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

1. Night 1: Build Sweet Stiff Starter (10:00 PM)

1. Dissolve 5 g sugar in 30 g water in a small jar. Add 8 g sourdough starter and 60 g bread flour.
2. Mix thoroughly, shape into a ball, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until doubled or more in volume.

2. Day 2: Autolyse, Mixing & Cold Retard

1. Autolyse (8:00 AM): In stand mixer bowl, combine 250 g bread flour, 100 g pumpkin purée, 30 g heavy whipping cream, 1 egg, 30 g sugar, 75 g sweet stiff starter, and optional yeast. Mix until combined, cover, and rest for 1 hour.
2. Mixing (9:00 AM): Knead on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 3–4 minutes). Add 5 g salt and mix 2 more minutes until a cohesive dough forms.
3. Butter Incorporation: Add 50 g softened butter, increase speed, and knead for 10 minutes until dough cleans the bowl and becomes smooth.
4. Bulk Fermentation: Cover and proof for 3–4 hours at 76–80°F (24–26°C), performing 2 stretch-and-folds during the first 2 hours.
5. Cold Retard (1:00 PM): Transfer dough container to refrigerator for overnight cold fermentation.

3. Day 3: Shaping, Final Rise & Bake

1. Shaping (7:00 AM): Take chilled dough out of fridge. Divide into 9 equal pieces (~60 g each). Pinch edges to the bottom and roll tightly against counter to form smooth balls.
2. Arrange shaped rolls in a greased or parchment-lined square baking pan.
3. Cover loosely and proof for 3–4 hours at 76–80°F (24–26°C) until doubled in volume and touching each other.
4. Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25–28 minutes until deep golden brown.
5. Brush immediately with melted butter while piping hot. Serve warm!

Nutrition

Calories221kcalCarbohydrates32gProtein5gFat8gSaturated Fat5gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol37mgSodium271mgPotassium70mgFiber1gSugar4gVitamin A1983IUVitamin C0.5mgCalcium15mgIron1mg

Notes

• Managing the Moisture Variable in Pumpkin Purée: Pumpkin purée contains a highly unpredictable amount of water depending on the brand you buy. Always use thick, 100% pure canned pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie mix. If your purée looks notably wet or watery when opened, scoop it onto a plate lined with paper towels and blot it firmly to remove excess moisture before weighing out your 150g. This prevents the dough from running too wet and loose.
• Why the Final Proof Happens Overnight on the Counter: Enriched doughs packed with heavy pumpkin flesh, milk, honey, and butter ferment significantly slower than standard lean flour-and-water artisan loaves. Giving the shaped dinner rolls a slow, 9-hour room temperature proof on your kitchen counter overnight allows the wild yeasts to work steadily over many hours, ensuring a gorgeous, towering rise by the time you wake up.
• Achieving an Ultra-Soft, Non-Sour Crumb: For a classic, sweet holiday profile that complements savory dinner dishes, keeping the sourdough acidity low is essential. Utilizing a sweet honey-milk autolyse and capping the daytime bulk proofing times ensures the rolls remain incredibly mild, sweet, and pillowy, without any sharp sourdough tang.

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