Pumpkin Spice Brioche Rolls

Pumpkin spice brioche rolls are rich and full of spiced pumpkin flavor. They're a delicious side for Thanksgiving, or any fall meal.

What is brioche? It's a yeast bread enriched with eggs and butter. It's similar to challah, but even richer, because it contains more fat.

If you're new to making bread, read my bread-making 101 post, and try a simple yeast bread first. Because of the high butter content of this bread, it can be a little more difficult to work with.

On the other hand, it uses instant yeast, so there's no need to worry about the water temperature being too cold or too hot at the beginning of the recipe.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Pumpkin Spice Brioche Rolls
• #PumpkinWeek

Ingredients

This recipe does have a fair amount of ingredients, but believe me, the end result is worth it!

The recipe uses instant yeast, which is very easy to work with, because it can be mixed right in to the rest of the ingredients without needing to be activated in warm water first.

The other ingredients are:

• All-purpose flour. The recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, but depending on the climate where you're making these, or even whether it's dry or humid the day you make them, you may need up to a half-cup extra. I strongly recommend weighing your flour rather than measuring by volume.
• Brown sugar is food for the yeast. As the yeast feeds on the sugar, it produces carbon dioxide, which causes the dough to rise.
• Milk adds moisture and richness (I highly recommend using whole or reduced fat milk; definitely not skim)
• Unsalted butter
• Pumpkin purée (not canned pumpkin pie filling)
• Large eggs. The size of egg you use can affect your recipe, especially when you need multiple eggs.
• Kosher salt. If you only have table salt, reduce the amount to 1 ½ teaspoons.
• Pumpkin pie spice, a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and sometimes allspice.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

There are no complicated techniques in this recipe. Just pack your patience, because between kneading and resting, this recipe takes a few hours.

The stand mixer and dough hook do the work of kneading the bread. Kneading by hand instead can take double the time of kneading with a mixer and dough hook. If it takes 20 minutes for the stand mixer to knead, it could take you 40 minutes by hand. My arms hurt just thinking about that.

If it's getting late and you'd rather bake them the next day, you can cover the bowl and do the first rest overnight in the refrigerator. But take it out first thing in the morning, so it doesn't overproof.

Or you can proceed with the recipe, which calls for an hour of rest. Then, it's time to divide and shape the rolls. Then they sit for a final proof (the term for the last rest before baking).

If you want a shiny finish like you'd get on a pastry from a professional bakery, give your rolls an egg wash before baking. That's when you beat an egg with a tablespoonful of water, and gently (don't want to deflate the bread!) brush it onto the bread just before baking.

Equipment

I use a KitchenAid stand mixer with a dough hook to make the dough. It is possible to make the dough by hand; you'll need to knead by hand at least double the amount of time called for the in the recipe.

I use a bowl scraper to remove the dough from the bowl, and to lift and shape it into a long rectangle and to help with the letter fold.

I use a bench scraper to cut the dough into pieces for rolls, and I use an OXO kitchen scale to measure the pieces to ensure they are roughly the same size.

I use a silicone pastry brush for applying the egg wash.

Storage

You can store your pumpkin spice brioche rolls in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to five days. Be sure to remove as much air as possible from the bag to preserve freshness.

You can also freeze the rolls in a freezer-grade zip-top bag for up to 2 months.

Top tip

The colder the brioche dough (and the butter in it) is, the easier it is to work with. However, cold butter won't incorporate into the dough! What's the secret? Make sure the other ingredients are cold. Cold eggs. Cold pumpkin. Even cold flour.

#PumpkinWeek

Pumpkin season is here, and we are celebrating our love of pumpkin with #PumpkinWeek hosted by Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. All week-long 11 bloggers will be sharing over 30 pumpkin-filled recipes for all your Autumn celebrations, including breakfasts, baked goods, savory pumpkin recipes, desserts, and drinks.

More #PumpkinWeek Recipes Below:

• Chipotle Chicken and Pumpkin Chowder from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Easy No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Dessert from Blogghetti
• Pumpkin Meatballs in a Creamy Tomato Sauce from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from The Spiffy Cookie
• Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls from A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Pumpkin Madeleines from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Malai Kofta from Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Milkshake from Art of Natural Living
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie from Palatable Pastime
• Spiced Pumpkin Butter from Cindy's Recipes and Writings