pumpkin pie brioche rolls on parchment paper

Think of this recipe as the result of the fact that a) I love carbs and b) because of my carb love, I couldn’t decide between pumpkin pie and dinner rolls. So I combined them.

Genius/crazy/this is my brain on Thanksgiving? It’s probably all of the above.

Thanksgiving has looked a little different for us every year for the last five or so years. While growing up it was always at my parents’ house, since Elliott and I got hitched it’s also been in our tiny apartment in Iowa, at his parents’ place and this year, we are hosting again. Except on Saturday, instead of Thursday (because the husband has to work on the holiday, boo).

Another new tradition that’s popped up somewhat unplanned-ly is the fact that I always end up making the dinner rolls and at least one of the desserts. It’s not like we even decided, “Hey Steph, these are the things you make.” It just happened that way — which means those are just the things I tend to make for funsies. Someone else can be in the charge of the turkey; I’m very good at eating that, though.

This year, these pumpkin pie brioche rolls will obviously be gracing the Thanksgiving dinner table as the dinner roll portion of the evening’s eating festivities. If they can make it that long. I’ve already polished off three of them for testing purposes, ahem.

sliced pumpkin brioche roll with pat of butter

Brioche continues to be one of my favorite types of breads to bake because the dough is so soft and the results are SO FLUFFY. And there are not many better things than a warm, fluffy roll with melty butter on top. In this case, I highly suggest maple butter. Trust.

These rolls seemed to be extra fluffy and soft, though, and I think that’s because of the pumpkin (and because I baked them with love, dawwwwww). Combine that with pumpkin pie-ish spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and an ever-so-slightly-crusty crust on account of the egg wash, and my friends, you’ll be doing a dinner roll dance in your kitchen as I did. I mean, no I didn’t. I mean…

Nope. I did. And I’m doing it again right now.

If there is any reason to break with Thanksgiving tradition, it’s these rolls. You will not regret it. And yes, this does mean you can still have pumpkin pie for dessert, OBVI.

close up pumpkin brioche roll with pat of butter

P.S. For more baking tips and recipes, head over to Red Star Yeast or visit their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

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pumpkin pie brioche rolls

Pumpkin Pie Brioche Rolls

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  • Author: Girl Versus Dough
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins
  • Yield: 12 rolls 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: French
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) Red Star PLATINUM yeast
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup warm water (about 120 to 130 degrees F)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and yeast. Add pumpkin, warm water, butter and eggs. Stir, adding just enough of remaining 1 1/2 cups flour until a dough forms that pulls away from sides of bowl.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough by hand 10 minutes until smooth, soft, elastic and only slightly sticky; OR, knead dough with dough hook attachment in stand mixer on medium speed 5 minutes until smooth, soft, elastic and only slightly sticky. Shape dough into a ball, then place in a large lightly greased bowl; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.
  3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down risen dough, then divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then place on prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2 inches apart. Cover with a tea towel or lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes until doubled.
  4. Just before baking, use scissors or a sharp serrated knife to score tops of rolls about 1/4-inch deep. Brush tops and sides of rolls with egg wash. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Keywords: Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, Holidays

P.P.S. And in case you need more Thanksgiving carb/dinner roll ideas, here are a few more!

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls
Brown Butter Apple Cheddar Pie Crescent Rolls
Croissants, Step by Step
Garlic Cheddar Brioche Buns
Oatmeal Pan Rolls
Pumpkin Cranberry Twists
Parker House Rolls

Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.