Making Sourdough Pumpkin Crescent Rolls & Being Thankful

My family enjoys pumpkin crescent rolls for Thanksgiving, but I wanted to bring something a little different this year. I didn’t want to rock the apple cart too much so I chose something different, yet the same.

I took my pumpkin crescent roll recipe, converted it to baker’s percentage and then converted it to sourdough. By doing this, I created a new family favorite.  I call it my Thanksgiving sourdough surprise.

 

During the Thanksgiving Season in the U.S., we take the opportunity to reflect on all the blessings in our lives. I try to be thankful all year round, but I don’t always hit the mark so during the Holidays, it’s time to get grounded again and cultivate an attitude of thankfulness.

I’m thankful for a lot of things; my creator, my family, my friends, my community and my life. I’m also thankful for all of the visitors to this blog. I appreciate you and your encouraging words.

I’m also thankful for my bread-baking buddies and for finally learning how to use baker’s percentages. I had a mental block or something, but now I’m loving these percentages.

What are you thankful for?

 

 

Over the years, I’ve made different variations of this family favorite:

• Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
• Sourdough Einkorn Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
• Cinnamon Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
• Heritage Wheat Sourdough Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

Sourdough Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

Bake Time: 14 -17 minMakes

: 16 Rolls, depending on how you slice them.

These rolls taste best warm. However, they reheat really well. Just wrap them in foil and heat in the oven for about 10 minutes or so.

Ingredient:	Weight:	Volume:
Sourdough Starter, 100% hydration	100 g	1/2 cup
All purpose flour	500 g	~4 cups + 1 Tbsp.
Brown sugar, packed	45 g	1/4 cup
Salt	8 g	1 1/2 tsp
Pumpkin Pie Spice	6 g	2 1/2 tsp
Water	150-180 g	2/3 – 3/4 cup
Pumpkin puree	100 g	1/4 cup
Egg	45 g	1 large
Butter, cold, cut into small pieces	56 g	4 T
Butter, melted	14	1 T

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

In a separate container, mix the sourdough, pumpkin puree, and egg with 100 grams of water.  Pour the sourdough/pumpkin mixture over the flour and mix thoroughly using a Danish dough whisk, dough scraper, or wooden spoon.  Gradually add in more water as needed to make a supple and workable dough that has no dry bits of flour. 

Form the dough into a ball.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or bees wrap and let rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.

Add in 3 tablespoons of butter, a little at a time, and thoroughly incorporate into the dough by squishing it between your fingers. It may take a few minutes to work the butter completely into the dough.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few minutes until it is smooth and springy.

Original timeline for bulk fermentation: Place dough in large bowl greased with oil, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover and let it sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. I made the dough before work on Friday and let it sit all day (about 10 hours) at room temperature (about 65 degrees F.), on my kitchen counter then I baked the rolls that evening.  This timeline works, especially if it fits better with your schedule,  but I found the timeline below works really well to reduce the sour notes the starter may impart if left to rest too long at a lower temperature.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead a few times. Shape dough into a ball, then flatten.

Roll the dough out into one 15-16-inch circle or two 7-8-inch circles for smaller rolls.  Optionally, spread with remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

Cut into 16 or 32 wedges. Roll up each wedge, starting at wide end.

Place the rolls on ungreased cookie sheets with points underneath and curve slightly.  Cover and let rise 1-2 hours at warm room temperature or until double in size. If your kitchen is cold, it could take longer.

Baking Tip: At this point, you can let the rolls rise, and bake them right away, or if you want to bake them the next day, cover the shaped rolls and place them in the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning or afternoon, let them warm up (1-2 hours) to room temperature before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake uncovered for a total of 14-17 minutes or until golden brown.  Rotate the baking sheet(s) and switch racks (if needed) partway through the bake cycle for even baking.  Remove the rolls from the oven to a wire rack and brush with melted butter, if desired.

Serve immediately, or let them cool completely and reheat later.

 

These loaves were shared with Yeastspotting

 

Preparing these rolls is a two day process, but the timing worked out well.  I baked them Friday night and then warmed them up on Saturday at the get together.

The family gathering wasn’t at my house so I didn’t want to transport the unbaked rolls on a baking sheet in my car. I’ve tried that before, and if I don’t have someone to hold the baking sheet, the rolls have a tendency to slide off the baking sheet and onto the floor. Not this time! I learned my lesson on that one.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy