These are the perfect savory Pumpkin Herb Dinner Rolls. Rosemary, sage and thyme are bloomed in browned butter for a deep, complex flavor. These yeasted rolls are soft, tender and full of flavor. I’ll give you all the tips and tricks for perfect rolls every single time.
Heat the milk to around 95-100°F in a pot or the microwave.
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the sponge and mix with your hands. You can mix with a spoon but it is so wet that it will be more difficult.
Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot until visibly bubbly. It should take about 20 minutes.
Brown the Butter with the Herbs:
In a small pot melt the butter and add the chopped fresh herbs. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter is browned and smells lightly nutty. You don’t want to cook it so long that the herbs burn. If you are worried, begin by browning the butter and then add the herbs.
Pour into a small bowl and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to the dough. You can also pop it in the refrigerator to speed this along!
Mix the Dough:
I usually scale the remaining ingredients while the sponge is sitting. You can scale them all straight into the mixer bowl and let them sit while waiting on the sponge.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the remaining flour, dark brown sugar, salt, butter, pumpkin puree, egg and sponge. Add the browned butter and herbs.
Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed until a rough window pane can be pulled. This means the dough will not look perfectly smooth but will have pulled together and made one cohesive dough around the hook. Pinch off a piece and gently pull the sides apart, rotate and pull again, making a square shape. The dough should not tear; you should be able to see through some of the dough like a window pane but then there will be pieces of dough that look rough. This is what you want.
Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 30 minutes in a warm place. Fold the dough by grabbing one side, pull it upwards out of the bowl and then fold it over 1/3 of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat with the opposite side. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat the same folding technique. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and make the final fold. You should have a nice tight square packet of dough.
Marvel at your skills. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double. Mine took about an additional 30 minutes.
While the is finishing its bulk proof, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
When the dough has doubled and feels light and aery when touched, turn it out onto an un-floured surface. It is soft, supple and not sticky!
Divide into 12 equal portions. You can eyeball this or weigh them. They should be about 99g each. Place each about equidistant apart in the prepared dish.
Cover with plastic wrap and place back in the warm spot to double. This took about 30 minutes for mine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
When the buns are ready to bake (doubled and light and airy), brush with beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 185°F when inserted into the center of one of the middle buns. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center and it should come out with clinging crumbs but no streaks of dough!
Brush the hot buns with melted butter to emulate my shiny, enticing tops!
Technically they should cool, but who has the patience? I say dig right on in.
Video
Notes
Note: They are best eaten the day they are made but can be reheated in a warm oven the next day.