A recipe for Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls

Originally Published 09/21/2021

I may be a little early in the season haha. But I can’t help myself! Fall is my favorite and these Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls are so delightful! They aren’t too sweet and have just a bit of cinnamon. This means you could serve them filled with savory things such as pulled pork, or pair them with something sweet like Ginger Fig Jam! Out of all the things I like to make, bread is my favorite. There is something therapeutic about the process. And it seems like magic that such basic ingredients can turn into something so versatile and delicious!

This recipe for Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls is based on Challenger Breadware’s Dinner Roll recipe. Check it out if you’re looking for a great regular dinner roll recipe! Ok on to making the Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls!

These Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls start out with what is called a Tangzhong.

A what!? 

Tangzhong is a technique that helps create softer bread. It’s perfect for dinner rolls, brioche, cinnamon rolls, maybe even babka/challah, and definitely sandwich bread!

King Arthur has a blog post about it, in which they explain, “This Asian technique — which has origins in Japan’s yukone (or yudane) and was popularized across Asia by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen — cooks a small percentage of the flour and liquid (water or milk) in a yeast recipe very briefly before combining the resulting thick slurry with the remaining ingredients.”

So starting out by cooking the rolled oats with water and pumpkin purée, this recipe creates a tangzhong. The oats are pre-softened, expanded, and gelatinized. 

Back in the day, when you were a kid, did you ever make those flavored instant oatmeal packets? If you added cold water you could wait for days for the oatmeal to get soft. Obviously, you added hot water so the oatmeal would suck up the water and “cook” faster.

Cooking the oats helps them to absorb more water quicker and “it’s able to hold onto that extra liquid throughout the kneading, baking, and cooling processes.”

According to King Arthurs post, a couple of benefits of this are, 

• The bread or rolls may rise higher, due to more water creating more internal steam (which makes bread rise in the oven — along with the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast);
• Having retained more water during baking, bread, and rolls will be moist, and stay soft and fresh longer. 

Like I said above, bread baking is magic! (or science lol)

After you’ve made your pumpkin oat tangzhong,

add it to the mixer and pour the 125g of whole milk over it. I didn’t warm the whole milk because the tangzhong will be hot and after you mix the cold milk in, the whole mixture will be warm, which is what we want to help the yeast do its job. 

Next, add the brown sugar and cinnamon. If you are planning to use these dinner rolls to hold something savory like a pulled pork sandwich, you can leave out the cinnamon for a more savory roll. After the sugar and cinnamon are mixed in, stir in the yeast.

I always get nervous about adding the yeast and not letting it proof. Also, this is a thick mixture to stir yeast into. Mix it right in, no waiting time necessary, the yeast will still do its thing! Follow the yeast with the egg and butter, and finally flour and salt. I do think it’s important to add the salt last, however, as salt and yeast aren’t best buds. Mix the ingredients until the dough forms and then let the mixer knead it 5-8 minutes. Shape it into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 60 minutes. 

Over the last year, I’ve started using plastic shower caps for bowl covers while making bread. I love them because they’re less frustrating than plastic wrap. Also, you can sort of poof them up so they won’t touch the top of your bread dough and stick to it while it’s rising. 

Speaking of the Challenger Breadware Pan…

Shameless plug here haha…this pan is one of my favorite things in my kitchen!

It was a Christmas present last year from my hubby and it has revolutionized my Sourdough Bread baking!

Baking bread in a cast iron dutch oven works so well because the iron can reach and maintain a stable high heat that is perfect for springing your bread loaf to life! Also, the lid traps in the steam creating a moist atmosphere that allows the bread loaf time to open up and rise to its full potential before the crust hardens up.

This Challenger Breadware Pan is in my opinion better for bread baking than any other Dutch oven, mainly because it was specifically created for baking bread. The base of the pan is shallow so it’s easy to load and unload your bread loaf out of without deflating it or burning yourself! It has room to add ice cubes to create an even more steamy atmosphere conducive to getting that oven spring that creates the coveted sourdough ear. The handles on the lid make it easy to lift on and off. It seals up nice to trap steam in. The shape allows you to bake all different shapes of bread, even things like these Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls. And it’s gorgeous! This Challenger Breadware Pan is an heirloom piece you could pass down through the family. Anyway, I love this pan and highly recommend you put it on your bday/Xmas, anniversary gift wish list!

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls

With just a hint of sweetness, these Pumpkin Oat Dinner Rolls are pillowy, fluffy, and the perfect pairing to go with your Fall meals!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Rise Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Servings: 12 rolls

Equipment

• Small Saucepan
• Kitchenaid Mixer
• Kitchen Scale or Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Wooden Spoon
• Large bowl
• Challenger Breadware Pan or 9″x13″ Baking Dish
• Bench Scraper

Ingredients

• 160 grams Pumpkin Purée 1/2 cup
• 100 grams Water 1/2 cup
• 35 grams Rolled Oats 1/3 cup rounded
• 125 grams Whole Milk 1/2 cup
• 50 grams Brown Sugar 3 tbsp
• 3 grams Cinnamon 1 tsp
• 7 grams Yeast 2 1/4 tsp
• 50 grams Salted Butter 4 tbsp room temperature
• 1 Egg room temperature
• 480 grams Bread Flour 3 1/4 cup
• 7 grams Salt 1 1/4 tsp
• 1 Egg +1 tbsp of water egg wash

Instructions

Pumpkin Oat Tangzhong

• In a small saucepan, combine 160g pumpkin puree, 100g water, and 35g rolled oats. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to the Kitchenaid mixing bowl.

Pumpkin Oat Dinner Roll Dough

• Next, pour 125 grams of whole milk over the top of the pumpkin oat and mix. Add the 50 grams of brown sugar and 3 grams of cinnamon and mix. After this, mix in 7 grams of yeast.
• Add the 50 grams of room temperature salted butter, room temperature egg, and mix to combine
• Finally, add 480 grams of bread flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms and then let the mixer run for 8 minutes, kneading the dough.
• Remove from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise somewhere warm for 1 hour.
• Line the Challenger Breadware Pan with a piece of parchment and lightly oil it. Or, if you’re using a 9″x13″ dish just lightly oil the bottom and sides of it.
• After the hour rise, remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape the dough into tight balls and place them in your prepared Challenger Breadware Pan. Cover it with the lid (or plastic wrap if using the 9″x13″ pan) and let the rolls rise for another 1 1/2 hours.
• Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• After the second rise, mix 1 egg with 1 tbsp of water and egg wash the tops of the rolls. Replace the lid and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on and 5 minutes with the lid off. (For the 9″x”13″ pan bake uncovered for 35 mins)
• Once the rolls are a nice golden brown, remove them from the oven and carefully slip them out of the Challenger Breadware Pan onto a cooling rack to cool. Brush the tops of the rolls with 1 tbsp of melted butter if you’d like.
• Serve with your meal and enjoy!

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