Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.
These dinner rolls are super cute and look impressive, but they are actually much easier than they look! Perfection is not the aim of the game here so give them a go and embrace them in their perfectly imperfect Pumpkin wonkiness!
Ingredients.
240g plain flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1x 7g sachet of easy-bake yeast
½ teaspoon salt
250ml milk
60ml water
30g butter
To Brush: 1 egg & 1 tbsp of milk
Equipment.
Butchers string
Baking tray
Cling film
Pastry brush
Weighing scales & measuring spoons
Thermometer
Method.
Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
Gently heat the milk, water, and butter in a saucepan until very warm - about 50c (125f) is ideal.
Add the warm milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to make a dough. Don’t be tempted to add water/flour too soon - try to bring the dough together into a ball first before assessing what it needs. If the dough feels dry and wont absorb all the crumbs, add a splash of water, and if it feels too wet and is sticking to your fingers too much, add a little flour. Add a little at a time - go cautiously here!
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s smooth and elastic. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
Cover with lightly oiled cling film and let rest for about 10 minutes. As we are using easy-bake yeast, you do not need to proof the dough twice, so this step is just to allow the dough to relax and the flour to fully absorb all the liquid. If you use a different yeast (fresh yeast, dried active yeast etc) you may need to proof for half an hour here. Check the packet instructions accordingly.
Once rested, divide dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into balls.
Cut 18 pieces of string, each about 20cm long.
Tie 3 pieces of string (spaced out) around each dough ball, knotting them in the same place at the bottom of the dough. Check out my Instagram Reel to see how it’s done!
Place the dough balls spaced-out on a greased baking tray, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for around 30mins, or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190c (375f).
Beat together the egg & milk in a ramekin and, once risen, gently brush the rolls all over the top with the mixture. Be careful not to use too much force here as we don’t want them to collapse.
Bake the rolls until golden brown on top - around 20mins. Give the bottoms a little tap to check for doneness - they should be golden and have a hollow sound when tapped.
Remove from the oven and cut the strings, carefully removing them from the rolls.
Serve the rolls warm and slathered with butter, with a side of pumpkin soup!
