Me? Well, I’ve got the rolls covered!
Thanksgiving for us has varied greatly for the past few years. The first year we were hitched, we had Thanksgiving at my parents’ house, so my mom and dad were in charge of the food (and I was in charge of the eating, natch). The following year, we decided to host Thanksgiving, for both families, in our 700-square-foot apartment. It was chaotic and merry all at the same time, and hot. So hot. Twelve people and a not well-ventilated kitchen with the stove and oven going all day in a small space makes for an Amazon-like atmosphere, just FYI.
The next year, we hosted Thanksgiving at our place again but for half the people, which was still merry but less chaotic and Amazon-like. And the year after that, we spent Thanksgiving with Elliott’s fam at their place.
For a few of those years we’ve been in charge of the turkey and some sides and/or desserts. But as much as I love ALL OF THE THANKSGIVING FOOD (seriously, last meal? Thanksgiving dinner), my favorite thing to make for the holiday is rolls. Because carbs.
There are a few reasons why I love these rolls. 1) They have pumpkin and autumn spices and dried cranberries and pecan bits in them, so they taste like a fall flavor explosion in your mouth (and they make your kitchen smell that way, too), 2) They’re super-soft on the inside with an ever-so-slight chew on the outside, which in my opinion is the primo, grade-A, top-choice consistency for rolls, and 3) They’re going to look pretty on the Thanksgiving table. And I’m such a sucker for good food presentation.
Pumpkin Cranberry Rolls
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups bread flour, divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
- ¾ cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 egg
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, stir 1 cup flour, yeast and warm water until combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, oil, salt, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and egg until combined.
- Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine.
- Using a wooden spoon or dough hook attachment, stir in remaining flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface 7-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed OR knead on medium speed with dough hook attachment 5-6 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour in a warm place until doubled.
- When dough is doubled, punch down and knead in cranberries and pecans. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch log. Fold each log in half, then twist both ends once, pinching seams to seal. Place twists on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Cover baking sheets with tea towels or lightly greased plastic wrap. Let twists rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover twists; brush with beaten egg. Bake 15 minutes until golden brown and baked through. Cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
Jessica — Or you can make both! Never can have too many rolls 😉
Erika — ALL THE CARBS 4EVA.
Love it!! Perfect for Thanksgiving! Pinning!
These braided rolls are so beautiful, especially with the glossy crust and the cranberries peeking out from the dough. So pretty (and delicious, I’m sure!). I don’t think I’ll be able to wait for Thanksgiving to try these!
I can completely understand the Amazon-like effect of having too many people in a small place. Our apartment is 600-700 square feet, as well, and our kitchen is not well ventilated. We don’t even have a window that opens in the kitchen! We’ve found that having any more than 8 people over can be a real challenge, especially if we’re planning to use the oven. Glad to know we’re not the only ones with this problem, haha : )
These look and sound incredible! I may have to switch the rolls I was going to make for Thanksgiving with these!
Carbs for dayz!!!! Love these..
Sally — Pumpkin twisty rolls, so cute! These would be fantastic with some pumpkin coffee… can I join you? 🙂
Sarah — ALL THE THANKSGIVING. 🙂
Megan — Yep! They’re in my freezer right now. It’s why I love making rolls for the holidays, because you can make them way ahead of time!
Katrina — Thanks so much!