The Recipes Issue
Pull-Apart Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
½ cup milk, any fat percentage
½ cup pureed pumpkin (see note above)
4 tablespoon (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 ¼-ounce packet instant yeast (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
1 teaspoon fine salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
½ cup pepitas, toasted
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, milk, pumpkin, butter, sugar, egg, yeast, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides as needed, then increase the speed to medium-low and mix until dough is soft and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Add the pepitas and mix until incorporated into the dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.
Coat one 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
Lightly dust a counter with flour. Lightly flour your hands and turn the dough out onto the surface. Divide it evenly into 12 pieces and gently roll each piece into a ball, lightly dusting your hand with flour as needed. (Your total dough should weigh about 810 grams, so each ball should be about 67 grams, or about the size of a billiard ball. For more uniform rolls and to encourage the best rise, create a “gluten cloak” by pulling the top of the dough down and around each ball before pinching and sealing underneath.) Arrange the balls in the prepared pan. It’s OK if they touch. (At this point, the dough can be frozen; see make-ahead note above.)
Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until rolls have puffed to just above the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.
After the rolls have risen for about 30 minutes, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
When the rolls are fully risen, brush them with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden with a firm crust on top, rotating the pan about halfway through. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and immediately brush with the remaining butter. Allow to cool to the touch in the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from an Associated Press recipe.
