These Awesome No-Knead Overnight Pumpkin Rolls need to be on your table along with the rest of your turkey feast treats. Or with any hearty meal. Really.
They come together so easily. Just be sure to allow for ample time in the fridge and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying them with your favorite people.
Full credit for this recipe must be given to the folks at BHG Test Kitchen. The rolls were featured in their Holiday Recipes publication back in 2021. So glad I saved that issue ..it’s loaded with a bunch of tasty seasonal ideas.
Let’s make some Awesome No-Knead Overnight Pumpkin Rolls…
What you need to get started…
- Active dry yeast – Check to be sure that your yeast is well within the expiration date.
- Granulated sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness. Also helps to activate the yeast.
- Warm water – For this recipe, a temperature of around 105°F to 115°F is ideal for activating the yeast. If the water is too hot (more than 130°F) it will kill off the yeast. I find it helpful to use an electric tea kettle with precise temp control to heat my filtered water. Or use my digital thermometer to check on the temperature.
- Flour – Unbleached all-purpose flour is used here. I always use flour that is organic, non-GMO and free of glyphosate. My personal favorite is from a domestic company, Sunrise Flour Mill, located in Minnesota. Check out the recipe notes if using freshly milled flour.
- Pumpkin pie spice – Flavorful combination of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves & nutmeg. If you don’t have the pre-mixed blend on your spice shelf, we’ll guide you in mixing your own.
- Salt – Finely ground table salt is fine.
- Milk – Whole milk is recommended but reduced-fat milk should be okay.
- Butter – Salted butter is recommended here.
- Pure pumpkin puree – Do not substitute with pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is simply pureed pumpkin with no additional ingredients. In contrast, pumpkin pie filling is a pre-made mixture containing pumpkin puree, along with added sugar, spices, and thickeners.
- Eggs – Large eggs (chilled or at room temperature) are used in this recipe.
- Pecans – Finely chopped. Used as a topping to the formed rolls.
Before the dough is mixed, there are a few easy steps to get out of the way.
- In a small bowl stir together the yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and a half-cup warm water.
- Let it stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- If that doesn’t happen for you, check to be sure that your yeast is still within the suggested use-by-date.
-
In a small saucepan, heat and stir the milk and butter over medium-low heat until just warm (105°F to 115°F) and the butter has melted.
One other thing worth mentioning …this recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice.
I don’t know about you guys, but that is something that I don’t typically have on hand. And I have an extensive collection of spices. So here’s an easy fix for you …make your own.
How to make pumpkin pie spice…
Measure out and combine the following ingredients to make your pumpkin pie spice. Store the mixture in an airtight jar.
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Let’s move on to the big event.
You won’t believe how easily this dough comes together. It’s all mixed up by hand. No special equipment needed.
I find that using my Danish dough whisk works well to incorporate the dry ingredients then as the dough gets sticky, I finish the job with my sturdy silicon spatula.
Here’s the step-by-step…
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, a cup of sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Add the yeast mixture, milk mixture, pumpkin, and two whole eggs.
- Stir until a soft, batterlike dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes, making certain all of the flour is moistened.
- Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased storage container.
- Cover and chill overnight.
Pretty straightforward, right?
The container you choose doesn’t have to be super large since the dough won’t rise a significant amount while being chilled.
It’s your Awesome No-Knead Overnight Pumpkin Rolls baking day…
This batch of dough makes two dozen delicious dinner rolls.
If you feel comfortable simply “eyeballing” it as you proceed, go for it. I’m not that confident so I prefer to take advantage of my digital food scale to be sure that my rolls will be uniform in size.
My batch weighs in at 1674 grams …so I start off by measuring two equal portions of 837 grams each. Then halve each of those to weigh in at 418.5 grams. You get the picture. Each of my dough balls average at around 70 grams.
This dough does tend to be quite sticky so be sure to have some flour on hand to sprinkle as you go.
- Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface.
- Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Lightly grease two 13×9-inch baking pans.
- Shape the dough into 24 balls.
- Arrange in prepared pans.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (45 to 60 minutes).
When you’re shaping each dough ball, it helps to pull some dough from the sides and tuck under until you have a smooth finish on top.
Then flip it over and pinch the underneath seams together with your fingertips.
It may seem involved but really …once you get the hang of it, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you have two dozen perfectly shaped round dough balls.
While your shaped dough is resting, get your oven preheated and finely chop your pecans for the topping.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Whisk together the egg yolk and one tablespoon water.
- Brush the rolls with the yolk mixture.
- Sprinkle lightly with the chopped pecans.
Your Awesome No-Knead Overnight Pumpkin Rolls are ready for the oven.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.
- Cool slightly; serve warm.
Prepare yourself …you’re about to be majorly impressed by what you’ve accomplished. These guys are absolutely gorgeous and the aroma in your kitchen will be amazing.
Being a big believer in preparing what I can ahead of time, these beauties are all wrapped up and safely tucked away in my freezer.
When we’re ready to indulge, they’ll be defrosted & gently reheated.
Just before we devour them.
Awesome No-Knead Overnight Pumpkin Rolls
With just a hint of pumpkin flavor, these beauties are the perfect addition to your family feast.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 1 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup warm water, ideally at 105°F to 115°F
- 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter (half-stick)
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
- 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, divided
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
-
In a small bowl stir together the yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and the warm water. Let stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
-
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, remaining cup of sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
-
In a small saucepan, heat and stir the milk and butter over medium-low heat until just warm (105°F to 115°F) and the butter has melted.
-
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then add the yeast mixture, milk mixture, pumpkin, and whole eggs. Stir until a soft, batterlike dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased storage container. Cover and chill overnight.
-
Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 13x9-inch baking pans.
-
Shape the dough into 24 balls. Arrange in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (45 to 60 minutes).
-
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the rolls with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle lightly with the chopped pecans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; serve warm.
Recipe Notes
If Using Freshly Milled Flour:
- Excellent results with all hard white wheat.
- Each cup of freshly milled flour = 140 grams.
- Use Danish dough hook or rubber spatula to fully integrate all of the flour into the dough before placing in fridge.
- Formed rolls need at least 60 to 70 minutes rise time before baking.
- No change in bake time - perfectly done in 20 minutes.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I have personally experienced all of these products, and I recommend them because I have found them to be of superior quality. We appreciate your support.
More easy no-knead breads…
Any changes to FMF?
Theresa, I literally just made these with fresh milled hard white wheat and I’m so happy with the results. They’re even more flavorful than the original without too many modifications.For each cup of required flour, I used 140 grams so that the total amount needed for the full recipe is 840 grams of FMF. I did find that incorporating all of the ingredients required a few extra minutes. Beyond that, the only change was that once I shaped the dough into rolls they needed some extra time to rise. I was happy with mine after 70 minutes. The bake time was the same. I’ve included the details in the Recipe Notes for future reference.
Delicious. These came together so easily. My family gobbled them up. I’ll definitely be doing a repeat bake for Thanksgiving. I appreciated the FMF conversion. It worked fantastic.
Thank you so much, Karen. I plan to test out many of my recipes using fresh milled flour. With each success, I’ll be adding notes on the details. I love the added flavor and nutrition we can enjoy with FMF!