These Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are made with soft, pillowy sourdough brioche dough, real pumpkin puree, and honey.<\/p>\n
The pull-apart sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls are a perfect Thanksgiving<\/a> side dish and another great way to add pumpkin<\/a> and sourdough to the table.<\/p>\n They\u2019re sweetened only with honey, topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds, and brushed with a honey butter glaze for natural sweetness and shine.<\/p>\n This detailed fall sourdough recipe<\/a> walks through every step of the process and gives lots of tips and photos so you can get the best results possible.<\/p>\n See below for more information, variations, and possible substitutes.<\/p>\n Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make these soft Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.<\/p>\n Mix\u00a040 grams of sourdough starter, 40 grams of bread flour,\u00a0and\u00a040 grams of room-temperature water\u00a0in a clean jar.<\/p>\n Cover and set it in a warm location (between 75-80\u00baF) for about 4-5 hours until it\u2019s bubbly and ripe.\u00a0The levain should double in size during this time.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> Alternatively, skip this step and use 120 grams of an active sourdough starter in the recipe.<\/p>\n To make a sourdough starter from scratch, follow my Sourdough Starter recipe<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn more about the difference between a starter and levain<\/a>. If you\u2019re an advanced baker, you could use a sweet stiff levain for this recipe and add a bit more milk to the dough when mixing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Scald the whole milk in a small saucepan and set aside to cool until warm (not hot).<\/p>\n This will denature the proteins, resulting in softer dough. It\u2019s a quick step that I do for many recipes like my Sourdough Maple Pecan Sticky Buns<\/a> and makes a big difference.<\/p>\n Add the bread flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix.<\/p>\n Then, add the cooled milk, levain (or active starter), pumpkin puree, honey, and egg. Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until all the flour is hydrated and the dough comes together into a cohesive mass.<\/p>\n Continue mixing on medium speed, adding a small pat of softened butter at a time until incorporated. Wait until the butter is fully combined before adding the next piece.<\/p>\n Mix the dough for 10-15 minutes, or until it is smooth, tacky, slaps the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.<\/p>\n To test, pull a piece of dough between your fingers. If you can stretch it into a thin membrane, like a windowpane, without it tearing, then it\u2019s mixed enough. Otherwise, keep mixing for a few more minutes.<\/p>\n Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and cover it for\u00a0bulk fermentation<\/a>, which will take approximately 6 hours at 78\u00b0F<\/span>.<\/p>\n If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, the dough will ferment faster.<\/p>\n Bulk fermentation is complete when this dough has doubled in size, is smoother, and domes in your bowl.<\/p>\n Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for a cold, overnight proof and up to 48 hours.<\/p>\n The dough will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator, which helps develop flavor and allows you to bake on your own schedule. The cold dough is also easier to divide and shape into rolls.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re limited on time, you can skip the overnight proof.<\/p>\n Before shaping, butter or grease the 9\u00d79\u2033 pan. Set it aside.<\/p>\n Punch down the cold dough, weigh it, and divide the dough weight by 16. This is how much each roll should weigh when you divide the dough. Mine usually weigh about 70g each.<\/p>\n Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 16 pieces. Then, use the palm of your hand to shape and roll the dough into round spheres. <\/p>\n Place the shaped sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls in the pan and cover with plastic wrap or a lid for the final proof.<\/p>\n At 78\u00baF, the final proof typically takes about 3 \u00bd-4 hours, but it depends on the ambient temperature and how much the dough proofed during the first bulk ferment.<\/p>\n At the end of the final proof, the rolls should double in size and rise in the pan, be puffy, touch each other, and feel full of air if you poke one with a floured finger.<\/p>\n Preheat the oven to 375\u00baF (191\u00baC).<\/p>\n Brush the rolls with egg wash and sprinkle the tops with optional pumpkin seeds.<\/p>\n Bake the rolls for 25-28 minutes or until the tops are deep golden brown. The sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls should have an internal temperature of about 200\u00baF (93\u00baC) when baked, as measured with an instant-read thermometer.<\/p>\n As the dinner rolls bake, make the honey butter glaze. Brush the simple glaze onto the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, while they\u2019re still hot.<\/p>\n Finally, cool the rolls in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then turn the roll out of the pan and finish cooling completely on the wire rack to prevent condensation from making soggy rolls.<\/p>\n The canned pumpkin and sourdough help keep these sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls soft for days so you can easily make ahead and store them.<\/p>\n Keep the baked rolls covered at room temperature for 3-4 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. They will lose some moisture over time and become more stale, but you can reheat or toast them slightly before serving.<\/p>\n To freeze baked dinner rolls, place them in a freezer-safe bag and store for a few months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and rewarm in the oven.<\/p>\n If you want to freeze unbaked rolls, do so after shaping. Then, let them thaw overnight in their pan in the refrigerator and do the final proof and bake as usual. This final proof can take longer the colder they are.<\/p>\n These dinner rolls are perfect for fall holiday dinners<\/a>, Thanksgiving<\/a>, Christmas<\/a>, or to serve with hearty soups and stews.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/basket-of-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udc4d Why You\u2019ll Love This Recipe<\/h2>\n
![\"Pan](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pan-of-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.jpg\")
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\n\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf73 Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls<\/h2>\n
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\n\ud83d\uded2 Ingredients Needed<\/h2>\n
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\n\ud83c\udf83 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Dinner Rolls<\/h2>\n
1. Make the Levain<\/h3>\n
2. Mix the Pumpkin Brioche Dough<\/h3>\n
![\"Mixing](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/mixing-sourdough-pumpkin-cinnamon-swirl-bread-dough.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Mixed](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/mixed-sourdough-pumpkin-cinnamon-swirl-bread-dough.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n3. Bulk Fermentation<\/h3>\n
![\"sourdough](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sourdough-pumpkin-cinnamon-swirl-bread-dough-at-the-start-of-bulk-fermentation.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"sourdough](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sourdough-pumpkin-cinnamon-swirl-bread-at-the-end-of-bulk-fermentation.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n4. Overnight Proof<\/h3>\n
5. Shape the Pumpkin Dinner Rolls<\/h3>\n
![\"Shaped](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/shaped-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-roll-dough.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n6. Final Proof<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls-at-the-start-of-final-proof.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n7. Bake<\/h3>\n
![\"Unbaked](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/unbaked-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n![\"Brushing](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brushing-honey-butter-onto-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.jpg\")
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\nHow to Store, Make Ahead, & Serve<\/h2>\n
![\"Hand](\"https:\/\/sourdoughbrandon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/hand-pulling-apart-sourdough-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.jpg\")
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