I always get assigned to bring the rolls for Thanksgiving. While traditional white or whole wheat dinner rolls are perfectly acceptable and even expected, sometimes it’s nice to make something a little different. In years past I’ve made these Rosemary Spelt Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls and these Whole Wheat Honey-Oat Butterhorns. This year I’ve decided to make Whole Wheat Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.

These rolls are so soft and fluffy and the pumpkin lends a nice, somewhat subtle flavor that doesn’t overwhelm. It’s just pleasant. And that color! Who wouldn’t want to bite into a nice, orange colored roll? These are great with butter and even better with honey butter.

I always like to bake rolls on a perforated baking sheet. If you’ve never seen these, you need to go have a look now. Here’s a link for those. These are seriously awesome. The perforations allow air to circulate underneath the rolls, creating a more browned bottom. But the best part is that you can leave the rolls on the pan after they’re done baking without the bottoms of the rolls sweating and becoming soggy. This is because there’s air underneath, keeping the bottoms dry.

Pro Tip!

To get your rolls perfectly and evenly browned on top, move your oven rack up to the second to the top spot. Just like in my Apple Butter Pie post where I said to move the oven rack down for a better baked crust, I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out. But, moving the rack up puts the rolls closer to the element, thus giving them a better chance to brown. Don’t underestimate the power of moving the oven rack.

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