Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls

5 from 3 votes

Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls are a perfect addition to your Halloween or Thanksgiving Dinner. These tender rolls are shaped like little pumpkins. However, don't be fooled by the name. They contain no pumpkin. They're easy to make with the bread machine doing most of the work.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Dough kneading and rising1 30

Total Time2

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls

Calories: 183kcal

Equipment

Bread Machine

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) milk
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup (1.5 ounces) instant potato flakes
2 ½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon (12.8 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast (See Tip 1)
48 pieces of kitchen twine, each cut into 8 to 10 inch lengths.
6 pretzel twists, broken in half

Instructions

Add milk, butter, salt, sugar, instant potato flakes, flour, and yeast to the pan of a bread machine. Program on the dough cycle.
When the dough cycle finishes, transfer the dough to a floured surface. Cut into 12 equal pieces (about 2.3 ounces each) and roll each piece into a tight ball.
Crisscross four pieces of twine over a center point into a star formation. Place one of the dough balls smooth side down, onto the center point. Firmly tie each string into a knot over the center of the roll. Snip off excess string using scissors. Repeat with remaining twine and dough balls.
Place six of the pumpkin dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the other six pumpkin dough balls onto a separate parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to rise in a warm location for about 30 minutes. (See Tip 2)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake the pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes or until the rolls can be safe to handle.
Cut the twine off each of the rolls, peeling down carefully and slowly to remove. Then, place a piece of twisted pretzel in the top of each of the rolls for the stem.
Yield: 12 Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls. (See Tips 3 and 4)

Notes

May also use bread machine yeast in place of instant yeast.
I like to use Julia Child's method of creating a perfect environment for proofing dough. To do this, I turn on my electric oven for 1 minute and 45 seconds and then turn the oven off. I don't worry about setting a temperature. All I'm doing is warming the inside of the oven.
The rolls can be made in advance and reheated.
If you don't feel like making the dough for the Pumpkin-Shaped Dinner Rolls, you can use store-bought frozen yeast rolls or pizza dough.

Nutrition