Every family has their culinary Thanksgiving traditions: Hope’s Cranberry Orange Relish, Nonie’s Mincemeat Pie, Aunt Jen’s Green Bean Casserole, Grammie Young’s Biscuits, Rowena’s No-Fail stuffing…These treasured recipes, often passed down for generations, are a glimpse into the foodways, or the cultural role that food plays in our lives.
Often the heart of the feast (in addition to the turkey), these recipes continue to evolve with the passage of time and the dynamics of the international food culture. The fixings for Green Bean Casserole may no longer come strictly from cans of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French fried onions. While mincemeat, a rich, spicy preserve made of dried fruits, beef suet and lean meat (or venison in our family), once a labor of love, is available commercially prepared.
For over forty years, my brother’s wife Robin has baked her delicious Pumpkin Rolls. Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe, these rolls are rich and buttery, golden in color, with just a hint of spice and pumpkin. The dough, prepared with milk, brown sugar, butter and pumpkin (or squash) puree is silky and pliable, very easy to shape. (For those new to shaping rolls, King Arthur’s website offers a handy tutorial on making knot rolls.)
An excellent baker, Robin has added dried cranberries to the dough for the adventurous palate. She suggests poppy or sesame seeds on top, or even crushed pumpkin seeds. Families baking together is a wonderful experience, and Pumpkin Rolls is a tasty way to create family memories. From start to finish, these rolls take about 3 ½ hours to prepare. Because the process of mixing, shaping and rising the dough involves steps with waiting time in the middle, it’s the perfect activity for those with short attention spans.
Food and its surrounding family customs are vital to our lives. Food is love. This season, embrace your family’s recipe collection, and create new experiences. Spend more time in the kitchen, and savor those family traditions. Enjoy!
Robin's Pumpkin Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp Maine sea salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, scant 1/2 tsp each close & ginger)
- 4 - 5 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
- melted butter topping
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Measure out four cups of flour and set aside. Gently warm the butter and milk in the microwave or stovetop, and set aside
- To the bowl of your electric mixer or food processor, add the warmed butter and milk, brown sugar, yeast, pumpkin puree, Maine sea salt, and spices. Using the dough hook, mix until combined. Add the eggs and mix until combined.
- Add 4 cups of flour and mix until well combined and the dough forms a ball. It may be necessary to continue adding small amounts of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and becomes soft and smooth.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and let rise for 60 – 75 minutes, until puffy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and gently knead and deflate it.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, then divide each section into 12 pieces.
- Round each piece into a smooth ball, or shape into knots. (roll each piece into a strip, then shape into a knot)
- For pull-apart rolls, grease a 9” round cake pan and space 12 rolls in the pan. For individual rolls or knots, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and space rolls on pan. Allow the rolls to rise until quite puffy, about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl or cup, prepare the egg wash. Using a fork, beat 1-tablespoon water with 1 egg. Gently brush the rolls with the egg wash. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until nice and golden brown
- Remove the rolls from the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Turn the rolls out onto a rack to cool completely.
- Rolls are best served warm. Store completely cooled rolls well-wrapped or in a tightly sealed containers at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
