Pumpkin rolls

Delicious at any time of the year, but particularly fitting to make for Halloween, these pumpkin rolls don’t just look the part, they taste it too as they’re made from a roasted pumpkin (or squash) dough.

I’ve written out the instructions (with some images) how to make these rolls into pumpkin shapes, but they can also be made into ‘normal’, round dinner rolls too. The dough is also marvellous when baked into a full sized loaf (top with toasted pumpkin seeds for extra oomph).

Notes

It’s a bit tricky to cut up just the right amount of pumpkin/squash for this recipe, so I suggest using a whole, small pumpkin or butternut squash. Once roasted it’s easier to weigh out the correct amount and any that is surplus to the recipe can be used up elsewhere (freeze for later, turn into soup, add to a pasta dish, mix into mash potato for example).

You can skip the shaping instructions and just make round rolls if you prefer.

Do make sure you get rid of all the string before serving!

Equipment

• Large bowl
• Scraper
• Linen tea towel
• Two large baking trays
• Roasting tray
• Sharp, large chef’s knife and potato peeler
• Sieve (not fine gauge) and large spoon
• Smaller bowl
• Butchers/bakers string and scissors
• Saucepan or microwavable bowl/jug (for warming the milk)

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin or squash (you will only need 120g once roasted, see notes above)
• Strong white flour – 475g
• Fresh yeast – 15g (or replace with fast action dried yeast – 7g)
• Milk – 200g
• Fine salt – 1 teaspoon (plus extra for the pumpkin)
• Black pepper – several turns
• 1 ½ tablespoons of a good quality olive oil, I used Filippo Beri organic extra virgin olive oil (plus about another 3 tablespoons to drizzle on the pumpkin for roasting and to oil the bowl)

Method

• Warm your oven to 180C fan / 200 conventional / 400F
• Halve the pumpkin or squash and scoop out the seeds
• Take the skin off the pumpkin and cut into large chunks (about 3-4cm)
• Spread the pumpkin pieces out into your roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil, about three tablespoons’ worth and then sprinkle with some salt
• Bake for about 25 minutes. The pumpkin pieces should be soft when pressed with a fork or spoon. If they are not ready, leave in for another 10 minute
• When ready, leave the pumpkin pieces to cool a little until you can handle them
• While the pumpkin is cooling, gently warm the milk in a microwave or a saucepan a little and stir in the yeast. Leave this to one side while you prep the pumpkin flesh
• When the pumpkin flesh has cooled enough to handle (but is still warm), press the pumpkin through the sieve into the smaller bowl. It’s easiest to press it through wi th the back of a large spoon. This will remove any little crispy edges that you wouldn’t want in your bread and break down the fibres so that it incorporates into the dough more thoroughly
• Make your dough, by combining the flour, salt, pepper, mashed pumpkin, olive oil and the milk/yeast mixture in your large bowl
• Once combined roughly, tip out onto a clean surface and begin kneading. This dough comes together quickly because of the pumpkin flesh, so knead it for about 7-8 minutes until it starts to become smooth and glossy. Only use additional flour if you feel it’s absolutely necessary
• Once kneaded, oil the bowl and shape the dough into a ball. Place it into the oiled bowl seam side down and cover with a clean linen tea towel or similar
• Leave to prove for about 45 minutes until risen
• Divide your dough in to eight equal pieces
• Cut up eight pieces of the butcher’s string – each about a metre long
• Taking one of the pieces of dough, shape into a ball
• [See the images below for the following steps) Take the string and its centre point over the middle of the ball of dough, flip the dough over and make a loop round the dough and finish with a little twist of the string – your ball of dough should have a loop over it. Make sure you come back to the middle of the ball of dough and ensure the string is not tight or cutting into the dough
• Twist the string and repeat another loop at 90 degrees to the first, so the ball of dough looks like a parcel
• Repeat twice more, keeping the string between the first two loops – so that the ball of dough is eventually sectioned into eight wedge shapes. Tie off loosely and trim off the ends of the string

• Place the dough ball on a floured baking tray
• Repeat with the remaining seven balls of dough
• Cover the dough and leave to rise for about 30 minutes, until the dough has started to rise through the string and created a pumpkin shape
• While the dough is on its last proof, turn your oven on to 220C fan / 240F conventional / 475F
• When the rolls are ready, place them in the oven and immediately turn it down to 200C fan / 220C conventional / 400F
• Bake for 20-22 minutes until risen and getting brown
• Leave to cool and when cold, snip off the string from the underside of the roll and pull through the threads to ensure there is no string left before serving

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