Harvest Pumpkin Rolls

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there are lots of things that can be made ahead to make your day easier. One of them is these pumpkin rolls that I tweaked a bit from a pumpkin challah recipe I found at MyJewishLearning.com.

Pumpkin challah; I divide the same dough into rolls and
call them Harvest Pumpkin Rolls

Harvest Pumpkin Rolls

Ingredients

2 (0.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3-3/4 cups unbleached white flour (I substitute 1-3/4 cup white whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup pumpkin (or any winter squash) puree (homemade or canned)
1/4 cup canola oil (I think I will try virgin coconut oil for health reasons)
1 egg (+1 egg for wash)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal for sprinkling on baking sheet (optional)

Directions

About 30 minutes before you start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and, once up to temperature, turn it off.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon honey. Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.

Mix flour, cinnamon, and cardamom in bowl that fits your stand mixer. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture. With mixer on slow speed, mix just until you reach the soft paste stage. (Don't try to completely incorporate—there should be quite a bit of dry flour left at this point.) Cover bowl with a towel and leave until frothy and risen, about 20 minutes.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the honey, pumpkin, oil, egg, and salt. Add to the flour mixture and combine thoroughly on low speed. Mix on next higher speed until dough comes together. If it looks too wet, add flour in small amounts.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and hand knead until smooth and pliable. It shouldn't take but a minute or two. Let dough rest 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in it, turning to make sure all surfaces are covered lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a towel and place in oven (or other warm, draft-free place). Let dough rise until it has tripled in size, 1-2 hours. Punch down dough, knead it a bit more, and cut it into 16-20 equal pieces. Shape the rolls into balls.

Place rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and then into the freezer until frozen (at least 4 hours, but overnight is fine). Place frozen rolls in large freezer bag, storing in freezer until about 2 hours before you want to bake them. Place them on a parchment-lined (or cornmeal-dusted) baking sheet and let them thaw and rise until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Glaze risen rolls with the extra beaten egg. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.